Welcome to the  Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research (SWCHR),  which was originally  established  by  Gerald Keown in 2007.  In 2009  Gerald Keown  and Tom Lott  joined together with Toby Brock, the late  Hans Koenig,  Bill White,  Diego Otriz,  John Williams and  a small group of other  southwestern herpers  to draft our  Articles of Association and  formally  charter  SWCHR  as a  Texas  not-for-profit association  governed by a Board of Directors  and operating under  the tax-exempt provisions  of  Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. SWCHR is dedicated to promoting the education of the  Association's members  and the general public  relating to the natural history,  biology,  taxonomy, conservation  and  preservation  needs,  field  studies,  and  captive  propagation  of  the  herpetofauna  indigenous to  the  American  Southwest. Membership is open to all persons having an interest in the herpetology of the American Southwest.