| The Effects of Energy Development on Reptiles and Amphibians |
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Wyoming Midget Faded Rattlesnake Project: Project Orianne has received funding from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to conduct research on midget faded rattlesnakes in Wyoming. Dr. Stephen Spear of Project Orianne will be working with Dr. Charles Peterson of Idaho State University, and Dr. Joshua Parker of the College of Southern Nevada, to gather information that will allow the Wyoming Game & Fish Department to better manage for this species in the face of ongoing energy development in the Green River Fisheries Management Region.
In Wyoming, the midget faded rattlesnake, a species of greatest conservation concern, only occurs in a small portion of the southwest corner around the Flaming Gorge Reservoir. This area is of high interest for oil, gas and wind development. In order to adequately manage for this species, the Wyoming Game & Fish Department needs additional information regarding specific midget faded rattlesnake habitats and locations. Project Orianne is consolidating and expanding upon previous midget faded rattlesnake studies, and will provide additional data required to protect this species during the course of energy development project in this region.
Project Orianne will combine landscape genetics, distribution modeling, and direct movement data to understand both key habitat features and factors influencing connectivity of midget faded rattlesnakes. We will use previous movement and occurrence data collected by Dr. Josh Parker to attempt to create separate models of denning habitat, rookery and ecdysis habitat, and foraging habitat. Production of these models should allow us to point out key habitat needs for the snake, and then we will correlate genetic data with the habitat models to identify potential corridors or important areas for population connectivity that would also need to be protected to prevent population isolation. Thus, we can provide guidance for midget faded rattlesnake conservation in Wyoming.
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