BENSON, Vt. (WCAX) – Jim Andrews of the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas says western Rutland County has some unique wildlife, and it’s because of the location.
“A lot of the species that are rare in Vermont are actually at the northern extreme of their range, and so that means where we have the warmest microclimates in Vermont, these guys are hanging in there,” Andrews said.
On this day, he is joined by other scientists and volunteers looking for snake hotels.
“Snake hotels are something that we developed as a monitoring tool and as a survey tool for snakes,” Andrews explained.
The first one is easy to find, mimicking a fake lumber pile with layers of slab wood covered in plastic. The crew quickly finds a snake.
“When I say rat– rat snake. As we go deeper we may find others but he was right up against the black, right up against the rubber,” Andrews said.
The professionals take notes and check the health of the snake.
“We are going to measure it. We are just going to take a close look at the health evaluation of this snake because we are concerned about snake fungal disease here in Vermont,” Andrews said.
“It’s the science behind it. So, it’s about learning the science, listing the names of the species, you find how big they are, if they have any unusual markings, and just getting that data that we then put into the system. So we say these species live in this area of Vermont, and that data goes to protecting the species. So it’s super cool,” said Ira Powsner of the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas.
Each layer of the snake hotel that’s removed reveals more snakes, with a few garter snakes checking in at this hotel. Walking around the property, more snakes are looking to check in, as a water snake is spotted.
Nearby, the crew checks on another snake hotel and the process repeats, checking on each snake before putting it back.
Andrews says snake hotels are used to help the snakes.
“Some of the snakes that we have in this corner of the state are threatened or endangered species that really need our help in order to survive here in Vermont,” he said. “But also we should keep in mind that a lot of the structures that we have created, in particular roads, are really dangerous to snakes.”
Then there’s education.
“If you’re just interested in knowing what you have on your property, and for us, the Reptile Amphibian Atlas, we want to know what you have on your property. So we would encourage people to build one of these things. And there’s lots of ways you could put them together. I mean, they don’t have to be a specific length or width or height,” Andrews said.
“You know, you see a snake moving really quickly through the grass. That can be scary at first, but once you learn about their ecological value and their inherent value, they’re just super, super great animals to have around,” Powsner said.
So, as the snakes take shelter and check into these hotels, it’s good news for these scientists.
“So if we’re going to continue to have some of these unusual species in Vermont, creating these little artificial protected areas spots for them to use is not only a useful tool to gather information, but it’s a useful piece of cover and habitat for the snakes,” Andrews said.