Implement habitat management on private and public lands in order to provide additional areas to expand and support known populations of species in greatest conservation need snakes

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 awarded $335,000 to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources on January 1, 2026, under the State Wildlife Grants program (CFDA 15.634) to implement habitat management on private and public lands for species of greatest conservation need snakes, collect DNA samples and swabs for snake fungal disease assessment, and conduct long-term monitoring and occupancy surveys to evaluate population health, effective population size, and inbreeding coefficients across Illinois and Wisconsin.

Work continues through December 31, 2028, with performance in Illinois. The University of Illinois, through the Board of Trustees, serves as sub-grantee and will conduct habitat characterization and use studies in restored areas, stable isotope analysis of eastern massasauga rattlesnake diet, and documentation of snakes, prey, and other animals at selected sites using AHDRiFT arrays to evaluate occupancy and ecological relationships. The project addresses species identified in the Wildlife Action Plans and generates critical information on species status and population dynamics to support conservation decision-making.

We will also collect DNA samples and swab for snake fungal disease from the focal snake species to determine the health and stability of existing populations with respect to effective population size and inbreeding coefficients. This work will increase summer and overwintering areas for important species deliver critical information in the health of populations and provide information on species status and population dynamics. University of illinois at urbana champaign is an expected subgrantee of this project.