Threatened green snakes released in county preserve

Threatened green snakes released in county preserve
By Stefano Esposito sesposito@suntimes.com July 1, 2011 8:20PM

This green snake was one of six released Thursday into the wild at the Lake County Forest Preserve. It's emerald green, about as wide around as a pencil and it's in trouble.

On Thursday, in an effort to boost the population of the endangered smooth green snake, six of the little serpents raised at Lincoln Park Zoo were released at Old School Forest Preserve near Libertyville. According to officials with the Lake County Forest Preserve District, the release was part of a conservation effort with the zoo that aims to boost the snakes' population through scientific study, breeding, monitoring and reintroduction efforts.

The effort began last summer with Lake County officials reportedly finding a small number of adult snakes and more than 80 eggs in an area slated for development. The eggs were taken to the zoo for incubation, and 83 of them hatched.

The snake, which lives on insects and likes to slither through long green grass, has been declining in numbers in recent years, said Joanne Earnhardt, a population biologist at the zoo.

Half of the snakes brought to Old School this week were given a "hard release" directly into the wild, while the other half had a "soft release" into enclosures within the preserve. Officials report the enclosed snakes will "spend some time getting accustomed to being wild while still being contained in a controlled, managed environment designed to limit predators of the snake."

Throughout the summer, about a dozen more snakes will be released - some with tiny radio transmitters so scientists can track their movements.

Widespread use of pesticide and habitat loss have contributed to the decline in numbers, scientists say. Wildlife biologist Gary Glowacki said the district has spent more than a decade purchasing and restoring land containing suitable as new habitat for the smooth green snake.

"Despite this, the snake is still found only in a handful of isolated areas in Lake County that contain remnant grassland habitat," he said. "The remaining populations may not be viable in the long term due to small numbers and because habitat fragmentation, primarily due to roads and other physical barriers, makes re-colonization of restored sites improbable."

Earnhardt said the species has not been studied much, and it's uncertain what might be a healthy snake population.

"All we know is that people are seeing them less and there's less of their habitat available," she said.