NORMAN “RANDY” SISK, M.S.

Randy is a wildlife biologist who specializes in herpetology. His interest in herpetology began as a child hunting snakes and salamanders in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. In 1990, Randy received a B.S. degree in Biology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina, graduating Summa Cum Laude. In 1995, he received an M.S. degree in Biology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, again graduating Summa Cum Laude. His graduate research and thesis focused on the evolution of the rattle in rattlesnakes.

With over 20 years of professional experience, Randy has extensive knowledge of the herpetology of California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southern United States. He is an expert on the federally endangered arroyo toad, having conducted a three-year ecological study of the species at MCB Camp Pendleton. He has also conducted studies and protocol and focused wildlife surveys for many other special-status species in California including limestone salamander, California tiger salamander, California red-legged frog, blunt-nosed leopard lizard, giant garter snake, western pond turtle, and desert tortoise. Randy holds state and federal permits for working with California red-legged frog, California tiger salamander, and limestone salamander and has participated in population studies that included the implantation of PIT (passive integrated transponder) tags into the arroyo toad, California red-legged frog, western spadefoot, and California toad. In his spare time, Randy enjoys camping and hiking, playing chess, playing guitar, and repairing mechanical watches.