Glen (Jake)
Jacobsen is an Assistant County (States) Attorney in Minnesota. Jake's interest in herps goes back 40+ years, a fact borne out by his parents' photo of him as a neonate, sitting on the floor and watching a baby red-eared slider scamper by. Yes, it was kept in a plastic turtle torture bowl with a palm tree and yes it died fairly quickly, but the turtle motif surfaced again and again throughout the formative years.
After a number of higher education years sans animals, Donna, Jake's wife, requested a pet, so a Bimini boa constrictor appeared in the household. This opened the floodgates and a number of snakes, amphibians and lizards arrived, taking over most of the available space in the house. A malnourished 3-toed box turtle was adopted from the Minnesota Herpetological Society and, despite appropriate indoors care, it did not seem to thrive. The construction of an outdoor pen brought the turtle back to full vigor and introduced the idea that the rest of the yard could be utilized for reptile accommodations as well. Shortly thereafter some Leopard and Pancake tortoises joined the collection.
Today, there are no snakes and only a couple frogs, but lizards are well represented with three species of Uromastyx, a pair of Angel Island chuckwallas, a monitor and a blue-tongued skink. Tortoise-wise, Jake has been the only person in Minnesota to consistently produce Leopard tortoise hatchlings for the past number of years. Other chelonian additions include a number of CB wood turtles (kept with permit), a pair of DNR confiscated Eastern box turtles, pancake and spider tortoises and a quartet of Burmese Mountain tortoises.
As an attorney, Jake has been involved with many of the national efforts at herpetological legislative action and reform. He was one of the first Legislative Representatives selected by Philippe deVosjoli of the American Federation of Herpetoculturists (Vivarium magazine). When the AFH desired to change its focus, the legislative representatives joined with others in the formation of the National Herpetocultural Alliance, the NHA. The goal of the NHA was to work on both National and State levels to assist in the drafting, sponsoring and passage of appropriate legislation to support the rights and abilities of individuals to keep, breed and maintain reptiles and amphibians. These goals remain a prime consideration for him in his current activities with the WCT.
He firmly believes that, working together, we can effectuate positive changes in the laws, policies and procedures that affect us in the pursuit of our chelonian hobbies.
