Biosphere Initiatives to help the Endangered Foxsnake
It’s clever, helpful, gentle, shy, and even a little pretty. Yet some people feel the impulse to get rid of it, and others are not interested in the rare animal’s struggle to survive.
The endangered Eastern Foxsnake does have its challenges. It likes to swim along shorelines and bask on the shoulders of roadways. This brings it into contact with the dangers of boating and road traffic. Because it can grow to five feet in length, its size combined with bright colouring and the ability to mimic a rattler by shaking its tail in leaves means startling confrontations with humans. This can end badly for the snake even though it is non-venomous and essentially harmless.
But we in Norfolk County have a special obligation to the Eastern Foxsnake. Over 70 percent of the global Eastern Foxsnake population survives in just a few pockets along the Great Lakes in Ontario. One of these is the southern part of Norfolk County.
Our area is thus home to one of the few natural habitats that continues to support the species: an animal that helps maintain a balanced ecosystem, keeps rodent populations in check, reduces the spread of disease, and supports sustainable agriculture.
For this reason, the Long Point Biosphere Region and its partners including students and faculty at the University of Waterloo have been reviewing
and analysing data gathered over 50 years to identify ways to protect the snake. The results of this study, published recently in The Canadian Herpetologist, show that snake sightings cluster around points where wildlife corridors and streams intersect with specific roadways, such as County Road 60. In addition to highlighting the importance of the corridor habitat, this information, which will be shared this fall through special initiatives such as workshops for professionals, will assist Norfolk County planners and engineers as they consider options for roadkill mitigation measures and specifically designed fencing.
But we all can play a part in protecting the species by learning how to identify the snake and by reporting sightings of it, alive or dead, to resources such as iNaturalist so the information can help future research and planning. For example, our Wildlife Road Watch crew will be conducting a Foxsnake Road Ecology Bioblitz to record data in September and October when the snakes are on the move.
But even though we want you to be interested in the snake and its struggle to survive, the best thing you can do when you see one in the wild is to feign disinterest. Just walk away and let the Foxsnake continue on its way to play a unique role in the natural environment and our own sustainability.