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Bob Ashley was born and raised in Michigan and grew up in East Grand Rapids. There, from 8 years old on up, he spent his youth catching turtles and snakes in the swamps and fields of Michigan. He was an active member of the Michigan Society of Herpetologists and started the company Exotics in 1984, supplying mostly pet shops in five states with imported and captive bred reptiles from around the globe. Bob started ECO Wear and Publishing in 1995 offering custom T-shirt designs, art and books and has to date published over 40 books on reptile and amphibian natural history and husbandry. Bob Ashley is the Past President of the International Herpetological Symposium and the current Vice President. Bob started the North American Reptile Breeders Conference and Trade Shows with partner Brian Potter in 2001. He currently co-owns and runs these events that take place in Anaheim, CA, Arlington, Tx and Tinley Park, IL and are the largest reptile events in the United States. On April 1st 2009 Bob opened the Chiricahua Desert Museum in Rodeo, New Mexico. This facility is an educational exhibit of reptiles and amphibians from the Western Hemisphere associated with the deserts of the Southwestern United States and Mexico with a focus on rattlesnakes of the Sky Islands.
Our official greeter Trixie, our three year old White Miniature Schnauzer
Sheri Ashley moved to Portal, AZ with her husband Bob in January 2009. She is the Buyer for the Gift Shop and runs marketing and order fullfillment
for ECO Wear and Publishing.
I'm Michelle Simpler, I grew up in the Portal, Rodeo area. I moved back east for college, but I couldn't stay away from my desert home. Now, I'm back to stay and raising my daughter here. I've been at the Chiricahua Desert Museum since 2010 and love learning about all the desert creatures that thrive here and passing it on to all our visitors.
My name is Ana Grossman. I grew up in central part of New Mexico. My family and I moved here to the beautiful desert, Apache, AZ in 1999. I began working at the Chiricuahua Desert Museum four months after the museum opened their doors. I come from a family of Native American jewelers, so I especially enjoy working in the jewelry department. It is a joy to help a customer find the perfect piece for a loved one, or just for themselves.
