Endangered Species Law & Policy

On August 15, 2011, after a little more then a decade of protection, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced that the Lake Erie water snake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) was recovered and that it has been removed from the list of threatened and endangered species.  The Service, which listed the Lake Erie water snake as a threatened species in 1999, stated that the recovery was achieved through minimizing and reducing "the threats to the snake by sustaining and protecting summer and hibernation habitats and ensuring the permanent protection of shoreline habitat."  The Lake Erie water snake is just the 23rd species that has been delisted based upon a finding of recovery.