Starting a reptile rescue?

You might want to contact some existing reptile rescues from around the country. I'm sure they could give you a lot of insight and advice. One I happen to be aware of because it is somewhat near me is MARS.

I think it is fabulous that you want to do this. It seems like more reptile rescues are needed. I think others have said to start out slowly, which I would agree with so you don't find out you've taken on more than you can handle.

Keep us updated if you do decide to start doing this!

Sounds like a very noble cause. It is sad to me, that your area shelters just euth the animals without even giving them a chance. There could be someone out there that'd be willing to take one in.. instead of supporting pet stores that generally contribute to the problem of people buying cute little herps, only to lose interest and/or be afraid of them when they grow.
I would contact any local rescues that you can find. Maybe, instead of blazing a trail now when you're just starting into this, you could foster for another rescue that already has its feet wet? Like, if you've got tons of BP experience, you could help them foster BPs and find homes for them..
I know that many rescues won't ship. I think that it's usually a case of them wanting to meet adopters in person, or to prevent the animal going to a shady source that might just neglect it like its other owners had.
A woman I know of(we'll call her "Sue) used to rescue cats and dogs. One thing was for sure; she always had about 20-30 dogs, and 10-20 cats at home at any given time. Quarantine was done at her storefront. She had a friend and they had a nonprofit status, but then her friend got busted for being thought of as an animal horder, and it affected Sue as well. Going into a rescue with friends, is similar to starting a business. Tiffs can develop (just asn my husband and his former friend; once business partners, they do not even speak anymore.)She ended up keeping many that either came back from novice owners returning them, or ones that had health issues. Not being afraid of knowing when an animal's too far-gone to save, and euthanizing it, is a must too I think.

I think a lot of good points have already been presented here. I would definitely say that money, time, and space are your main requirements and headaches.
You will see lots of iguanas, burms, African rocks, retics, and crocodilians as well as water turtles. I have a friend in Canada that has a reptile rescue and currently has 140+ iguanas right now!!
I have a friend who ran a reptile rescue here in the D/FW area that could give you some insight if you are interested.
For the most part, and I believe the hardest for most people, is to know when an animal is too far gone health wise or just unadoptable. There may be lots that a vet can do but if the animals' quality of life is suffering, it is time to euthanize it and move on to more hopeful cases that may be more deserving of your time. If not, you can easily get in over your head and feel overwhelmed.