|
|
Northern Pinesnake and Southern
Hognose Snake
Dave Woodward is spearheading our effort to understand the ecology and
conservation of rare snakes on Ft. Bragg and in the Sandhills
Gamelands in the sandhills region of North Carolina. Both
snakes' populations have declined in the southeast due to habitat
loss,
particularly loss of longleaf pine forest, and due to increased
mortality caused by more frequent encounters with humans and
roads. Both species are Federal Species of Concern. Using
implanted
radio-telemeters to track snakes, we are
working to determine their habitat
use, homerange size, dispersal, and abundance. We conduct weekly
tracking of approximately 25 snakes at a time, some of which have been
tracked for 3 years. Our work is also targeted at identifying
management strategies that will lead to the conservation and
restoration of these snakes.
Our research on rare snakes is funded by DoD, Department of the Army, Endangered Species
Branch at Ft. Bragg and
the US Fish and Wildlife Service.
|
