The Red River Reef and Reptile Expo is excited to announce the next level of event growth and the addition of speaker presentations at the event. The speakers will be featured below and will be presenting information related to the hobbies we all love. Stay tuned for the schedule of presentations!
If you are an industry speaker and are interested in coming to our event. Please be sure to contact us and express your interest to join us at a future Expo.
C.A.A.R.E will be presenting information about providing for a pet parrot and other exotic birds. Attendees will learn about requirements, care and the basics to owning a parrot.
The Center for Avian Adoption, Rescue, and Education (CAARE) is an all-volunteer parrot shelter devoted to the welfare of companion parrots. In their shelter, there are two dedicated rooms for parrots awaiting adoption: One for larger parrots and one for smaller parrots. They have an Adoption Process in place for finding the adoptable parrots the best home possible.
They also educate the public about the proper care of exotic birds whenever anyone not familiar with owning and caring for parrots comes into the shelter. They offer Memberships, which helps them to continue their mission and also provide a discount on most items available in the Avian Warehouse.
- From the website (www.caare.net)
Dr. Matthew Smith from the Department of Biological Sciences at North Dakota State University is a herpetologist who works on the conservation and physiological ecology of a wide range of reptile and amphibian species. Dr. Smith has several avenues of research that focus on outreach and education, conservation of local reptiles and amphibians, and impacts of variable environments on reptiles species. Dr. Smith supervises a group of undergraduates who care for the Department’s education collection of live reptiles and amphibians. This collection is used for teaching in the classroom, doing outreach programs on and off campus, and taking in rescue reptiles and amphibians from the area.
Dr. Smith and his graduate students work closely with North Dakota Game and Fish on issue pertaining to the conservation and monitoring of local reptile and amphibian species. Currently they are working on a project that examines the relationship between habitat characteristics and breeding success in the local frog and toad species.
Lastly, Dr. Smith has several ongoing projects that look at how global climate change may impact species with temperature-dependent sex determination, using Leopard Geckos as our model system.
C.A.A.R.E will be presenting information about providing for a pet parrot and other exotic birds. Attendees will learn about requirements, care and the basics to owning a parrot.
The Center for Avian Adoption, Rescue, and Education (CAARE) is an all-volunteer parrot shelter devoted to the welfare of companion parrots. In their shelter, there are two dedicated rooms for parrots awaiting adoption: One for larger parrots and one for smaller parrots. They have an Adoption Process in place for finding the adoptable parrots the best home possible.
They also educate the public about the proper care of exotic birds whenever anyone not familiar with owning and caring for parrots comes into the shelter. They offer Memberships, which helps them to continue their mission and also provide a discount on most items available in the Avian Warehouse.
- From the website (www.caare.net)
Grant's love of fishes started back when he was about five years old and inherited his mother’s 2-gallon fish bowl. He bought his first black goldfish and was hooked. He moved from goldfish to guppies, and when he was 13 years old he visited the Seattle Aquarium with his grandmother. This is where he found his calling. He wanted to become a marine biologist and work with sharks.
Throughout his career, Grant has worked with corals, jellyfish, sharks, and more at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and Des Moines Zoo. To be closer to home, Grant moved his family back to Sioux Falls. In 2010, he helped start the Marine Cove through the donations of fellow fish hobbyists in the community. Grant is happiest when he is scuba diving, so he takes every opportunity to go diving in the world’s coral reef ecosystems.
- From the website (https://butterflyhousemarinecove.org/about-us)
SELENIUM's first products were created in 2010 by David Skipper when he started making reef food for his clients. David started making his own food because of the poor results he was getting with the food available at the time. So for the next two years, David sold his own food to his clients and friends and in 2013 decided to turn SELENIUM into a business. David worked closely with other marine experts, scientists, and quality control consultants to perfect his recipes. Six months of rigorous scientific testing followed by a small beta test launch in Atlanta, Georgia. This test was massively successful and a company was formed to sell the products that David created under the /Sē/ label. David studied biology and marine sciences at the University of Georgia, and has 20 years experience in the aquarium industry providing sales and maintenance through his company, Skipper Aquatics LLC.
Selenium Enterprises LLC is located in Atlanta, Georgia. All SELENIUM’s products undergo extensive testing at private federally-compliant labs and are certified under strict scrutiny by the Georgia Department of Agriculture as well as all other States they are sold in. We stand behind our products unconditionally, each batch is given it’s own lot number, and each batch is individually tested before shipping. Our products are truthfully labeled, produced under the strictest sanitary conditions, and on restaurant grade stainless steel equipment.
Devin has many years of experience in the keeping of reptiles. Through Fang n Fur he is able to supply some of the top of the line reptile goods to the area as well as travel to many different area shows. He has been involved in multiple local reptile clubs and held offices within their ranks and helped them grow. He came on-board with the Red River Reef and Reptile Expo after the original Fargo Frag Swap in January 2013 with the idea of taking a great event and expanding into another side of exotic pets. Through this idea and lots of hard work, the Red River Reef and Reptile Expo is here to bring a side of exotics rarely seen in the area.
Devin's presentation will focus on the need to be educated before making decisions to jump into the hobby. It can be a very fun and enjoyable hobby, but there are different special needs for each reptile species that must be considered. If you are looking at getting into the reptile hobby or just want to learn more about what it takes to keep reptiles, his presentation is one you won't want to miss.
If you are interested in being a speaker at our event or would like to present some information related to our hobbies, please let us know. We are currently looking to fill the speaker spaces to add some additional value for the attendees so they are able to learn about the hobby, current events and other related new processes or events.
