That’s interesting about the hypomelanistic animals coming out of Okeetee vicinity. I’ve not seen a wild corn that I would call truly hypomelanistic (having gray / purple coloration where black normally occurs in wild-type animals), but I’ve seen some with significant reduction in the amount of black pattern. Was the hypomelanistic gene currently being marketed in corns originally pulled out of the Okeetee population?
I agree with you about the “ultimate Okeetee” visualized by many people being extremely rare in the wild, even on the grounds of Okeetee Club. Rather, it is something that was created by herpetoculturists through selective breeding. I do think, however, that the majority of “raw material” used to create these stunning snakes comes mostly from coastal southeastern SC and coastal northern Georgia.
The locality issue as it pertains to the herp market is something that I do not completely understand. I do value “locality” animals, but only because their genetic makeup reflects adaptation to specific, unique environments. For example, I value a locality “Okeetee” corn because it was molded by the beautiful lowlands of Jasper County, SC and is therefore a living “snapshot”, if you will, of selective forces at play in that particular environment at that time and through history. From this you can see that “locality” snakes that are removed from their environment and bred for successive generations in captivity would no longer hold any relevance, for me, to any geographic locale because the locale (environment) is no longer influencing the snakes’ genetic makeup. I think most “locality” breeders in herpetoculture nowadays use locale names to designate snakes originating from a particular area that have a certain appearance. They are bred only to preserve this particular appearance and completely removed from any influence of selective pressures present in the locales from which they originated. That being said, I really see nothing wrong with “locality” breeding as it is practiced today in herpetoculture. However, it is not really different, genetically speaking, from selective breeding for “morphs”.
Those of you who think that Okeetee corns must adhere to a certain and narrow standard of appearance should read the following excerpt from Snakes and Snake Hunting by C. Kauffeld, the originator of Okeetee Hoopla:
On the Okeetee (Preserve), Corn Snakes are among the most numerous snakes and they grow to a greater size and greater beauty than any I have known from elsewhere. The range of variation in color intensity and pattern, over an area of at most ten square miles, is quite amazing. Some have a ground color of mouse grey with dark scarlet blotches, others – the prettiest – have rich orange ground color with vermillion blotches…It is my estimation the Corn Snake is not only the most beautiful nonpoisonous snake in the United States, but in the world as a whole.
All in all, I think people should just buy and keep corns that appeal to them and forget about this type being called this or that etc. If you like Okeetee corns with thick borders then seek out lines with these traits. If you’re like KJ and think the thick borders are ugly (which is bassackwards thinking, BTW 
) then seek out snakes with weak and puny borders. It’ all good. LOL!
Cheers,
WK
