It is a non-profit organization supporting education, conservation, and research related to reptiles and amphibians.
It is the largest international herpetological society, and is recognized worldwide for having the most diverse program of publications, meetings, and other activities.
The committee serves as a liaison between the SSAR and public and private groups to provide expert advice, factual knowledge, and educational information about problems confronting amphibians and reptiles, including habitat protection, endangered, threatened, and special concern species, commercial and private use, contaminants, and priorities for conservation-oriented research.
The committee coordinates SSAR responses to proposed national and international legislation and other conservation matters involving reptiles and amphibians.
They decided in the fall of 1957 to formalize interactions amongst a small group of amateur herpetologists throughout Ohio and began publishing a combined journal and newsletter (called the Trimonthly Report) in January 1958.