The copperbelly water snake was proposed to be federally listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act on August 18, 1993, with a final decision due within one year. However, a Congressional moratorium on listing species as threatened or endangered was imposed on April 10, 1995, and the final decision on the species status was not completed. During the moratorium, the Service was prohibited from taking any actions associated with listing species as threatened or endangered, including looking at new data.
The listing moratorium ended on April 26, 1996. Now, the Service is again reviewing data in preparation for making a decision on whether to list the copperbelly water snake as a threatened species. A species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act is one believed likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future throughout all or significant portions of its range. An endangered species is considered likely to become extinct.
The copperbelly water snake occurs in an isolated population in southern Michigan, the northwestern corner of Ohio, and northeastern corner of Indiana. It is also found in southern Indiana, the southeastern portions of Illinois, and western Kentucky. Copperbelly water snakes live in bottomland forests and swamps where there are warm, quiet waters. This species also uses adjacent upland woods and fields for travel between suitable habitat and for winter hibernation.
The copperbelly is threatened primarily due to the loss and degradation of its habitat. Activities such as drainage and clearing of wetlands, road construction, surface mining, and dams that flood lowland habitats have reduced the amount and quality of habitat available for this species. In Indiana, for example, nearly 86 percent of the states wetlands have been modified or destroyed.
The Service is reopening the comment period so that data developed during or following the Congressional moratorium can be received and analyzed. The Service expects to receive a report, initiated by the agency prior to the moratorium, on the status of the snakes northern population (southern Michigan and adjacent parts of Indiana and Ohio) during this comment period. The Service also will continue discussions with interested parties on conservation measures for the snake.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
