Posted on Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Ben Jellen, endangered species biologist and herpetologist from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, will present "The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake in Pennsylvania" Thursday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in the McKelvey Campus Center Theater.
The presentation will focus on the present, past, and future status of the massasauga in Pennsylvania, as well as aspects of its natural history and current conservation efforts.
"Because an adult snake, which reaches only two or three feet in length, can eat up to nine pounds of rodents per year, massasaugas play a significant role in the ecosystems in which they live," said Dr. Ann Throckmorton, chair and associate professor of biology at Westminster. "They were once common throughout Allegheny, Butler, Crawford, Lawrence, Mercer, and Venango counties, but they have disappeared from many areas and are believed to exist only in three counties. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is conducting a study to locate the remaining populations of the eastern massasauga rattlesnake in Pennsylvania, including the New Wilmington area."
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Throckmorton at (724) 946-7209 or e-mail athrock@westminster.edu.
