Photo credit Bill Bouton. |
"Veronica Woodruff of the SPS reported to council during Tuesday’s (July 23) meeting that since beginning an inventory, 10 more of the Sharp-tailed snakes have been found in the Pemberton area.
“I am not a person that is against development,” said Woodruff. “But I do believe that construction can be done in a partnership and it can benefit both the species and the development.”
"Woodruff cited examples of snakes coexisting on residential properties in parts of Victoria and the Sunshine Coast islands.
“It's really working proactively with the developers to talk about what we know about the snakes and some ideas on layout, construction mitigation and potential leave areas for these kinds of species.”
"When Coun. Mike Richman asked what the next step would be in working with the Sunstone Ridge developers, Woodruff replied:
“We know the preferred types of habitats. It's literally an exercise in Google Earth, looking at the substrate and saying 'OK, it's likely this will be a good nesting and birthing area.' If that's an area that's slated for development, take the time, pull it apart and see what's there or consider leaving that area and tweaking the development.
"But development is not the only concern for the snakes. Several sightings have occurred on mountain bike trails, with one snake being found dead on Happy Trail after being run over by a mountain bike. Woodruff brought in a large sample of a sign to be mounted near bike trails that read “Brake for Snakes!
"The SPS will be reporting its final inventory of the Sharp-tailed snakes in September."