DEP Releases New Wildlife Action Plan

[NJChileHead]

The DEP just released its new Wildlife Action Plan, and is inviting the public to comment on it:

http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensp/waphome.htm

Admittedly I didn't read all 3052 pages of it, however I got to some very interesting parts of it within the course of an hour. One thing that surprised me is that the Northern black racer is now listed as a "Species of Greatest Conservation Need". In looking at the species listed, I'm thinking that there is a shift from monitoring and protecting individual species to a greater focus on protecting habitat (although I acknowledge that you can't protect any species without protecting its habitat).

The plan:

http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ensp/wap/pdf/wap_plan17.pdf

 

[Teegate]

I received that notification in an email but did not read it to see about the racer.

 

[manumuskin]

For most people who might think of grabbing hold of a Black Racer their greatest concern at that point will be letting go of it

 

[bobpbx]

For most people who might think of grabbing hold of a Black Racer their greatest concern at that point will be letting go of it

It puts me in mind of a cobra, the way it's body moves with it's head up. I don't like fooling with them.

 

[manumuskin]

It puts me in mind of a cobra, the way it's body moves with it's head up. I don't like fooling with them.

Racers have no venom but I"d say the attitude is worse then a cobra
I don't get the special concern status. Their one of our most common snakes.That with garters,black rats and northern water snakes.

 

[NJChileHead]

It puts me in mind of a cobra, the way it's body moves with it's head up. I don't like fooling with them.

They have great eyesight, better than most snakes, hence the periscoping. They can see your face and other parts of your body and they seem to very precisely identify their strike area before doing so. Between the two they definitely appear very threatening. I'm with Al in that picking one up is most certainly asking for an adventure.

Has anyone ever witnessed them buzzing their tail like a rattlesnake? Very convincing against dry leaves...

 

[NJChileHead]

Racers have no venom but I"d say the attitude is worse then a cobra
I don't get the special concern status. Their one of our most common snakes.That with garters,black rats and northern water snakes.

Al I agree regarding how common they are here. I think the reason for it is that racers are listed as threatened or in need of conservation in other Northeastern states, assuming that NJDEP is communicating with other Wildlife Management Agencies in creating their action plan and collaborating to create a broader scale approach to management. I have no direct experience with this so I cannot speculate, but I'm hoping that other species that have declined are not being overlooked. I believe that rat and milk snakes also took a hit, especially North of the inner coastal plain line, but don't know their status in the mountains of the Highlands and in the Pine Barrens apparently rats are still common.

It's likely that one of the major factors in racer conservation is going to be management of open fields and meadows, which will also be beneficial for milk and rat snakes (and an abundance of other species) so it should carry over anyway. I've seen meadows that are very poorly managed (including those mowed in mid-summer with dead ground nesting birds and broken box turtle shells found here and there) so maybe this will help with oversight and/or management of these more sensitive areas.