TOWN TALK (Alexandria, Louisiana) 18 August 10 Young La. pine snakes being released into Kisatchie National Forest (Jeff Matthews)
Pollock: Researchers believe Louisiana pine snakes once roamed Kisatchie National Forest. If a program works the way organizers hope, they will again.
Three hatchling pine snakes were released into Kisatchie on Tuesday, one of many such releases designed to re-introduce the species back into the forest.
"We don't think any (pine snakes) are currently here, but we think they were here historically," Craig Rudolph, a research ecologist with the U.S. Forest Service, said while at the Catahoula Ranger District station near Pollock prior to the release.
"Now the habitat has been restored to a level where it can support Louisiana pine snakes again. We think it's an opportune time to try to restore the population using these captive snakes."
"We're hoping to increase the numbers of a beautiful species," said Jim Caldwell, public affairs officer for Kisatchie. "You never know when you re-introduce a species like this whether it's going to take. We're hoping these snakes do."
The hatchlings came from the Memphis Zoo, one of several zoos breeding Louisiana pine snakes caught in the wild. Three hatchlings were released a month ago, and plans are for 20 to 60 to be released into the forest a year, Rudolph said.
Louisiana pine snakes are indigenous to West Louisiana and East Texas. They grow to 4 to 5 feet in length, prefer constricting to biting and are not poisonous.
Their numbers have dwindled in the past 70 to 100 years, Rudolph said, because fewer forests hold regular burnings, which were once common.
Not burning allows the undergrowth to sprout, driving away the gophers that are the pine snake's main source of food.
At Kisatchie, timber thinning and burning programs have restored parts of the forest to conditions of the past, making it an ideal test case for boosting the pine snake's population in the wild.
"We checked a number of areas, and some were pretty darn good," said Steve Reichling, curator of reptiles at the Memphis Zoo. "But when we came to this location, I said, 'Wow, you don't see many like this anymore.' When I saw it, I knew it. It really looked good."
"A lot of lands in Louisiana don't look like that anymore," Caldwell said. "Kisatchie National Forest does."
The hatchlings are tagged to track their movement, which researchers hope will allow them to gauge the growth or decline of the re-introduced population. DNA samples of the released snakes are also being taken to compare against snakes found in the forest years from now and confirm that the released snakes are breeding.
"If the habitat is good, and we think it is, we think a viable population can be established," Rudolph said.
Young La. pine snakes being released into Kisatchie National Forest