The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released the final recovery plan for the Lake Erie watersnake, which is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Lake Erie watersnake lives only on the islands and in the waters of the western Lake Erie basin.
The recovery plan is a blueprint for action by federal and state agencies, as well as other organizations interested in helping this species. The plan is the result of several years of effort by scientists familiar with the watersnake and its habitat. The goal of the plan is to increase Lake Erie watersnake populations to the point where the Service is able to remove the snake from the Endangered Species List. This will involve monitoring the snake populations, implementing voluntary programs to manage both public and private land where the snake occurs, participating in outreach to ensure that visitors to Lake Erie islands are aware of the significance of this unique animal, and undertaking scientific research to ensure that major threats to the species are alleviated.
The Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Lake Erie watersnake as a threatened species in August 1999 because the watersnake’s populations have experienced major declines during the past 150 years. Most of the population decline can be attributed to intentional and accidental human-induced mortality. Habitat loss and degradation, such as occurs through development of the snake’s shoreline habitat with marinas and houses, is another significant threat.
The non-poisonous Lake Erie watersnake 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 watersnakes spend the summer along the rocky shorelines of the islands and forage for fish in the lake. During the winter, Lake Erie watersnakes hibernate underground.
The Fish and Wildlife Service in June approved a habitat conservation plan for the Lake Erie watersnake that will conserve water snake habitat on 15 acres of the Long Point Peninsula of Kelleys in Erie County, Ohio, while still allowing some private development to occur. The HCP allows the Service to issue an Incidental Take Permit to the Long Point Homeowner’s Association; permit holders will be allowed to continue activities such as development within the range of endangered species without fear of violating Endangered Species Act provisions which prohibit “taking” –killing, harming or harassing – listed species.
In return, permit holders must follow the habitat conservation plan to ensure the welfare of the watersnakes through minimizing impacts and implementing mitigation measures to help affected species.
Copies of the Lake Erie watersnake Recovery Plan may be obtained from the Service’s website at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans or purchased from the Fish and Wildlife Reference Service, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, Bethesda, MD 20814 (telephone 301-492-6403 or 800-582-3421). TTY users may contact the Fish and Wildlife Reference Service through the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339.
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 more than 542 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.
