![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/bmosher1-fieldherp\/files\/2020\/07\/Peterson_1.jpg\")
The longleaf pine forest is\na unique type of forest throughout the southeastern United States and contains\nmany types of reptiles and amphibians not found in other parts of North America.\nFollowing the thawing of the ice age, this type of forest sprung up across the\ncoastal plain and can be found from Virginia to Florida and parts of Texas.\nLongleaf pine was described as beautiful and bountiful in the mid-sixteenth\ncentury by Spaniard explorers and Native Americans. It\u2019s pinewood was key for construction\nof early colonial settlements such as Jamestown, Virginia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/bmosher1-fieldherp\/files\/2020\/07\/Peterson_2.jpg\")
As\nmore colonies were built up in North America, the longleaf pine was altered by\nman. These changes put reptiles such as the eastern indigo snake which live within\nat great risk. Wildfire commonly occurs in longleaf pine so that undergrowth\ncan be cleared out naturally. When humans built towns and cities, they actively\nprevented these fires. Therefore, the undergrowth grew up and prevented\nreptiles from digging dens and hunting prey as they once did. These alterations\nby man became so bad that species such as the eastern indigo snake became\nextremely rare; it was thought that this once-common species would become\nextinct. But upon closer inspection, there are glimmers of hope nesting in the\nundergrowth.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/bmosher1-fieldherp\/files\/2020\/07\/Peterson_3.jpg\")
The\nEastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi<\/em>) is jet-black and glossy blue,\na mild-mannered and non-venomous serpent. Eastern Indigos were once a common sight\nacross Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and\nFlorida, but in 1978 they were listed as federally threatened. They were one of\nthe first entries into the Federal Endangered Species Act. Captive breeding\nprograms have gained notoriety in Alabama (Conecuh National Forest) as well as\nin Florida (Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve) where history is in the\nmaking. From 1976 through 1987 an indigo snake recovery program was held at the\nAlabama Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at Auburn University. This program\naimed to restock local snake populations by bringing adult snakes from zoos and\nfederal confiscations and breeding them on protected land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By 1986, a total of 318\nsnakes were reintroduced via captive breeding programs across sites in Alabama.\nDespite this, eastern indigo were unable to reproduce in the wild due to poor\nquality habitats. Yet these programs kept trying; they called for public aid to\nrestore the longleaf pine. Nature reserves that are protected by groups such as\nthe Alabama Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit are managed carefully to\nmaintain healthy, high-quality habitat that can foster species such as the\neastern indigo. Strategies such as clear-cutting and controlled burns allow for\nparts of the longleaf pine to regenerate naturally while not posing risks to\nnearby human settlements. The Eastern Indigo Snake Reintroduction Project\ncollaborated with private, public, state, and federal parties to preserve National\nForests such as Conecuh and reintegrate the eastern indigo. Although Alabama had\nno eastern indigo sightings since the 1950s, in January of 2020, a wild\nsub-adult eastern indigo was captured and confirmed to be an offspring of a\nseries reintroductions that occurred from 2000-2010. This find was a pivotal\npiece of evidence that these programs\u2019 strategies are effective, and that hope\nis not lost for the longleaf pine nor the eastern indigo snake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nmomentum gained from this successful reintroduction in Alabama\u2019s Conecuh have\nled to other programs weighing in support to conserve these snakes. The USDA\nForest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Alabama Department of\nConservation and Natural Resources implemented federal and state programs to\nreintroduce species following major preservation of the longleaf pine forests.\nOther states have joined the programs with success as well. Eastern indigos had\nnot been sighted in Florida since 1982. However Zoo Atlanta, the Tampa Zoo and\nCentral Florida Zoo have joined together with The Orianne Society to\nreintroduce 12 zoo-reared indigos into Florida\u2019s Apalachicola Bluffs and\nRavines nature reserve. Alabama and Florida are the only two reintroduction\nprograms that have had success with eastern indigo snakes and will undoubtably pave\nthe way for further successful programs for this snake in other regions. Despite\nseveral decades passing with a once-common snake going unnoticed, it was the\ncollaboration between organizations, federal authorities and the public that permitted\nthe longleaf pine and these snakes to begin flourishing once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n REFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n An Apex Predator Returns. (n.d.). The\nNature Conservancy<\/em>.Available from https:\/\/www.nature.org\/en-us\/about-us\/where-we-work\/united-states\/florida\/stories-in-florida\/paradise-regained\/<\/a> (accessed April 12, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eastern Indigo Snake. (n.d.). The\nNature Conservancy<\/em>. Available from https:\/\/www.nature.org\/en-us\/get-involved\/how-to-help\/animals-we-protect\/eastern-indigo-snake\/<\/a> (accessed April 12, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eastern indigo snake makes a\ncomeback in Alabama | US Forest Service. (2019). Available from https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/inside-fs\/delivering-mission\/sustain\/eastern-indigo-snake-makes-comeback-alabama<\/a> (accessed April 12, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Godwin et al. (2011). Reintroduction\nof the Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi<\/em>) into Conecuh National Forest.\nAvailable from https:\/\/www.outdooralabama.com\/sites\/default\/files\/Research\/SWG%20Reports\/SWG%20Indigo%20Final%20Report(2011).pdf<\/a> (accessed April 12, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Godwin et al. (2008). Captive\nPropagation of the Threatened Eastern Indigo Snake for Reintroduction into\nAlabama. pdf (2008). Available from https:\/\/www.outdooralabama.com\/sites\/default\/files\/Research\/SWG%20Reports\/Indigo%20SWG%20final%20report(2008).pdf<\/a> (accessed April 12, 2020).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Cooper Peterson The return of Eastern Indigo Snakes in response to protecting the longleaf pine forests. The longleaf pine forest is a unique type of forest throughout the southeastern United States and contains many types of reptiles and amphibians … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/bmosher1-fieldherp\/files\/2020\/07\/Peterson_4.gif\")