I propose having a "last wild garter of the year" contest. From now until the end of the year, why doesn't anyone who finds a wild garter report it on this thread. Then we'll review the posts in January 2007 and see who won. The only stipulation is that the garter must be wild, and it must have been found outdoors.

I'd propose that anyone who wishes to, could sent one dollar ($1) in foreign or domestic currency to the winner (or perhaps to Jason/Boots, as a trustworthy caretaker of the money before the contest ends). If the winner chooses not to post their address online (or give it to Boots), we would need to have a fallback plan. Maybe the person who found the second-to-last garter would want to offer their address. Then Jason/Boots could either distribute the money, a gift certificate, or an actual prize (rodentpro shipment, free garter, etc.) to the winner. If we choose to send a free snake, it could even be purchased from one of our members who breeds snakes.

Participation, of course, would be voluntary as would the donation of the dollar, and we would have to operate under the honor system. Each report of a wild snake discovery would have to include details of the discovery, including a rough description of the area as well as events of the day for us all to enjoy. There aren't any wild garters within about 300 miles of where I live in Alaska, so this isn't a self-serving proposal. If this is something we want to do, we could probably come up with a lot more ideas to make it more interesting, like having a poll to decide on the prize. What do you say? Do we have a contest?