Biologist finds rare garter snakes in California

[GradStudentLeper]

You have a point, Rhea... but totally unscientifically, I find it hard to believe that 1000 acres of farmland creates more problems than covering that 1000 acres with apartments, tract housing, auto malls, more shopping centers with the exact same stores and restaurants as the one 5 miles down the road... you get the idea... even if it's aestetics only... I'd prefer farm land. No doubt, work still needs to be done with farm owners regarding water use, land erosion, and pestisides, but covering the area in asphalt can't possibly be better???

I would like to see a nature conservancy take over... But the farmers are just as bad if not worse. Even if the entire area is paved, the houses dont have agricultural runoff and agrochemicals being blown down wind into the mountains and poisoning waterways there...

[jitami]

I would like to see a nature conservancy take over... But the farmers are just as bad if not worse. Even if the entire area is paved, the houses dont have agricultural runoff and agrochemicals being blown down wind into the mountains and poisoning waterways there...

Are you sure? You're the scientist, I'm not, so you very well could be right, but us lovely suburban Californians wreak all sorts of havoc by sending all sorts of interesting stuff down the storm drains day in and day out... run off from roads, run off from our perfectly manicured lawns, plus things like motor oil, paint, etc. deliberately dumped down storm drains... even the drains with cute little fishies engraved in the concrete. Not to mention the materials used in building all of these homes, roads, and businesses. I would guess (again, just a guess) that we use nearly as much, if not more, water than agriculture does as well? I dunno...

Probably getting too off topic anyway... sorry for venting my frustrations with this lovely state I live in... and it is lovely... hopefully it will continue to be for many years to come... It's hard for me to see hope for our reptiles and amphibs once they're relegated to golf course ponds, shopping center fountains, and the occasional tract housing green belt.

[Stefan-A]

Are you sure? You're the scientist, I'm not, so you very well could be right, but us lovely suburban Californians wreak all sorts of havoc by sending all sorts of interesting stuff down the storm drains day in and day out... run off from roads, run off from our perfectly manicured lawns, plus things like motor oil, paint, etc. deliberately dumped down storm drains... even the drains with cute little fishies engraved in the concrete. Not to mention the materials used in building all of these homes, roads, and businesses. I would guess (again, just a guess) that we use nearly as much, if not more, water than agriculture does as well? I dunno...

Undeniably a problem, but it does pale in comparison to the amounts of various types of pesticides farms use and eutrophication, caused primarily by farms, also has a big impact on amphibians and especially fish.