Vegetation Management Near Snake Cover Boards and Songbird Nest Boxes

Trimming small shrubs and vines near snake cover boards prevents the boards from getting shaded
 and maintains consistant performance of these monitoring tools.

We manage the vegetation near some of our wildlife monitoring projects to make sure they operate consistantly.  The vegetation near our snake cover boards and songbird nest boxes needs to be trimmed back at least once a year.  Most of the vegetation consists of invasive plant species that would overtake the projects if we did not intervene.  We monitor snakes and cavity nesting songbirds in early successional and grassland habitats because these species indicate the quality of these habitats.  The snake species that occupy our cover board piles include Eastern Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis), Redbelly Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata), Northern Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi), Northern Ringneck Snake (Diadophis punctatus), Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon), and Milk Snake (Lampropeltis triangulum).