Get to Know Your Slimy Neighbors — Desert Snails

This webinar aired on FEB. 17, 2022.

Did you know Arizona has over 200 native species of mollusks?

Join us for a special Sky Island Coffee Break with Arizona’s “Snail Guy,” Jeff Sorensen. In this webinar, Jeff will introduce you to several families of snails (springsnails, talussnails, mountainsnails, and woodlandsnails) that are Species of Greatest Conservation Need across the state. He’ll discuss the basic life history of snails and their habitat associations, threats, research and conservation needs, and walk through the survey methods used by Arizona Game and Fish Department and local conservation partners.

By the end of this program, you’ll also know how to identify both spring and land snails — a very helpful tool when out seeking springs as part of Sky Island Alliance’s Spring Seeker program.

About Our Guest Presenter

Jeff is the Invertebrate Wildlife Program Manager—or “Snail Guy”—with AZ Game & Fish Dept. He started with the state wildlife agency 31 years ago, working on various fisheries and riparian projects across Arizona. Over the years, Jeff helped monitor and manage the Kanab ambersnail in the Grand Canyon, and dozens of other mollusks including most of our springsnail species.

Past Coffee Break Recordings