The past year has produced many exciting activities that will benefit the snake. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources purchased 589 acres (87 percent) of North Bass Island, much of which provides important and high quality snake habitat. The $17.4 million purchase was partially funded by grants from the Service, NOAA, and DOI. The state plans to preserve the island's natural setting and offer campsites, hiking, hunting, fishing, swimming and nature study. The Lake Erie Islands Chapter of the Black Swamp Conservancy will dedicate its newest island nature preserve, Petersen Woods (on Middle Bass Island) on October 3. This 1.5 acre preserve provides habitat for the LEWS and a nesting pair of bald eagles. The Conservancy, working with private landowners, is also in the process of establishing LEWS conservation easements on several island properties. Ongoing research by scientists at Northern Illinois University (NIU), lead by Dr. Richard King, is providing interesting new information on the life history and behavior of LEWS. This year's annual snake roundup, "Nerodio" (or "census" to us scientific types), turned up more snakes than ever before! More than 1,200 adult snakes were captured including more than 250 recaputres from previous years. The annual census results are being used to calculate population estimates for each island and for the population as a whole to assess progress towards achieving recovery goals. A recent thesis by Julie Ray documented that as of 2003, LEWS diet was composed of 92 percent round goby, a non-native, invasive fish species, and that since the introduction of the goby, average LEWS body size and growth rate have increased significantly. The implications of this change are hard to predict--larger body size allows for a larger litter of babies and larger birth size, but consuming gobies which consume zebra mussels could be quickly introducing high levels of toxins into the LEWS population with unknown consequences. Another study by NIU researcher Kristin Stanford, is attempting to quantify neonate survival during the first hibernation season, the most critical time in a snake's life. Finally, public outreach efforts have continued throughout the past year, including publication of LEWS News Vols. 9 and 10 ( see: www.midwest.fws.gov/Reynoldsburg/endangered/LEWS/html), Nature Camps for Kids featuring the LEWS, LEWS programs for tour groups, "Ask the Snakelady" columns in local papers, and a number of personal contacts relating to snake concerns. Overall, recovery of the LEWS is well underway thanks to the many parterships and individuals working together to "save our snakes!"