Online Presentation: Toad Smoke: (Un)Natural History of the Sonoran Desert Toad | Robert A. Villa | September 28, 2020 @ 7pm PST

This is a past and now archived online presentation.

View it on YouTube click HERE

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Toad Smoke: (Un)Natural History of the Sonoran Desert Toad
Robert Anthony Villa

The recent renaissance of psychedelics use and research has placed a target on the Sonoran Desert Toad (Incilus alvarius) for its production of a powerful hallucinogen, making it susceptible to exploitation. This presentation will cover the the history and misconceptions surrounding this iconic toad, as well as conservation initiatives to help it.

In 2014, members of the Yaqui community in Sonora invited James C. Rorabaugh and Robert A. Villa, to participate in a workshop about the conservation, and bio-cultural history of the Sonoran Desert Toad in response to severe collection of the species in that part of the world. This is when Robert became very aware of the effects of the the exploitation of this species.

Robert is a lifelong lover of the Sonoran Desert region, working as a curator and associate researcher at the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, and as president of THS. He is also a plantsman, natural history and bio-cultural consultant, and violinist.

He considers himself a follower of the great naturalist explorers of the Sonoran Desert region.