Restoring the Smooth Green Snake

Conservation in the Zoo’s Backyard

Smooth green snakes are native to northern Illinois, but their numbers have declined in the region—and throughout their range—due to habitat loss. The Lake County Forest Preserve District has restored habitat in recent years in the hope the vibrant species would reestablish itself. But the snakes failed to return on their own, and so the forest preserve district began a conservation partnership with Lincoln Park Zoo.

Zoo scientists and forest preserve biologists are working together to restore the smooth green snake to Lake County. The first step is a zoo-based breeding program, designed to build numbers and manage snakes recovered from the wild for eventual release.

Juvenile snakes are currently being raised both at the zoo and in outdoor shelters in the forest preserve. By comparing growth and survival rates between the two settings, scientists will determine the best “head start” conditions for a successful release—an important step in the smooth green snake’s recovery.

Staff and Collaborators

Lincoln Park Zoo

		Seth Magle, Ph. D. Director, Urban Wildlife Institute				Joanne Earnhardt, Ph. D. Conservation Biologist, Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology
		Allison Sacerdote, Ph. D. Reintroduction Biologist, Urban Wildlife Institute				Diane Mulkerin Curator, Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House and Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo
		Dan Boehm Zoological Manager, Regenstein Small Mammal-Reptile House and Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo				Michael Brown-Palsgrove Zoological Manager, Primates
		Erin Hennessy Assistant Lead Keeper, Pritzker Family Children’s Zoo

Lake County Forest Preserve District

Gary Glowacki, Wildlife Biologist
Tim Preuss, Wildlife Biologist
Jim Anderson, Natural Resource Manager

About the Smooth Green Snake

Smooth green snakes are found through much of the United States and Canada, including the Chicago area. Named for their vibrant coloration, they feed on insects and spiders and pose no threat to people.

Learn more with the zoo's smooth green snake fact sheet.

Multimedia

Restoring the Smooth Green Snake Lincoln Park Zoo scientists are working with the Lake County Forest Preserve District to restore wild populations of the smooth green snake. Follow researchers into the field in August 2010 as they introduce new hatchlings to safe housing.