Biologist finds rare garter snakes in California

[dashnu]

That's awesome! It'd be cool to breed the 'giant' blood into other garters

I have a feeling my blacknecks are going to be pretty massive! not a giant but big

[GradStudentLeper]

That's awesome! It'd be cool to breed the 'giant' blood into other garters

So you would waste breeding efforts trying to hybridize T. gigas with other garters and creating what will more than likely (not not necessarily) be snakes with genetic defects, rather than trying to captive breed the species proper so that one day, when the farmers are booted out of the central valley and the river systems are restored (that poor Delta).

Thankfully, a fish known as the Delta Smelt (but not the snake that eats it) has been enough to get the state of CA and the feds to shut down the water allotments to the agricultural lands in the area. Thankfully after the farms are shut down, the runoff from the agrochemicals (to say nothing about the wetlands themselves in the delta which have been largely drained) will stop and populations of many species (including most of CAs frog species) will be able to spring back.

(And yes, the farmers are just going to have to eat it. It is what they get for farming drought vulnerable crops like cotton and cantalope in the desert)

[jitami]

Thankfully after the farms are shut down, the runoff from the agrochemicals (to say nothing about the wetlands themselves in the delta which have been largely drained) will stop and populations of many species (including most of CAs frog species) will be able to spring back.

When we come out of this recession I would be AMAZED if anything is restored and not simply built on top of...

As it stands now I like farmers a whole heck of a lot more than developers!

[drache]

As it stands now I like farmers a whole heck of a lot more than developers!

can't say that I see a heck of a lot of difference in the way they look at the land

[jitami]

You have a point, Rhea... but totally unscientifically, I find it hard to believe that 1000 acres of farmland creates more problems than covering that 1000 acres with apartments, tract housing, auto malls, more shopping centers with the exact same stores and restaurants as the one 5 miles down the road... you get the idea... even if it's aestetics only... I'd prefer farm land. No doubt, work still needs to be done with farm owners regarding water use, land erosion, and pestisides, but covering the area in asphalt can't possibly be better???

[GradStudentLeper]

You have a point, Rhea... but totally unscientifically, I find it hard to believe that 1000 acres of farmland creates more problems than covering that 1000 acres with apartments, tract housing, auto malls, more shopping centers with the exact same stores and restaurants as the one 5 miles down the road... you get the idea... even if it's aestetics only... I'd prefer farm land. No doubt, work still needs to be done with farm owners regarding water use, land erosion, and pestisides, but covering the area in asphalt can't possibly be better???

I would like to see a nature conservancy take over... But the farmers are just as bad if not worse. Even if the entire area is paved, the houses dont have agricultural runoff and agrochemicals being blown down wind into the mountains and poisoning waterways there...

[jitami]

I would like to see a nature conservancy take over... But the farmers are just as bad if not worse. Even if the entire area is paved, the houses dont have agricultural runoff and agrochemicals being blown down wind into the mountains and poisoning waterways there...

Are you sure? You're the scientist, I'm not, so you very well could be right, but us lovely suburban Californians wreak all sorts of havoc by sending all sorts of interesting stuff down the storm drains day in and day out... run off from roads, run off from our perfectly manicured lawns, plus things like motor oil, paint, etc. deliberately dumped down storm drains... even the drains with cute little fishies engraved in the concrete. Not to mention the materials used in building all of these homes, roads, and businesses. I would guess (again, just a guess) that we use nearly as much, if not more, water than agriculture does as well? I dunno...

Probably getting too off topic anyway... sorry for venting my frustrations with this lovely state I live in... and it is lovely... hopefully it will continue to be for many years to come... It's hard for me to see hope for our reptiles and amphibs once they're relegated to golf course ponds, shopping center fountains, and the occasional tract housing green belt.

[mustang]

yay they found him...poor big guy(the snake) thinks hes gotn caught by death and being man handled

[Loren]

reminds me of a saying....

If you have a problem with farmers, dont talk with your mouth full.

[Stefan-A]

Are you sure? You're the scientist, I'm not, so you very well could be right, but us lovely suburban Californians wreak all sorts of havoc by sending all sorts of interesting stuff down the storm drains day in and day out... run off from roads, run off from our perfectly manicured lawns, plus things like motor oil, paint, etc. deliberately dumped down storm drains... even the drains with cute little fishies engraved in the concrete. Not to mention the materials used in building all of these homes, roads, and businesses. I would guess (again, just a guess) that we use nearly as much, if not more, water than agriculture does as well? I dunno...

Undeniably a problem, but it does pale in comparison to the amounts of various types of pesticides farms use and eutrophication, caused primarily by farms, also has a big impact on amphibians and especially fish.