Another snake den being destroyed

[ConcinusMan]

I just got back from a Dr. appt and on the way home I noticed huge piles of earth and bulldozers parked not far from my house, which just happens to be the nearest place to find NW garter snakes. It's an abandoned small aircraft airport on the edge of a wooded area. It looks like they just got started but there's still plenty of the area still intact but it won't be for long. Typically this time of year, masses of NW garters can be seen gathering and breeding just feet from where the bulldozers are parked. The entire area will be destroyed and replaced by a commercial development. There is no place nearby for the garters to go this winter because the area is surrounded by old and new development (buildings, parking lots, streets)

Earlier this year I found this handsome T. ordinoides at that location along with a few others:



I'm off work today and it's sunny and about 62 F. I'm going out the door right now to see how many I can save. The question is, would it do more harm than good, to relocate the snakes to a different population? or should I adopt out any I manage to save from the bulldozers? There's not a lot I can do to save the population but if I can save a few I think it's worth a try. Wish me luck. I'll report back soon.

[guidofatherof5]

Best of luck. The T.radix Ranch is open for any adoptions.

And they call it progress.

[Stefan-A]

The question is, would it do more harm than good, to relocate the snakes to a different population?

What would the intent be behind a relocation? What would the payoff be? Even if this population is doomed (that is still uncertain, by the way), the right thing to do, is to leave other populations alone. Unless it's a severely isolated population and already displaying signs of severe inbreeding, introduction of new individuals can really only do harm (depletion of resources, spread of pathogens etc.) and just it's not just worth the risk. When in doubt, non-intervention is the safest option.

or should I adopt out any I manage to save from the bulldozers? There's not a lot I can do to save the population but if I can save a few I think it's worth a try.

I don't suggest doing more than getting those individuals in immediate danger out of the way.

[zirliz]

Those poor snakes
I'd recommend just moving those in immediate danger

[indigoman]

Let me know if there is anything i could do to help.

[tennfan56]

How did it go?

[ConcinusMan]

I just got back. I did find 8 garters. 3 of them are babies. I found two gorgeous male orange stripers too.

The entire population is in immediate danger. The bulldozers were hard at work as I was collecting snakes. As I was saying before, I've already seen the plans for that property. It will be a commercial center and parking, leaving no empty space. There will be no habitat left and there is no adjacent habitat for them to flee to.

Evergreen airport is the location:

Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields: Southwestern Washington State

Arial view of the area:

The green patch you see with the airplane symbol is the patch of land where the snakes are found. They are absent from the rest of the empty space. All of the empty space will be developed, including the green patch. All adjacent empty lots are unsuitable and already "for sale" or "for lease". Where would you suggest the snakes go? Immediate danger? I think so.



I do agree that I shouldn't release them to another population but at the same time I saw an opportunity and felt compelled to do something.

Now, I have 8 northwestern garters that I'm sure would have been dead by years end and certainly wouldn't have any suitable place to live next spring.

I don't want to keep them or release them. Anyone willing to pay shipping for freshly WC northwesterns can have them. Please make it fast if you want them. I don't have room and I'll be keeping them in shoebox tubs for the time being.

[Stefan-A]

The entire population is in immediate danger.

Judging by the map, it seems to me that the population has been doomed for a long time now. Is it in immediate danger? No. Immediate would be when it's in danger of being eradicated within the next few seconds, minutes or hours.

Just out of curiosity, what are the methods by which ordinary citizens can influence land use over there?

[ConcinusMan]

Judging by the map, it seems to me that the population has been doomed for a long time now. Is it in immediate danger? No. Immediate would be when it's in danger of being eradicated within the next few seconds, minutes or hours.

And days don't count I suppose? Like I said, the bulldozers were hard at work and I took a look this morning and they've made a lot of "progress" in destroying that small patch of habitat. From the looks of it, it will all be gone within a day or two. Anyway, why all the critisism? Just curious. I mean, what's wrong with I did? I think I saved those 8 snakes from certain doom so what's the problem?

Just out of curiosity, what are the methods by which ordinary citizens can influence land use over there?

Well, I can tell you that this entire situation with the airport closing was at least in part influenced by citizens. When the area was rural, having the airport there was no big deal. But the last few years it was open, businesses and residents had airplanes buzzing just feet overhead. And twice, airplanes crashed. Once into heavy traffic, and once into a commercial building. In the late 70's and early 80's airplanes crashed into trees and empty fields. Those are gone now and the only place for a plane to go down is into developed and populated areas.

I'm not saying that airplanes crash here all the time, or often, but the main reason for closing it was airplanes coming in to land, or take off, barely clearing power lines and buzzing right over people's homes.

For the most part however, I'd say we don't have any say in the matter. My house was just annexed to the city recently. Of course, I don't have any choice in the matter and now the city quotes to me what I can, and can't do on my property. Before, I could burn debris and park an RV on my lawn if I wished to. Can't do any of that anymore. RV's must be parked on "improved surfaces" and there's no burning in city limits.

Oh, and those [insert plural expletive here] fined me for cutting down one of trees in my own yard. Apparently, you need a permit in the city. Ridiculous.

[Stefan-A]

And days don't count I suppose? Like I said, the bulldozers were hard at work and I took a look this morning and they've made a lot of "progress" in destroying that small patch of habitat. From the looks of it, it will all be gone within a day or two. Anyway, why all the critisism? Just curious. I mean, what's wrong with I did? I think I saved those 8 snakes from certain doom so what's the problem?

All the criticism? The main thing I've criticized, was the idea of relocating them to another population and you chose against doing it. By the way, population is a broad term, but I did mean a population that indeed has a significant level of reproductive isolation in relation to this population. That would mean a distance that is longer than a snake would migrate and drawing a limit at obstacles that they can't cross.

The main reason why I don't like the idea of catching animals "for their own good", is that it's very easy to do wildlife a disservice even with the best intentions. A second reason is that I have run into people, who use events like this as an excuse for catching animals, especially protected ones and keeping them as pets. I'm not suggesting that it's what you're doing here, but those who would do it, will without a doubt have a little lightbulb go off in their heads when they find out about this.