April 23, 2003                          Last Quarter Moon                                                                                          

An Endangered Snake is About to Wake Up This is the time that the massasauga rattlesnake emerges from hibernation. Sightings of the snake are a treat since the rattlesnake is endangered in Pennsylvania. Finding one is extremely unusual because not only is this snake small (2 - 2 1/2 feet long and 6-7 1/2 inches in diameter) but it is secretive and hides unseen in dense vegetation. The term "massasauga" comes from a Chippewa Indian word meaning "great river-mouth," which describes the type of location where it was originally sighted. In Pennsylvania it was only known from portions of Allegheny, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties. Today only about 20 percent of these colonies remain. WPC has just received a two-year grant to study the remaining population, identifying habitat and specific conservation needs. Its ideal habitat is in wet, open bottomlands adjacent to dry, untilled upland fields. These are areas largely created from the most recent retreat of glaciers, around 12,000 years ago, known as the Wisconsin Glaciation. When the glaciers retreated, wetlands and open prairie type of habitat were created in western Pennsylvania. E-mail Today's WPC Daily to a Friend! Friend's e-mail address: Your Message: Did you receive this WPC Daily from a friend? Want to get your own, every day? Click here to join the mailing list.. More about our Resource Conservation Program  View WPC Daily for the month of March Vote for your favorite WPC Daily in March

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