On Wednesday, I was on the Conservancy’s Kismat tract with several others, and we were shocked at what we saw. No one could believe it. We saw what we believed to be a large, female giant garter snake. In winter! On a cloudy, chilly day! Speculation is rampant on why she wasn’t hibernating, as she is supposed to be doing this time of year. An aquatic snake, on land (see photo) in the winter. We’ll have to log this one in the record books.
One Against Many?
The Conservancy uses a variety of tools to manage vegetation on its preserves, guided by a strategy known as “the soft path first.” One of those tools is grazing. Over the years, the Conservancy has used large grazing animals to manage marsh and adjacent upland vegetation, including Hereford, Black Angus, …