On July 12, during its quarterly business meeting, the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) voted to delist the timber rattlesnake from candidate status. With this vote, this species is no longer a …
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On July 12, during its quarterly business meeting, the PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) voted to delist the timber rattlesnake from candidate status. With this vote, this species is no longer a candidate for threatened or endangered status in PA. A news release of the quarterly business meeting by the PFBC can be found at fishandboat.com/news/2016pr/pfbc2016q3summ.htm
John Arway, commission executive director, said in a statement, “Today’s decision by our board to remove the timber rattlesnake from the candidate species list should be viewed as a success story for the conservation and management of a once vulnerable species of rattlesnake. However, we must continue our efforts and not let down our guard to insure that the timber rattlesnake continues to be secure across its entire range.”
The timber rattlesnake was first protected in the state in 1978, as previous overhunting had led to this species being listed as a candidate for protected status. The 1978 status change led to a set of hunting regulations that governed bag limits, protected gravid females and safeguarded known hibernacula, among other measures to protect the species. With the recent July 12 ruling delisting the species, there was no immediate change to the existing hunting regulations in PA (one per year with permit and special conditions).
There is much opposition to the delisting of the timber rattlesnake by the PFBC; individuals and groups are concerned that delisting could result in significant habitat loss by development on previously protected areas, especially by entities of the oil and gas industry. Maya K. Van Rossum, of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, states in a letter to the PFBC written March 18, “The Fish and Boat Commission has been implementing several good management and education strategies and volunteer monitoring programs to encourage protection of the timber rattlesnake, but we believe the work would be undermined if at this time the FBC delisted the species.” The full text of the letter can be found at www.delawareriverkeeper.org/sites/default/files/DRN.timberrattler.candidate.3.18.2016.PA_.FI NAL__0.pdf.
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