The North Unit of Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park was the site of a small snake survey in July and August 2024. Steve Davis, as part of his training as a new Wisconsin Master Naturalist, undertook the survey with permission from Madison Parks. His goal was to identify snake species present within the park and estimate the population of each species observed.
Steve carried out the survey by placing plywood boards on the ground in three locations in the park. This is a technique used elsewhere by other surveys, as the boards can provide attractive shelters for snakes. At several intervals during the survey weeks, Steve lifted the boards for observation but found no snakes. He did observe a Garter Snake slithering rapidly from the Bluebird trail into tall grass.
Steve hypothesized several possibilities for finding no snakes in his survey.
The mid-summer vegetation throughout Cherokee Marsh is very lush and dense, in part due to the heavy rainfall experienced this summer. The dense vegetation may be providing snakes with ample hiding places that competed with the plywood sheets. Matted vegetation beneath the sheets was also thick enough for very small snakes to avoid detection. The vegetation also made it difficult to find several snake “hotspots” that were suggested by members of Friends of Cherokee Marsh.
Snakes tend to be widely dispersed in mid-summer and are harder to observe.
According to the Madison Parks website, the area of the Cherokee Marsh North Unit is just over 946 acres. The chance of a snake finding any of three 4 x 4 boards in an area that large is perhaps low.
“If I were to conduct another snake survey, I would increase the number of sites for the study. I would place the boards in early spring, before the vegetation had a chance to grow significantly. Placing the plywood in early spring might allow me to more easily identify known snake “hotspots” due to lack of vegetation. Also, choosing sites near known snake hibernation areas in early spring might greatly increase the chance of discovering snakes before they disperse from the hibernation area,” Steve concluded.
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