GLIN==> OSU Stone Laboratory Outreach Coordinator and Partners Receive Award for Lake Erie Watersnake's Success Story

OSU Stone Laboratory Outreach Coordinator and Partners Receive Award for
Lake Erie Watersnake's Success Story

 

November 2, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Erie, PA-The 15-year collaborative project to protect and grow the
population of the Lake Erie watersnake (LEWS) was honored as a Success Story
at the State of the Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC) on October 26 in
Erie, Pennsylvania.

 

Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Laboratory's Outreach Coordinator, Kristin
Stanford, along with her multiple partners, accepted the regional award for
their efforts to keep the native snake species from extinction. Northern
Illinois University, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of
Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Black Swamp Conservancy
Lake Erie Islands Chapter all joined together to lead the recovery of the
LEWS. The snake is a federal threatened, state endangered species, that
lives only on the western Lake Erie Islands. Thanks to this wide-reaching
partnership, the LEWS population has rebounded and the animal was removed
from the federal list of endangered and threatened species this past August.

 

"To have a species removed from the U.S. federal list of endangered and
threatened species is quite an accomplishment," says Nancy Stadler-Salt, the
Canadian SOLEC Co-Chair. "It takes the work of a dedicated and passionate
team. The partners involved with the recovery of the Lake Erie watersnake
should be very proud of their achievement and the SOLEC Steering Committee
is honored to recognize this exceptional project and efforts to improve the
Great Lakes."



A binational committee selected eight recipients from among the 29 nominated
projects that have improved the Great Lakes environment, community, and
economy; formed strong partnerships; and developed and distribute
educational information to promote positive attitudes regarding the
environment.

 

Stanford has worked toward the native snake's recovery since 1999. Part of
her work focuses on LEWS population surveys, in which more than 10,000 adult
LEWS have been marked, creating one of the largest mark-recapture studies of
reptiles ever. She also organizes an annual snake census where as many as 60
scientists and snake enthusiasts search the nine U.S. Lake Erie islands,
catching, and tagging snakes.

 

"This was such a surprise and a great honor to be recognized by SOLEC,"
Stanford says. "I'm really proud of all of our partners in the LEWS recovery
effort and excited to be able to accept this award for all of us."

 

Although the LEWS is harmless, humans have been one of its main threats over
the last century. Stanford, known as "The Island Snake Lady," launched an
aggressive education and outreach campaign in 2000 to change people's
opinions of the animals. By speaking at public schools and teaching
herpetology courses at Stone Lab, Stanford continues to educate and energize
the next generation of conservationists. The LEWS recovery effort even
reached a national audience during the summer of 2006, when Stanford
appeared on Discovery Channel's "Dirty Jobs."

 

Securing enough habitat was another factor that helped the LEWS rebound. A
small group of islanders dedicated to habitat preservation established the
Lake Erie Islands Chapter of the Black Swamp Conservancy, a local land
trust. The group secured voluntary conservation easements to protect
shoreline habitat, and began applying for state and federal grants. The
group's efforts have resulted in more than 11.4 miles of shoreline
encompassing 318 acres of habitat being permanently protected for LEWS.

 

To learn more about Stanford's role in the snake's recovery, please see the
2011 Winter/Spring edition of Twine Line at go.osu.edu/stanford.

 

###

 

Kristin Stanford, Stone Laboratory Education and Outreach Coordinator,
614.247.6500, stanford.147 at osu.edu.

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