The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has permit requirements for many herptiles. NEHS is an active contributor in the list review and update process. The last time the regulations were reviewed, NEHS formed a committee of a dozen members and submitted a comprehensive list of recommended changes to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW).
At the beginning of 1991, the New England Herpetological Society formed a committee to investigate the possibility of updating the regulations concerning reptiles and amphibians in the state of Massachusetts. The committee was formed in response to a letter from Tom French, an assistant director at the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (DFW). He had spoken on Herp Laws in Massachusetts at the November, 1990 meeting of the NEHS. The Regulations Committee originally consisted of David Kirkpatrick (chair), Rick Roth, Charles Fisher, Dave McNeill, and Mary Stafford. A request for new members was made in the January, 1992 issue of the NEHS newsletter, but no new members were forthcoming. In July of 1992, Tom French mentioned to David Kirkpatrick that he would welcome input from the committee. More members were recruited for the Regulations committee, and split into subgroups based on expertise to evaluate the current regulations and to make recommendations for changes.
At the end of October, 1992, a final version of the subgroups’ recommendations was compiled and sent to Tom French. The formal process for changing the regulations took approximately three years, as it had to go through a number of committees and a formal public hearing on the proposed changes.
Unfortunately, the text for half of the ‘lizards’ section is not available at this time, as no copies of it have been located.
The links below comprise the text of the proposed changes.
The Proposal also included a table of contents, two tables listing all current snake and lizard genera, and a copy of the complete Restricted Reptiles and Amphibians List, as compiled by NEHS. These are not reproduced here.
Initial Letter from DFW
Proposal Cover Letter
Proposal Preface
Proposed Changes
Proposal Conclusions
Proposal References