This project will facilitate collaborative conservation of at-risk snakes in three midwestern states (iowa, illinois, and wisconsin)

The Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service Region 3 awarded the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources $333,333 under the State Wildlife Grants Program (CFDA 15.634) on January 1, 2026, to implement collaborative conservation of at-risk snakes across Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin through December 31, 2028.

The project will conduct habitat improvement primarily through invasive species control and removal on private and public lands to expand and support populations of species of greatest conservation need identified in the Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan. The work will focus on suitable occupied or historical snake habitat in the three-state region. The recipient will collect DNA samples and conduct swabs for snake fungal disease from focal snake species to assess population health, effective population size, and inbreeding coefficients. Long-term monitoring will continue at key sites, and historic sites will be surveyed to determine current occupancy status and population trends.

This is a Project Grant, a competitive award category within the State Wildlife Grants Program designed to fund strategic, proactive conservation programs benefiting sensitive and imperiled wildlife species not hunted or fished. The award is structured as a prime grant to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, a state fish and wildlife agency operating as a child entity of the State of Wisconsin.

As effective predators, snakes play a crucial role in maintaining biologicaldiversity. These carnivorous reptiles help control populations of small mammals, amphibians, invertebrates, andeven fish. The presence of snakes also influences the behavior and distribution of other species. Recognizingand preserving these ecologically important species is essential to maintaining overall ecosystem health.habitat loss, population isolation, persecution, and wildlife disease are considered the major threats to snakepopulations. Development of the landscape for intensive human use beginning in the 19TH century (e.g., expansiveagricultural and urban development) fragmented and isolated wildlife populations, especially species with limiteddispersal abilities such as snakes. Persecution fueled by fear led to further declines in many snakepopulations. More recently many snake species have been threatened by an emerging disease caused by a fungal(ophidiomyces ophiodiicola) infection (snake fungal disease SFD). This combination of threats continues toimpact snake populations in the midwest. The purpose of this project is to implement habitat improvement primarily through control and removal of invasivespecies that compromise natural habitat composition and structure. Work will be done on suitable occupied orhistorical habitat on private and public lands to provide additional areas to expand and support knownpopulations of species of greatest conservation need (sgcn) snakes identified in the wisconsin wildlife actionplan (wwap). We will also collect DNA samples and swab for snake fungal disease from the focal snake species todetermine the health and stability of existing populations with respect to effective population size andinbreeding coefficients. We will continue long-term monitoring at key sites and survey several historic sites todetermine occupancy and conduct studies of stable isotope analyses to determine eastern massasauga rattlesnake(EMR) diet. Lastly, we will use the adapted hunt drift fence technique (ahdrift) arrays to document snakes, prey, and other animals at selected sites and conduct stable isotope analysis to determine EMR diet in wisconsin.ahdrift consists of an entrenched drift fence which intercepts small animals moving across the landscape anddirects them to a modified 5-gallon bucket containing a camera trap. Animals passing through the bucket triggerthe camera. In addition, timber rattlesnake (crho) conservation will also be addressed within the project by enhancinghabitat in wisconsin and examining the genetic status of at least one population by providing sample material ofindividuals to iowa for analysis.