New Jersey Timber Rattlesnakes' Protector Honored

Photo by Matt Litton

Nothing else seems to remind me better of the value of the unique New Jersey wilderness, hedged about by dense human development, than timber rattlesnakes. A close second for me is the pine snake.

My son, Matt, has encountered and photographed both, but this post is less about the two of us, than it is about an honoree of the 12th Annual Women and Wildlife Awards hosted by Duke Farms in Hillsborough, New Jersey. Kris Schantz, a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Fish and Wildlife, biologist, was awarded the Inspiration Award, the DEP says, for her passion in developing greater understanding of the timber rattlesnake, while improving its protection. Among other professional interests as a biologist focused on creatures with ambiguous reputations, Shantz leads the Venomous Snake Response Team, which also serves the public by removing venomous snakes from where they may be a threat to society.


http://littonsfishinglines.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-salamanders-of-swartswood.html