(Return matching records with ALLANY of these words.)    ................................................................ state Choose State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illiniois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississipi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming District of Columbia    regions Choose region Pacific Southwest Midwest Southeast Northeast Mountain-Prairie Alaska California-Nevada All Regions    ................................................................ ................................................................ Journal Entry   Back The Results Are In, Lake Erie Watersnakes Are On the Increase! Midwest Region, May 27, 2005 Print Friendly Version Dr. Richard King, Northern Illinois University, recently submitted the assessment of population size for the Federally threatened Lake Erie Watersnake (LEWS) for the 2004 field season, and the results look promising! Total adult population estimates for the snake topped the goal of 5,555 snakes identified in the recovery plan. In fact, LEWS population estimates based on surveyed areas alone totaled more than 6,500 snakes, and when uncensused areas with suitable habitat were factored in, estimates jumped to nearly 7,700 adult snakes. In addition to meeting the overall population goal, LEWS are also meeting island-specific population goals established for each of the four largest US Lake Erie islands. Other actions identified in the recovery plan are also ongoing. Education and outreach efforts, intended to curb human harassment and killing of snakes, continues with the publication of LEWS News Volume 11 in May 2005 (available at www.fws.gov/midwest/Reynoldsburg), the distribution of ?Watersnakes Welcome Here? signs, and the continued funding of Ph.D. student Kristin Stanford, ?the island snake lady.? Habitat protection is moving forward, with the first official LEWS conservation easement, purchased by the Lake Erie Islands Chapter of the Black Swamp Conservancy, finalized in December 2004, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources finalizing LEWS management plans for all of their island properties. Based on recovery progress to date, full recovery of the LEWS could be achieved by 2010. The 2005 population census, scheduled to begin in June, will further monitor the progress of the snake towards recovery. Contact Info: Midwest Region Public Affairs, 612-713-5313, charles_traxler@fws.gov Send to: From: Notes: ..........................................................................................

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