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Old January 13th, 2010 #13
Alex Linder
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ILLINOIS SPOTLIGHT: Snakes find a new home

By VINCENT PIERRI (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald

January 9, 2010

LINDENHURST, Ill. - When a snowstorm and bitter cold is on the way, many of us would like to crawl in a hole and hibernate until spring.

It's not practical for humans, but humans helped a group of limbless reptiles do it.

As part of the Western Fox Snake Relocation Project, wildlife experts and staff members of the Lake County Forest Preserve District on Wednesday placed 12 western fox and two garter snakes into a 12-foot-deep underground habitat designed to provide an ideal snake home.

Wildlife biologists carried the snakes in two pillow cases and released them into their new "hibernaculum," which includes an exit for when spring arrives.

"Instead of snakes on the plane, we have snakes underground," said Nan Buckhardt, of the forest preserve district.

Every fall, as many as 200 of the nonpoisonous snakes would leave the marshes near Lindenhurst and make their way to hibernate in the subterranean cracks and crevices of an older home nearby.

The relocation project started in August when officials realized impending development included plans to demolish the vacant house, which would have left the snakes homeless this winter. Fearing many wouldn't survive, a group of experts worked to find a new habitat for the creatures.

Working with volunteers from the Liberty Prairie Conservancy, the team captured and electronically tagged about 50 snakes as they migrated to the soon-to-be-demolished home. Those were released back into the marsh as part of an ongoing study.

The team was able to recapture only a dozen of the western fox snakes for relocation ahead of winter.

"We're not sure what happened to the others," said Michael Corn, the retired dean of biological health sciences at the College of Lake County. "We're hoping they found places of hibernation."

Also leading the team with Corn was Rob Carmichael, of the Wildlife Discovery Center in Lake Forest, and Gary Glowacki, a wildlife biologist for the Lake County Forest Preserve District.

The new habitat is made from two large sections of concrete septic tank sunk into the ground. There are shelves and other niches where the snakes can cozy up. "They like tight spaces to hide in," Corn said.

One might wonder why wildlife experts would go through the trouble to capture and relocate a dozen slithery creatures.

"Certainly the snakes keep the population of small rodents down, but more than that, they are one piece of the ecosystem," Corn said. "If you keep taking away the pieces, at some point the thing falls apart."

Are western fox snakes an endangered species?

"It depends who you ask," Corn said. "They are not on the endangered species list, but you don't see them much anymore. Imagine laying in the street, flat on your stomach, with one eye closed looking up for cars. They are slow moving snakes and don't deal well with automobiles."

Corn said he and his colleagues feel fortunate to work on the project.

"We just like snakes. They are neat critters," he said. "In studying their movements and habits, we found they are distinct from each other and almost have personality traits. It's neat to be able to hold a wild animal. Try doing that with a squirrel."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/c...,2824039.story