The Orianne Society

THE EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE IS FEDERALLY LISTED AS THREATENED UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD POPULATION DECLINES LINKED TO HABITAT LOSS, PERSECUTION, AND OVER-COLLECTION. POPULATION REINTRODUCTION TO EXTIRPATED AREAS OF THE SPECIES HISTORIC RANGE IS IDENTIFIED AS A PRIORITY 1 ACTION IN THE SPECIES RECOVERY PLAN TO INCREASE REDUNDANCY AND REPRESENTATION SO THAT THE SPECIES MAY BE RECOVERED AND, ULTIMATELY, DE-LISTED. THE ORIANNE SOCIETY, HAS PARTNERED WITH THE CENTRAL FLORIDA ZOOS ORIANNE CENTER FOR INDIGO CONSERVATION (OCIC), WELAKA NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY, ZOO ATLANTA, CONECUH NATIONAL FOREST, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, CONSERVATION SCIENCE PARTNERS, AUBURN UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES (ACDNR), FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION (FWC), AND U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE (USFWS) TO ACCELERATE A SCIENCE-BASED INDIGO SNAKE CAPTIVE PROPAGATION AND REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPING FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE TWO REINTRODUCTION SITES LOCATED IN THE INDIGO SNAKE PANHANDLE REPRESENTATIVE REGION, CONECUH NATIONAL FOREST IN SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND APALACHICOLA BLUFFS AND RAVINES PRESERVE IN NORTHWESTERN FLORIDA. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO INCREASE THE PROBABILITY OF REINTRODUCTION SUCCESS THROUGH THREE OBJECTIVES: 1) REFINING DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS, 2) INCREASING CAPACITY OF THE CAPTIVE PROPAGATION FACILITIES, AND 3) EXPANDING MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT EFFORTS AT REINTRODUCTION SITES. ULTIMATELY, THESE EFFORTS AIM TO MEET THE USFWS PRIORITY RECOVERY ACTIONS AND GOALS TO ESTABLISH AT LEAST TWO INDIGO SNAKE POPULATIONS IN THE PANHANDLE REPRESENTATIVE REGION.ACTIVITIES TO BE PERFORMED INCLUDE THE ORIANNE SOCIETY AND CONSERVATION SCIENCE PARTNERS CREATING A PLANNING TOOL BY INTEGRATING MODELS DESCRIBING INDIGO SNAKE POPULATIONS IN CAPTIVITY AND AT REINTRODUCTION SITES. THIS INTEGRATED MODELING FRAMEWORK WILL BE USED BY THE PARTNERSHIP TO EVALUATE VARIOUS MANAGEMENT DECISIONS AND THEIR RELATIVE COSTS. THE OCIC WILL BREED CAPTIVE INDIGO SNAKES AND HATCH EGGS BEFORE TRANSFERRING YEARLING INDIGO SNAKES TO HEAD-START FACILITIES (ZOO ATLANTA AND WELAKA NATIONAL FISH HATCHERY). JUVENILE SNAKES WILL THEN BE RAISED IN CAPTIVITY FOR A SECOND YEAR BEFORE BEING RELEASED AT REINTRODUCTION SITES. THE OCIC WILL CONDUCT HEALTH TESTS AND ADD NEW INDIGO SNAKE BREEDERS TO THE BREEDING COLONY THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT. FOOD AND HOUSING FOR INDIGO SNAKES IN CAPTIVITY WILL BE SUPPORTED BY THE PROJECT FUNDS. AUBURN UNIVERSITY, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY, FWC, AND OCIC WILL ALL CONTRIBUTE TO MONITORING AND MANAGEMENT AT THE TWO RELEASE SITES. PROJECT FUNDS WILL HELP PURCHASE SOME OF THE NEEDED MONITORING SUPPLIES AND SUPPORT STAFF WHO WORK ON THIS OBJECTIVE. THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT PERIOD, PROJECT PARTNERS WILL MEET ROUTINELY TO EVALUATE MODEL DEVELOPMENT, HUSBANDRY, AND MONITORING EFFORTS. THE ENTIRE PARTNERSHIP WILL MEET AT LEAST ANNUALLY TO REVIEW PROGRAM PROGRESS. THIS PROJECT WILL DELIVER AN INTEGRATED MODELING FRAMEWORK THAT CAN BE USED BY THE PARTNERS DURING AND BEYOND THE 3-YEAR PROJECT TO GUIDE THE REINTRODUCTION PROGRAM GOING FORWARD, INCLUDING EXPANDING THE PROGRAM TO ADDITIONAL RELEASE SITES (E.G., EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE). ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES AND HOUSING FOR CAPTIVE INDIGO SNAKES ARE EXPECTED TO PROMOTE THE CAPACITY FOR INCREASING AND MAINTAINING INDIGO SNAKE PRODUCTION GOALS SUCH THAT RELEASES FOR REINTRODUCTION SITES CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT. RELEASE SITE MONITORING IS EXPECTED HELP VALIDATE POPULATION RE-ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS IN THE PANHANDLE REPRESENTATIVE REGION, WHICH IS NECESSARY FOR INDIGO SNAKE RECOVERY.

VALIDATION OF EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE AND SOUTHERN HOGNOSE SNAKE HABITAT MODELS, AND STATUS OF SPOTTED TURLES IN GEORGIA

CESU, NRCS # 68‐3A75‐18‐50, PIEDMONT-SOUTH ATLANTIC COAST CESU. ADDRESSES ROLE OF WETLAND BATHYMETRY AND MANAGEMENT EFFECTS ON HABITAT QUALITY. FY23 FUNDS YEAR 1 OF A 2-YEAR ASSESSMENT.

BUILDING CAPACITY FOR MONITORING TERRESTRIAL HERPETOFAUNA TO ENABLE MISSION READINESS ON MILITARY INSTALLATIONS:A PILOT STUDY USING THE EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE IN THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.

MOODY AFB EIS RECOVERY PROJECT

ADDRESSING DATA GAPS AND CONSERVATION PLANNING NEEDS FOR IMPERILED SANDHILL SNAKES

PFW ORIANNE

THE FEDERALLY LISTED EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE (DRYMARCHON COUPERI) HAS DECLINED ACROSS MUCH OF ITS RANGE AND CONTINUES TO FACE A VARIETY OF THREATS TO LONG-TERM POPULATION PERSISTENCE. EXTENSIVE WORK IN RECENT YEARS HAS FOCUSED ON LEVERAGING DATA COLLECTED FROM ACROSS THIS SPECIES' RANGE TO CONSTRUCT SPATIALLY-EXPLICIT POPULATION VIABILITY MODELS THAT CAN BE USED TO ASSESS THE VIABILITY OF POPULATIONS AND PREDICT THEIR RESPONSE TO VARIOUS MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. DESPITE THESE ADVANCES, RELATIVELY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT SITE-SPECIFIC DEMOGRAPHIC PROCESSES AND POPULATIONS STRUCTURES THAT COULD BE USED TO FURTHER REFINE ESTIMATES OF POPULATION VIABILITY. THUS, WE WILL USE EXISTING DATASETS, INCLUDING MARK-RECAPTURE AND RADIO TELEMETRY DATA, TO ESTIMATE DEMOGRAPHIC PARAMETERS (E.G., ABUNDANCE AND DENSITY) IN SELECT INDIGO SNAKE POPULATIONS. THESE ESTIMATES WILL THEN BE USED TO UPDATE THE RESULTS OF EXISTING POPULATION VIABILITY MODELS. ULTIMATELY, WE WILL USE THESE PREDICTIONS TO PROVIDE BOTH SITE-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS AS WELL AS BROAD TYPES OF DETAILED DEMOGRAPHIC DATA AT KEY SITES ACROSS THE INDIGO SNAKES' RANGE.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING TO BENEFIT THE THREATENED EASTERN INDIGIO SNAKE

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE REQUIRES MARINE CORPS LOGISTIC BASE ALBANY TO MANAGE ITS NATURAL RESOURCES ON AN ECOSYSTEM BASIS WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE PROTECTION OF RARE, THREATENED, AND ENDANGERED SPECIES. AS SUCH, AN INVENTORY FOR GOPHER TORTOISES AD EASTERN DIAMOND-BACKED RATTLESNAKES IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE THE PRESENCE ABSENCE AND LOCATION OF THESE SPECIES, AS WELL AS TO DOCUMENT POTENTIAL HABITAT. THE DELIVERABLES FROM THESE EFFORTS CAN BE USED TO DIRECTLY INFORM LAND MANAGEMENT DECISIONS ON MARINE CORPS LOGISTIC BASE ALBANY TO PROTECT THESE SPECIES.

EXPANDING CAPTIVE PROPAGATION FOR POPULATION REINTRODUCTIONS (EASTERN INDIGO SNAKE)

INVENTORY OF SPOTTED TURTLES IN SOUTH CAROLINA

MODIFICATION TO CORRECT LINE ITEM POP DATES

MODIFICATION TO CHANGE ENDING DATE TO 7-28-2016 TO ALLOW FOR CLOSEOUT IN PRISM