Restoring habitat connectivity to an isolated population of Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus)

Brennan, Michael

michael.brennan@uga.edu

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources                                                                                     

University of Georgia                                                                                                                                       

Athens, Georgia USA

Colbert, Joseph      

Quinn, Daniel                                                                                                                                                 

Moore, Yank                                                                                                                                                

Conservation Department                                                                                                                                 

Jekyll Island Authority                                                                                                                                      

Jekyll Island State Park, Georgia USA

Kohl, Michel                                                                                                                                                        

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources                                                                                           

University of Georgia                                                                                                                                        

Athens, Georgia USA

Barrier Islands of the Southeastern US offer a unique assemblage of early successional and open canopy habitats preferred by Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes (EDB). However, many such islands are facing anthropogenic alteration at a rapid pace resulting in habitat loss and fragmentation, both of which are major drivers of population declines of EDBs across their range. Jekyll Island State Park is a barrier island in Georgia, USA with approximately 4000 acres of upland habitat. Genetic research and long-term radio-tracking studies have shown that Jekyll’s EDB population is isolated between the northern and southern half due to habitat fragmentation in the middle of the island. These studies imply that connectivity may be limited for other species as well and demonstrates the need for habitat restoration in the middle of the island.  To increase connectivity, the Jekyll Island Authority is taking 115 acres of a closed golf course and restoring it into a wildlife corridor made up of freshwater wetlands, maritime grasslands, and long-leaf pine savannah’s. This corridor should help reconnect the fragmented habitat and enable more wildlife movement between the northern and southern portions of the island. We will use a novel automated tracking system alongside traditional radio telemetry to monitor the spatial and habitat use of EDBs in this newly restored habitat. This will allow us to assess the efficacy of these efforts and methods for use in rattlesnake conservation and implement a long-term monitoring program that provides fine scale spatial data while greatly reducing man-hours when compared to traditional monitoring efforts.