Herp Report: Second chance for Eastern Indigo Snake
Several efforts are being launched to create refuges for the Eastern Indigo, one of the largest snakes in the United States.
First up, a congressman who gets it. For those keeping track for voting purposes, this is Congressman Jack Kingston of Savannah, GA. From the Island Packet:
The bespectacled Republican couldn't help but crack a joke about his search for the harmless indigo, one of the largest snakes in North America.
"They're so much more pleasant than the crowd in Washington," he told the TV station.
Kingston, rated by some as the most conservative member of Congress, looks like a typical guy with a wife, four children, two dogs and two cats. But what about those snakes?
"It's golf for one guy, fly fishing for somebody else, it's snakes for me," he told WMAZ.
What he was promoting and researching was Project Orianne, which is named after a little girl who loves Indigos; seriously how cool is that!
From the Orlando Sentinal:
Antonio said the Lake site provides an ideal arena for study and breeding the reptiles, allowing researchers to construct individual open-air enclosures that mirror the eastern indigo snake's natural habitat. He said the enclosures will keep the snakes in and black bear, foxes and other animals out.More on the efforts from the Florida Times Union:
"It's a species that needs to come back," said Commissioner Jennifer Hill, who studied the group's website, met with the property owners and read about the black reptile, a predator of rattlesnakes. "It's a very good snake."
The eastern indigo snake preys on frogs, lizards and small mammals but prefers to eat other snakes.
Longleaf forests provide habitat for threatened or endangered species, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker and the Eastern indigo snake.
"The Okefenokee Swamp once was virtually surrounded by thousands of acres of longleaf pine forests." McGee said. "Now, it's imbedded in a landscape of industrial pine plantations. Through restoration projects like this one, we can at least partially restore the ecosystems that belong there."
[....]
"It's a plus to be able to restore any part of the footprint of the longleaf pine forest," Shelton said, "but it also makes it possible to better protect the swamp. The additional land is a good buffer and gives firefighters more room to maneuver."
Here's to the snakes and the chance to restore a population!
Photo courtesy of jodscovry
