AUTHOR'S OPINION
In our modern world the loss of a pesky snake may seem to be the last of our priorities as the human race, when in fact, by saving this species we are preventing ourselves from irreversible harm to to our own human advancement. This may seem to be a far fetched claim but as we know from the past, when a single animal faces extinction, the entire web of species that relied on it, directly and indirectly, can easily fall apart, and we are one of those species.
The San Francisco Garter Snake lives in local wetland habitats, and as written previously, it is faced with severe habitat destruction. Because the snake is endangered according to the ESA, the animal receives a good amount of federal protection, not only to the snake but also to the wetlands it inhabits. This federal protection has created an opportunity for wetland restoration and protection by volunteers and has, for the most part, prevented new development in wetland habitats crucial to the life of the San Francisco Garter Snake. Without the protection that the serpent serves to its habitat, housing and road ways and commercial buildings would likely fill those wetland areas, which is seemingly more beneficial to us humans. But not only are those wetlands a wonderful place to go for a walk and observe nature (which is an amazing benefit for humans), but they also serve in the filtration of oxygen that human life is dependant on. Without the San Francisco Garter Snake, there would be less focus of preserving the wetlands and the species they are home to and there would be less protection.
To save this species and its habitat, it would require adequate amounts of protected land that cannot be disturbed by human activities. An example of land like this that is currently being debated over is the Sharp Park Golf Course, an area of wetlands turned into a golf course that is no longer lucrative enough as a golf course. Former Mayor Ed Lee had turned down ideas of transforming the golf course back into wetlands, but as Mayor Lee is no longer in office and new campaign could be launched for new Mayor London Breed to reconsider the fate of this land and the species that depend on it. In obtaining that land, it will be important to have people devoted to restoration of the land if it was previously degraded, including removal of nonnative or invasive species, such as the bullfrog. For future protection, curriculum could be integrated into schools about the value of this habitat and the animals that reside in it, especially this snake to prove the snake can cause no harm and is not a pest. Baseless fear is common in regards to snakes, so education is crucial to teach people what to do if they were to come in contact with a San Francisco Garter Snake outside of its habitat.
By saving the San Francisco Garter Snake, we are serving much more than one species. We are saving the animals the eat it, the animals that are its prey, the ecosystem it lives in, and the services provided to humans by that ecosystem. We are saving the entire chain connected to that one link.
This website has been dedicated to saving the San Francisco Garter Snake, but did you ever wonder what I really thought after doing all this research? Now is the time for you to hear my real opinion: It is vital to protect the SFGS and its habitat because of the importance of preserving biodiversity and value of the ecosystem services provided by its habitat.
The San Francisco Garter Snake is of importance in the serpent world, as it is the snake for people who hate snakes. As a garter snake, it does not have a venomous bite. It is gentle and small, so it is less intimidating than most snakes. In this way, it represents the snake world well and may help to change their image in out culture. It is also a beautiful snake, with its coloring lending itself to snake lovers and non-snake lovers alike. While this fact endangers the snake due to an increase in collection for the pet trade, it also means that this snake provides aesthetic value that most people don’t often associate with snakes. The preservation of the SFGS is a fight which will help even those who fear and hate snakes to at least appreciate them, if from afar.
By saving this snake, we are increasing biodiversity in the world and in one of the most crucial ecosystems in terms of necessary services provided. Since the SFGS is vital to its food web within the wetlands of the San Francisco Peninsula, the loss of this creature would mean the increase in species such as already overpopulated invasive bullfrogs and the decrease in the population of endangered species such as the CA red legged frog.
But more than just the preservation of various animals is the importance of keeping these wetlands around. Wetland ecosystems are nature’s Brita filter on steroids; they treat our water by removing it of pollutants, bacteria, and sediment. Humans have technology which tries to do what wetlands can to water, but it is economically costly and an absolute waste of energy. By saving this snake, we are protecting their ecosystem as well and benefiting from one less thing to do.
Because the San Francisco Garter Snake has such specific habitat requirements, its population has diminished greatly due to the development of its region. However, very little action has actually been taken to protect the wetlands in which we know the snakes to be. There are six such sites, and we allow the devastation of these habitats, if indirectly. In order to save these species, we would merely need to enforce strict regulations protecting these sites and the surrounding areas. The increase of protection of the Sharp Park snakes would be the most difficult in terms of passing legislature and appeasing golfers, but also the most impactful in terms of rescuing a critical habitat for a critically endangered species. If the golf course were closed, and the creek were restored with the natural wetlands allowed to rebound from their damage, the SFGS population would have the chance to seriously recover. While closing the golf course might be an unpopular decision among some, it is also possible that the banks of the creek and the riparian corridor and wetlands could be expanded and protected better than they are currently without closing the golf course at Sharp Park. And in terms of economic services provided, the services provided by wetland ecosystems far exceed those of another golf course.
All in all, it is important to save this snake because of its value as an individual species as well as as a piece of the ecosystem in which it lives. To protect its habitat would not require much; merely the expansion and preservation of its existing habitat sites to begin with. Doing so would not mean the destruction of any other habitats, nor would it do any real harm to other living creatures. However, in order to save this snake, it’s important to act now.