I would not hold my breath on getting a straight answer from Herp Alliance they already seems to master avoiding questions by answering like politicians when ask about their mailing list

With respect to the Herp Alliance mailing list, it is not the same as USARK's. Naturally there is some overlap with USARK's list (and I imagine Repticon's list and others), but USARK's mailing list is, I believe, significantly larger than Herp Alliance's. This community is simply not that big. Herp Alliance does not share its mailing list with anyone. If any person wishes to be removed from the list, you can simply unsubscribe using the link in the email. Your address will be automatically removed.
I too have received an email from Herp Alliance and that specific email address was provided to USARK when I first became a member and was NEVER provided to Herp Alliance.