Christian Fernandez (Southern Fire Exchange)

Funding provided by the Donna J. Heinrich Environmental Education Grant from the Gopher Tortoise Council allowed UF/IFAS Extension to host the inaugural Fang Fest in Williston, FL. Fang Fest is an outreach festival designed to equip guests with the skills and knowledge to coexist with Florida’s snakes–including upland species like the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake–and gain a better appreciation for them on the landscape.

This event was founded and coordinated by University of Florida alumnus Christian Fernandez and was adopted as part of Dr. Steven Johnson’s Extension program “Mitigating Conflicts Between People and Wildlife”. It was held at Amber Brooke Farms on April 27th, 2024 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. concurrent to their annual Blueberry Festival. Guests experienced snake-related activities for kids and adults, wildlife-related exhibitors, vendors, food trucks, blueberry u-pick, live music, and many other festivities.

Christian, at the time a student in Natural Resource Conservation, came up with the event in the Spring semester of 2023 when listening to Dr. Johnson, Professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, rant about rattlesnake roundups in a ‘Wildlife of Florida’ lecture. Equipped with prior event-planning experience and a keen interest in the human dimensions of conservation, he thought, “…well… What if we pivot the economic and community drive of rattlesnake roundups to be for rattlesnakes instead of against them?” Christian approached Dr. Johnson with the snake event idea a couple weeks later. Dr. Johnson was on board, and the planning for Fang Fest was set to kick off in the following semester.

Once planning and development truly began, Christian decided that a needs assessment of north-central Floridians would be the best source of direction for the event. He interviewed fifteen stakeholders representing snake conservation at the federal, state, and nonprofit levels, as well as representatives from the pet trade, hunting organizations, and social science field. 

The results of the interviews revealed an incredibly complex narrative surrounding Florida’s snakes and the difficulty residents have coexisting with them. Of the many takeaways from the interviews, Christian was able to identify 7 recurring themes of educational need for Floridians:

• Biology: What makes a snake a snake?
• Ecology and Human Value: Why should I care about snakes?
• Identification: Which species and behaviors should I be wary of?
• Misconceptions: What do I think I know that isn’t true?
• Conflict Mitigation: How do I prevent encounters with snakes?
• Safety: What do I do when I encounter a snake?
• Conservation: How are Florida’s snakes doing?

After identifying these needs, Christian realized Fang Fest shouldn’t and couldn’t just be another wildlife festival that Gainesville and the surrounding region is well known for. He realized that an “anti-rattlesnake roundup” was a rather short-sighted vision. Fang Fest was an opportunity to address these needs in a way that was engaging and respectful of people’s backgrounds. It was an opportunity to meet north-central Floridians where they were, and produce something for them.

The venue was secured soon after–Amber Brooke Farms in Williston, FL–an agritourism farm. The agreement would be that we would host Fang Fest during a day of their annual Blueberry Festival–an agreement that would prove to serve the mission of Fang Fest more than initially anticipated.

Because the Blueberry Festival attracted thousands of guests of all demographics, there would potentially be that many guests that engaged with Fang Fest’s activities and materials that weren’t there for the “festival for snakes”. Moreover, many of the festival activities that would’ve had to be provided by the team behind Fang Fest were already provided by Amber Brooke Farms.

Christian and Dr. Johnson then worked to assemble a team of undergraduate students, forming three committees to tackle the planning and execution of the event. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation students Ciara Coulombe, Lana Ng, and Lauren Haskins worked diligently as chairs of the activities, operations, and marketing committees respectively. 

Ciara and her committee developed and staffed 7 activities for each of the previously mentioned needs identified during the needs assessment. Lana and her committee coordinated vendors,  exhibitors, and equipment, and ensured the smooth execution of the big day when it came. Lauren and her committee worked with UF/IFAS Communications to create various graphics and marketing materials to advertise the event, share them via social media, and display them on the big day. Lauren and Cat Wofford, UF/IFAS Photographer, were also responsible for taking the pictures seen in this newsletter!

All three chairs and their respective committees served as dedicated volunteers during the day of Fang Fest. The resources used by each of these committees, among others used for Fang Fest, were purchased and funded through the GTC Heinrich Environmental Education Grant.

Christian made it a point to include a voluntary evaluation that guests could complete as they left Fang Fest–the results from which suggested that it was a resounding success. Out of more than 1,000 guests attending the Blueberry Festival, over 300 engaged with Fang Fest activities and materials specifically. 59 guests completed the voluntary evaluation. Over 90% of respondents felt more confident for future snake encounters, better equipped to prevent undesirable snake encounters, and more appreciative of snakes on the landscape and in their community. One hundred percent of respondents said they would attend again and reported Fang Fest as enjoyable and educational.

The inaugural Fang Fest served as a case study in the value of collaboration for herpetological conservation–not just between experts, but with students, stakeholders, and community members. It is possible to bring together people from all demographics, attitudes, and values, as long as there is a will to listen first and plan second.

Fang Fest will be held annually in perpetuity to continue serving the needs of North-Central Floridians: helping them safely coexist with snakes and promoting an appreciation or tolerance of them on the landscape. Christian and Dr. Johnson continue to work together to coordinate and improve the event for the 2nd annual implementation in the spring of 2025.