About Us
TCAMP was founded in early 2024 by Stephen Bredin. His goal was to help reverse amphibian declines in Tompkins County by connecting local residents with their wonderful amphibian compatriots.
Initially, we started by organizing a collective spring migration patrol that accumulated the efforts of several local groups that had done independent patrols in the past, as an attempt to standardize and strengthen patrol efforts.
Since then, the spring migration patrol has only grown larger, connecting volunteers from all backgrounds in our community to help amphibians. It is our biggest event that we coordinate every year. We work closely with the NYSDEC Amphibian Migrations and Road Crossings (AM&RC) project, which is a similar initiative focused in the Hudson River Valley.
Outside of the migration season, we do outreach and education programs with several local organizations. From nature walks to giving formal presentations, we love the enthusiasm within our community!
Leadership
Executive Board
Stephen Bredin President & Founder
Stephen is a Cornell M.S. student studying juvenile amphibian road mortality. Over the last 6 years he has studied reptiles and amphibians across the U.S., from Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades to endangered Oregon Spotted Frogs in Washington State. Stephen has a deep passion for reptile and amphibian conservation, and founded TCAMP in 2024 to connect local residents with their wonderful amphibian compatriots. His favorite amphibian is every single toad.
Stephanie Tran Vice-President
Steph is a PhD candidate at Cornell studying the effects of thermal stress on life history, physiology, and behavior in fish. She did fieldwork studying species coexistence between guppies and killifish in Trinidad prior to coming to Cornell. Despite researching fish, she enjoys learning about natural history in general, but especially loves amphibians. She joined TCAMP in 2024 to do outreach and education in her local community, and her favorite amphibians are the glass frogs.
Tomas Quezada Treasurer
Tomas is a research specialist at the Chemical Ecology Core Facility with the McArt lab at Cornell. He grew up with many species of snakes and lizards in his backyard. He has always felt a deep connection to these creatures that are often feared and scorned, yet have a fundamental role in sustaining ecosystems. He hopes that he can help declining populations of reptiles and amphibians and help people gain an appreciation for these animals. His favorite herp is the Eyelash viper, bothriechis schlegelii.
Haley Turner Director of Data Management
Haley is a PhD student at Cornell studying spatial ecological processes of carnivores in New York. She has worked with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on various research projects across the U.S. studying eastern box turtles, sea turtles, diamondback terrapins, and Burmese pythons. She joined TCAMP because she believes data is a powerful tool for protecting threatened taxa like amphibians, her favorite of which is the Fowler's toad.
Emily grew up exploring Ithaca's woods and waterways, and has been working in local nature education and science communication spaces since moving back to the area in 2017. She believes that learning about and supporting our amphibian friends is a powerful way to build community-oriented conservation mindsets, and is delighted to be celebrating salamanders and people power through working with TCAMP!
Emily Belle Director of Outreach
Stephanie Tran
Vice-President
Steph is a 3rd year PhD student at Cornell studying heat stress on life history traits in guppies. She is passionate about natural history and especially loves amphibians!
Advisory Board
Andrew
Miller
Caroline
Marschner
Brandon
Hedrick
Jack
Phillips
Kenji
Doering
Stephanie
Dickert
Dan
Pascucci
