The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking written public comment on the draft recovery plan for the threatened Lake Erie water snake, which lives only on the islands and in the waters of the western Lake Erie basin. A Notice of Availability of the draft recovery plan was published in the June 19 Federal Register. Comments from all interested parties will be accepted for 60 days after the publication date.
The recovery plan addresses four topics: site-specific management actions necessary to conserve and recover the species; an estimated time-frame for recovery; an estimated cost of the complete recovery of the species; and precise, measurable criteria that will allow the Service and others to objectively determine when recovery has been achieved. The draft recovery plan will guide all federal and state agencies whose actions affect the conservation of the Lake Erie water snake. The goal of the recovery plan is to bring populations of the species to a point where protection of the Endangered Species Act is no longer necessary.
The Lake Erie water snake was listed as a threatened species in August 1999 because its populations have experienced major declines during the past 150 years. Most of the population decline can be attributed to habitat loss, such as development of the snake’s shoreline habitat with marinas and houses. Snake populations are also threatened by intentional and accidental human-induced mortality. The non-poisonous Lake Erie water snake is a uniform gray to brown color, and some may have dark bands or blotches.
Mature snakes can range from 1 to 5 feet in length. The largest populations of the water snake in the United States occur on North, Middle, and South Bass Islands and Kelleys Island. The snakes spend the summer along the rocky shorelines of the islands and forage for fish in the lake. During the winter, Lake Erie water snakes hibernate underground.
Copies of the Lake Erie water snake draft recovery plan may be obtained free of charge from the Service’s web site at http://endangered.fws.gov, or purchased from the Fish and Wildlife Reference Service, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, Bethesda, MD 20814 (301-492-6403 or 800-582-3421). TTY users may contact us through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
A copy of the plan may also be viewed at the following Ohio libraries: South Bass Public Library, Put-In-Bay School, Catawba Avenue, Put-In-Bay; Sandusky Library, 528 Division Street, Kelleys Island; Sandusky Library, 114 W. Adams St., Sandusky; and Port Clinton Public Library, 310 Madison Street, Port Clinton.
Written comments can be submitted by mail to: Field Office Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6950 Americana Parkway, Suite H, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-4127, or by email to lewatersnake@fws.gov . The final recovery plan for the Lake Erie water snake will be prepared once the Service has considered the comments received on the draft plan.
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 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 540 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 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.
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