There is plenty of organized effort. There is enough wild snakes to keep the species from going extinct. BARELY. The main focus is, and needs to be, preservation and restoration of suitable habitat. Unfortunately, real estate prices are very high and the developers desire the same landscape that the snakes depend on. Also, development around the existing populations is hurting them due to runoff and other water quality issues, and the waning frog populations. Even in existing suitable habitat, where the there are no frogs, there are no garters either. It's a complex environmental situation that they depend on for survival.

Simply increasing their numbers by introducing captive bred snakes won't help. The excess population will just die off.

It's a catch 22 situation by NOT allowing collecting. As the gene pool narrows, hope for keeping the species alive even if only in captivity, fades.

It is well known that the CB European population is having problems due to a shallow gene pool.

If it weren't for several federal laws enacted since my birth in 1970, I'm sure they would already be extinct.