Let me make my point a little more clearly....

I keep snakes. I have some alterna. I have never let an alterna go and, to be honest, I will have a hard time doing that until I have found a few more,..maybe. If I find another female in Crockett county, I will have to really think twice about taking it. I'm getting to the point (notice, I didn't say growing out of) where I am tired of caring for all of my animals. Mind you, this goes in cycles for me every few years. I will probably cut back significantly all of my CB animals and then slowly it will creep back up again.

There is no doubt in my mind that if I found 20 alterna (or 10) on one road in one year I would let most of them go. I guess the difference is really one of threshold.

However, I do believe that we, as the consumers of this wildlife resource have to consume it responsibly. I've lived in and spent many, many weeks in the farthest reaches of the Trans-Pecos (as have many here) and I am fully aware that collecting alterna off roads has no significant impact on the populations of the species as a whole, and probably not even the population of snakes along 277 or 90.

What concerns me is the perception. There are many "less informed" people that would look at the fact that someone collected 20 alterna in one season from one stretch of road and wonder
1. how such a harvest could be sustainable? (yes, I know it was uncharacteristically good luck)
2. why such a harvest was legal?
3. why anyone would need 20 alterna from one locale for themselves?

And when you consider the economic value of cb 277 alterna, I actually wonder the last thing myself.

Am I saying that someone shouldn't have 20, 30, 100 alterna in a captive collection? No, of course not. I just don't think that a person should harvest that many from a single area in one year. Is it biologically significant? Probably not, but in the eye of public perception it sure is.

And in truth, I agree with Troy, Brad, and Joe. I just think that we should police ourselves so that others don't feel the need to do it for us. I think it is my responsibility as a fellow herper/hobbyist to politely ask "what the hell are you doing taking 20 off one road?". If I don't ask, someone else will.

As I look on Glades colubrid list today I see two WC langtry alterna listed at $125 each (along with the longnoses, "west texas" bullsnakes, Hypsiglena, trans-pecos rats, kennerlyi, Gyalopion, etc, that they have). That isn't responsible consumption, IMHO.
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Chris Harrison
Does anyone else here think that these scrolling signature lines are stupid?

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