Rattlesnake conservation is a tough row to hoe, period. Not a lot of fondness on the part of the general public for a creature that the Book tells us is the definition of evil.
Andy Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D. 700 Billie Brooks Drive Driftwood, Texas 78619 (512) 799-1095 a...@gluesenkamp.com --- On Tue, 5/22/12, Fritz Holt <fh...@townandcountryins.com> wrote: From: Fritz Holt <fh...@townandcountryins.com> Subject: [Texascavers] FW: Poor little rattlesnakes To: "Off-Topic Texas Cavers" <o...@texascavers.com>, "TexasCavers" <texascavers@texascavers.com>, "'Mandy Holt'" <mandy.h...@ers.state.tx.us>, "'Jenny Holt'" <jennyh...@anthonytravel.com>, "'bbat...@gmail.com'" <bbat...@gmail.com>, "'Steve Ashmore'" <sashm...@sbcglobal.net>, "'Sam Ashmore'" <samashm...@sbcglobal.net>, "Sally Dearing" <sdear...@townandcountryins.com>, "'Guy Heath'" <hea...@satx.rr.com>, "'June Levy'" <kittymr...@aol.com>, "'Janice Vieira'" <janjanj...@aol.com>, "'Jim Sherwin'" <jim.sher...@ers.state.tx.us>, "'James E. Wagner'" <j_e_wag...@comcast.net>, "'Karen Ashmore'" <ka...@karenashmore.com>, "'Debra Batts'" <badba...@sbcglobal.net>, "'r_isaac...@sbcglobal.net'" <r_isaac...@sbcglobal.net> Date: Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 10:44 AM I don’t share my good friend’s feelings about rattlesnakes as I like and am amazed by all snakes and reptiles in general. Being a city dude I took every opportunity to have outdoor adventures and to take my family camping. My daughters and I still enjoy it to this day. We still remove turtles to the relative safety of our highway rights of way. Too many uninformed individuals condemn all snakes due to the lack of public education such as that afforded by BCI for bats. If harmful snakes invade your immediate territory remove them to a distant similar habitat. I consider myself an environmentalist but not so extreme as to place all creatures needs above that of man. There is always a way to satisfy both goals. While I like to see rattlesnakes protected, they should not be placed on the endangered species list unless there is solid evidence that they are in danger of becoming extinct. There is already too much government intervention in our daily lives. I have never been in favor of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup and other such events even if it did put them on the map for tourists. This is money the town could do without. VIVA LA RATTLESNAKE! Fritz Well, I WILL admit that any rattlesnake who ventures onto MY yard IS endangered! We have an understanding. THEY stay in the wild and do NOT come in MY territory and I will leave them alone. Otherwise, they will go to the great snake heaven in the sky. Jackie Feds Considering Adding Rattlesnakes to ‘Endangered Species List’ to Deny Land Rights Environmental groups have convinced the federal government to propose listing the poisonous eastern diamondback rattlesnake as an endangered species in order to protect the reptile from “human persecution.” “Survival of these snakes in large part depends on whether people continue to persecute them or instead choose to allow these amazing creatures to share the land with us,” Bill Matturro, spokesman for Protect All Living Species, said in welcoming the government’s decision, announced earlier this month. “In the Southeast, we are blessed with a rich natural heritage of animals and plants. All of these species—even the rattlesnakes—should be allowed to exist.” The Fish and Wildlife Service says they are taking comments on listing the snake because environmental groups presented “substantial scientific or commercial information indicating that listing the eastern diamondback rattlesnake may be warranted.”
