Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Got back from a whirlwind, mostly auto tour of Couperi land a few weeks ago (4300 miles in the old Honda in eight days. Sad to see all of the development and massive habitat loss since I was last down to some of those places in the '80's. Swung through Okefenokee, the Glades N P, FT Meyers area and Okeechobee. My question to the locals and those in the know, is how well are Indigos doing in borderline habitats such as the less perfectly groomed orange groves, some of the beef cattle country of central florida etc. people in the '70's and 80's used to say they were doing ok in the groves, but maybe that was adjacent to more classical habitat. Like most species, I would expect them to do best in earlier successional, more diverse type stuff like I saw after some of the burns ( The new growth of palmetto really comes back thick.) But I had a biologist in Georgia tell me that Eastern Diamondback populations were actually more dense in old growth longleaf pine (which I would not have expected.)

I am aware of a good population density of D. couperi in the groove areas and ranches of Lake Placid. I am also aware of healthy populations on several of the military installations throughout Florida. Also, a friend of mine residing in a residential area of Ft. Meyers has indicated finding several along a greenbelt in his area.
No doubt D. couperi are losing ground, but it appears as though some populations are squeaking out a living, even in somewhat populated areas…

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

That's at least a little encouraging to hear, after seeing some of the changes in places down there. You would hope that they could live in some of the modified habitat, but some species are so sensitive they don't seem able to adapt even though it seems like they should persist in relatively undisturbed, yet modified habitat. it was interesting that some of the intensive vegetable crop areas down near the glades have been replaced by landscapers cultivating trees and shrubs. You would think that might be a little better in terms of water quality going into the glades, and maybe a few more herp species could live within them.Maybe they have to do a lot of spraying and fertilizing for them too, but you would think the runoff would be much less. Thanks for your reply Jeff. Nice to at least hope they can hang on for awhile over a fairly wide area as development continues down there. And Justin, thanks for the tip on the cool area. Didn't get out walking there much-ran out of time. Didn't heed your warning- almost got the honda stuck multiple times, but enjoyed the place alot.Got there right at sundown and drove all the roads/tracks. Saw a big ole bronze Osceola with at least a 10 inch beard. Beautiful bird. Maybe his offspring can feed some indigos. Thanks Frank

Its been a long time since I've posted. Your post caught my interest as conservation issues on this forum have decreased dramatically since the times I last posted.
The rampant development and population increases in the country have alarmed me greatly. I like to take action in the most efficient way possible with respect to urban sprawl and the most effective way I have found here
www.numbersusa.com
you can fax your congressmen and even the President if you want to, and tell them to keep our population stable. Even the civil war battlegrounds like Gettysburg are now threatened much less Indigo habitat. It really helps me to know I was able to do something when I later watch the bulldozers pluming smoke to feed totally uncontrolled population growth.
Hope this helps.
Matt

Be responsible parents and don't forget to spay and neuter your kids! ;0) J/K

Sorry, Matt, I just had to! By the way, I found the site you indicated to be quite interesting and plan to spend a bit more time reviewing the information it contains.

There truly are serious issues which need to be addressed regarding urban sprawl, the ever increasing population and the development of wilderness areas. It's unfortunate that most state and federal governments have been more reactive, instead of proactive, on such issues.
I do not see Florida closing its borders to new residents or placing a moratorium on the issuance of incidental take permits, at least not in my lifetime. Personally, I would like to see a public report accounting for the use of funds generated from incidental take permits, as I was under the impression the funds generated through such permits were to be designated for the acquisition and / or restoration of suitable habitat; is there anyone currently in the “Sunshine State” familiar with such?

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947