Herpetologists' League Award for Distinguished Service to Herpetology

The Herpetologists’ League is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2022 Award for Distinguished Service to Herpetology is Dr. Patrick T. Gregory, of the University of Victoria, in British Columbia, Canada. Currently a Professor Emeritus of Biology, Pat Gregory has not only pursued a distinguished career in research, teaching, and mentorship that has spanned nearly 50 years, but he has served the herpetological community through his involvement in many major service roles. Pat Gregory was born in England and moved to Canada when he was seven years old. He received his BSc from the University of Toronto and his MSc and PhD from the University of Manitoba. He was hired immediately out of graduate school by the University of Victoria, where he remained on the faculty for 45 years, serving as Chair for a number of years and officially retiring in 2018. In retirement Pat remains active in research, especially working on data he gathered in a number of extended field studies. As a researcher, Pat has focused particularly on the ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles of western Canada, and he is especially recognized for his work on the ecology of natricine snakes, in both North America and Europe. He has worked extensively on their hibernation ecology, thermal relations, and interspecific interactions, including his important work on the natural history of reptiles at high latitudes and his pioneering work at the immense garter snake hibernacula in Manitoba. Pat’s research productivity has been prodigious, with 93 peer-reviewed journal articles, eight book chapters and contributions to proceedings, 13 published book reviews, and 44 other contributions, such as reports to agencies and summaries from working groups. Pat has mentored 26 graduate students, and he has taught courses primarily in the areas of ecology and vertebrate biology. His research has been extensively supported by extramural grants, including 15 prestigious NSERC awards and numerous grants supporting conservation-related activities. He has given countless presentations at conferences and institutions, and he has been actively engaged in outreach to promote the appreciation and conservation of snakes. His research contributions have been recognized many times, as with the Herpetologists’ League Distinguished Herpetologist Award, the Henry S. Fitch Award for Excellence in Herpetology from the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH), and the Michael Rankin Distinguished Canadian Herpetologist Award from the Canadian Herpetological Society (CHS). Similarly, Pat has been recognized for his contributions to the conservation of herpetofauna, receiving the Blue Racer Award from the Canadian Amphibian and Conservation Network and serving as Honorary Professor of Herpetological Conservation at the University of Kent (UK) for 11 years. This year’s Award for Distinguished Service to Herpetology especially recognizes Pat for the breadth of his service on behalf of the broader herpetological community, through his leadership and service roles in multiple professional societies and as the host of several major herpetological conferences. Pat has provided extensive committee service, most notably to ASIH, which recognized him with the Robert K. Johnson Award for service in appreciation for his 19 years on the Board of Governors, seven years on the Long Range Planning Committee, and eight years on the Executive Committee. However, Pat has also served in major committee roles in the Herpetologists’ League (HL; including chair of the Award for Distinguished Service to Herpetology selection committee), on the Board of Directors of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAR), and on the International Herpetological Committee of the World Congress of Herpetology. Most notably, Pat has served as President of several herpetological societies, including the ASIH, the Canadian Association of Herpetologists, and (as Founding Co-President) the CHS. In addition to those important society offices, Pat has hosted two major international conferences (and many smaller meetings). For the first, he cohosted the 1986 annual meeting of the ASIH at his home institution, the University of Victoria. For the second, he hosted (as Chair of the Organizing Committee) the expansive 7th World Congress of Herpetology, held in 2012 at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. That conference also included the annual meetings of the HL, SSAR, and ASIH. In addition, Pat has organized or co-organized five symposia at national and international conferences. No account of Pat’s service to our discipline would be complete without noting Pat’s personal warmth, his encouragement of colleagues and students, and his engaging sense of humor. His extensive record of professional accomplishments is a testament not only to his high level of energy, but also to his enthusiasm for welcoming colleagues into his scientific and personal circle. Throughout his lengthy career, Pat Gregory has served the field of herpetology through his long and active engagement with colleagues, students, and our professional societies. The Herpetologists’ League is privileged to confer this year’s Award for Distinguished Service to Herpetology on our colleague Patrick T. Gregory. Patrick T. Gregory in 2018, with a large female Barred Grass Snake (Natrix helvetica), at his long-term field site in Kent, England. Photo by Linda Gregory.