Beltz, Ellin

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Beltz, Ellin

PERSONAL:

Education: Attended DePaul University, 1973-75; Northeastern Illinois University, B.S. 1993, M.S., 1996.

ADDRESSES:

E-mail—ebeltz@ebeltz.net.

CAREER:

Herpetologist, biologist, educator, writer, and photographer. Merchandise Mart, Buyer's Service Department, Chicago, IL, 1977-78; Mid Town Bank and Trust Company, Chicago, secretary to president, then assistant head of Loan Department, 1978-80; Ironmonger Hardware, Chicago, supervised displays, catalog service, and international ordering, 1980-82; Springer Construction, Inc., Chicago, foreman, estimator, and field supervisor, 1982-86; New View Energy Control Systems, Chicago, field supervisor, 1986-91; Illinois Department of Conservation, Division of Natural Heritage, independent contract researcher, 1991-93; Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL, naturalist certificate program instructor, 1995-98; Trinity Christian College, Palos Park, IL, part-time instructor, 1997-2001; Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, part-time instructor, 1998-2001; University of Chicago, part-time instructor to visiting lecturer, 2001-02; College of the Redwoods, Eureka, CA, part-time lecturer, 2002-03. Served on the Council of International Programs Board of Directors, 1978-1980. Exhibitions:Author has had numerous photography and art exhibits, including the Bailiwick Arts Center, Chicago, 1999.

MEMBER:

Geological Society of America, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Chicago Herpetological Society, New Zealand Herpetological Society (honorary), San Diego Herpetological Society (honorary), Society for the Study of Amphibians & Reptiles (1991-97), Ferndale Garden Club (2003-05).

WRITINGS:

(Editor) Care in Captivity: Husbandry Techniques for Amphibians and Reptiles, Chicago Herpetological Society (Chicago, IL), 1989, 2nd edition, 1992.

Frogs: Inside Their Remarkable World, Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2005.

Freelance contributor to periodicals, including the Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society, Herpetological Review, and the North Coast Journal in Arcata, CA.

SIDELIGHTS:

Ellin Beltz is a biologist, herpetologist, and author of Frogs: Inside Their Remarkable World. The coffee-table-style book, which includes more than one hundred color photographs, is a guide to the thirty-one scientific categories of frogs, from eightpound goliath frogs of West Africa to two-foot-long cane toads in the American tropics. The author provides an introductory natural history of the frogs and discusses topics such as frog evolution and anatomy. She also analyzes their ecosystems and writes about frogs' current state within them, including the most important threats to their numbers and long-term survival. This comprehensive look at frogs even includes a chapter about how they relate to humans via myths and various cultures. Whit Gibbons, writing on the University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Web site, commented that "the frog book unveils a remarkable amphibian world that will be appreciated by anyone exposed to it." Gibbons went on to write: "Frogs will convince you that frogs are amazing." A Science News contributor wrote that the book could "be enjoyed by readers of all ages." Nancy Bent, writing in Booklist, commented that the author "delivers a thorough look" at frogs and also noted the "nice appendix of frog miscellany."