Norman Greenhawk

The Harris Conservation Initiative for Reptiles and Amphibians was named in honor of my grandparents- Harry C. Harris Jr and Stella M. Harris of Cordova, Maryland. Or to me, “Pop-Pop” and “Mom-Mom”. They were born in 1930 and 1931, respectively, and married in 1949. Pop-pop served three years in the army after being drafted into the Korean War in 1953. From the day they married, they lived in a small five-room house my grandfather built himself. For 63 years, they raised children and grandchildren there, in the farming town of Cordova, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Both of my grandparents were working class. Mom-mom was a cafeteria lunch lady for Talbot County Public Schools. Pop-pop was a construction worker for James Julian Construction. They wanted more for me, and pushed me to do my best academically.  The fact that I am the first person in my family to go to college, and the only one to earn a Master's degree, is just as much their accomplishment as it is my own. They nurtured my love of nature, my interest in the sciences, and my fascination with reptiles and amphibians (though my grandmother nurtured this at a distance). My grandfather took me fishing, and occasionally, hunting. He built custom lids for my terrariums, and helped me set up my first aquarium as a child. My grandmother would find a way to buy me every academic book I would ask for, and would encourage me to go outside and explore the family farm.

They both passed on from this world. I miss them every day, and with them gone, I know that from now on, life will always be just a little emptier for me. To honor their memory and the sacrifices they made so that I could be the man I am today, I formed the Harris Conservation Initiative for Reptiles and Amphibians. I wouldn’t have made it this far without them, and this organization is my small way of keeping their memory alive. 

The goals of my nonprofit are straightforward: 

1. Promote appropriate in-situ and ex-situ conservation activities for overlooked species of herpetofauna in Puerto Rico, Belize, the Philippines, and Maryland.

2. Link my research in the above-mentioned areas to provide students and recent graduates from those countries research exchange opportunities. 

Thank you for reading.

For more more information: www.harrisconservationinitiative.org (Under construction, estimated launch June 2022)