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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. APRIL 28. 2022
DNR offers advice to anyone who encounters a snake
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706-692-9768
Photo / Ga. DNR
Spotted Bass are greenish in color with pale bellies and
have a series of dark lateral blotches that merge to form an
irregular band, numerous small dark spots below the lateral
line that form horizontal rows, and a prominent dark spot
at the base of the tail.
This species of bass has been introduced to new lakes in
Georgia, decimating the smallmouth population in places.
lem. Never release live bait-
fish, aquarium fish, or
aquatic plants into our lakes
and streams. The results can
be devastating.
The lakes and streams will
have tough time maintaining
a balanced fishery with the
pressure gathering from all
sides in the form of develop
ment and inefficient land
usage. Don’t foolishly add to
the problem.
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From eastern indigo
snakes to bald eagles, DNR’s
Wildlife Conservation Sec
tion works to conserve rare
and other Georgia wildlife
not legally fished for or
hunted, as well as rare plants
and natural habitats. The
agency depends primarily on
fundraisers, grants and con
tributions. That makes public
support key.
Georgians can help by
supporting the state’s
Nongame Wildlife Conserva
tion Fund. Flere’s how:
Buy a DNR eagle or monarch
butterfly license plate, or
renew one of the older plate
designs, including the hum
mingbird. Most of the fees
are dedicated to wildlife. Up
grade to a wild tag for only
$25! Details at georgiaw-
it’s likely not venomous, use
caution around any unidenti
fied snake. For more on
Georgia’s snakes, visit geor-
giawildlife.com/georgias-
nakes. “Amphibians and
Reptiles of Georgia” (Uni
versity of Georgia Press) also
provides a comprehensive
reference.
Snake Insights
Venomous vs. poisonous:
Venom is a toxic substance.
But a key difference when
the terms are used to describe
organisms is how the toxin is
delivered. Venomous animals
inject theirs by biting, sting
ing or sticking - think ven
omous snakes, wasps and
stingrays. Poisonous species,
such as poison frogs, deliver
toxins passively, such as
when they’re eaten or
through skin secretions when
they are touched.
Snake Benefits: While
some snakes eat rodents and
even venomous snakes, oth
ers prey on creatures some
Georgians also may not want
near their homes. Brown and
red-bellied snakes, for exam
ple, feed on snails and slugs,
the bane of gardeners.
Crowned snake species pri
marily eat centipedes.
Baby snakes? Snakes such
as earth and brown snake
species are small (usually
less than 12 inches long) and
homeowners occasionally
mistake them as juveniles.
The common concern
here: Are the parents nearby?
Some snake species are live-
bearers and some are egg-
layers. But most snakes do
not exhibit parental care. If
there are parents, they are not
watching over their off
spring.
OUR TOP PRIORITY IS
CARING FOR YOUR
CHILD'S PHYSICAL &
MENTAL HEALTH!
O'NeiLL OUTDOORS
By O'XRILL WILLIAM!
Prevention: To reduce the
potential for snakes near your
home, remove brush, log
piles and other habitat fea
tures that attract mice, lizards
and other animals on which
snakes prey.
On the un-intended
consequences of
releasing fish/bait
Fley, let's talk: Many
times, sport fishermen make
mistakes that bode ill for the
waters they love. Flow do
they do that?
Twenty plus years ago,
some fishermen put some
Spotted Bass in Lake
Chatuge. Now the Spots have
taken over and what was one
of Georgia’s best Small
mouth Bass fisheries has
practically been ruined for
Smallies.
Spots out competed the
Smallmouth for forage fish
and ravaged the Smallmouth
beds and, soon, there you
are no more Smallmouths,
Spotted Bass instead.
In some of the gently
flowing curvy rivers in South
Georgia, somehow someone
introduced the Flathead Cat
fish, a true predator of other
sport fish, and caused rapid
decline in the Redbreast
Bream. A controlled netting
of most of the Flatheads by
the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources has thank
fully restored the Redbreast
population. That was good.
I understand that fisher
men have netted Blueback
Flerring from the Savannah
River and use them as live
bait for Stripers at Lanier and
other Georgia Lakes to the
extent that retail bait loca
tions actually import and sell
the Bluebacks for sportfish
ing, but the result is that
Georgia’s mountain lakes
have no more left of the Sun-
fish population.
Don’t get me wrong, such
mistaken introduction can re
sult in positive effects. For
instance, the Bluebacks in
Lanier resulted in making it
the best Spotted Bass lake in
the country.
Years ago, in tournament
competition, a 10-fish limit
of Spots weighed in a 12
pounds. Now, a 5-Spot limit
weighs in at 20+ pounds to
win. The Spots have some
thing in the deep waters to
eat. Flowever, I’d rather have
the DNR in charge of stock
ing the lakes and streams in
stead of a well-meaning
fisherman, wouldn’t you?
The introduction of
species by anglers often re
sults in unexpected and irre
versible changes to the fish
population. This Spring and
Summer, when making your
weekly visit, make sure you
do not contribute to the prob-
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Only six of the 46
species native to
Georgia are
venomous
From Ga. DNR
FORSYTH, Ga. (April
19, 2022) - As spring hits full
stride, Daniel Sollenberger
will field more calls and
emails about snakes. And
most will involve two ques
tions: What species is this
and what should I do?
As for the first question,
seldom is the snake a ven
omous species, according to
Sollenberger, a senior
wildlife biologist with the
Georgia Department of Nat
ural Resources.
Whether it’s venomous, of
course, is the worry or fear
underlying most of the ques
tions. Chances are it’s not.
Only six of the 46 species na
tive to Georgia are venomous
and only one - the copper
head - usually thrives in sub
urban areas, which is where
many Georgians live.
"While at least one of the
state’s six species of ven
omous snakes could be found
in each county in the state,
seldom are they the most
common species encoun
tered,” Sollenberger said.
Now to the second ques
tion: What should you do, or
not do, if you see a snake?
You can try to identify it
from a distance. Resources
such as
georgiawildlife.com/geor-
giasnakes, which includes
Photo / John Jensen, Georgia DNR
There is no need to fear non-venomous snakes such as
this common kingsnake.
DNR’s “Venomous Snakes of
Georgia” brochure, can help.
Do not attempt to handle the
snake. Give it the space it
needs.
Remember that snakes are
predators that feed on small
mammals, amphibians, in
sects and even other snakes.
There is no need to fear non-
venomous snakes. Also,
Georgia’s native non-ven
omous species are protected
by state law, and one - the
eastern indigo - is federally
protected.
If a clearly identified ven
omous snake is in an area
where it represents a danger
to people or pets, consult
georgiawildlife.com/nui-
sancewildlife for a list of pri
vate wildlife removal
specialists. Most bites occur
when a snake is cornered or
captured and defending itself.
Non-venomous snakes
such as scarlet kingsnake,
eastern hognose and water-
snake species are frequently
confused with their ven
omous counterparts - coral
snakes, rattlesnakes and
water moccasins, respec
tively.
Although pit vipers,
which include all venomous
species native to Georgia ex
cept for coral snakes, are
often identified by their
broad, triangular-shaped
heads, many non-venomous
snakes flatten their heads
when threatened, which can
make their heads appear tri
angular-shaped. Also, some
non-venomous species have
color patterns similar to ven
omous snakes.
The bottom line: While
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Is Htrt
ildlife.com/licenseplates.
Donate at gooutdoorsge-
orgia.com. Click “Licenses
and Permits” and log in to
give. (New customers can
create an account.) There’s
even an option to round-up
for wildlife.
Contribute to the Georgia
Wildlife Conservation Fund
when filing state income
taxes - line 30 on form 500
or line 10 on form 500EZ.
Giving is easy and every do
nation helps.
Donate directly to the
agency. Learn more at geor-
giawildlife.com/donations.
Purchase a hunting or
fishing license. A one-day, $5
hunting/fishing license re
turns to Georgia wildlife that
fee plus about $45 in federal
excise taxes paid by hunters
and anglers nationwide.
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