{"id":24503,"date":"2023-08-04T08:24:23","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T13:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/?p=24503"},"modified":"2023-12-04T13:33:59","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T19:33:59","slug":"ces-major-counts-snakes-promotes-environmental-justice-with-nearby-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/letters-science\/in-focus-2023\/ces-major-counts-snakes-promotes-environmental-justice-with-nearby-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"CES major counts snakes, promotes environmental justice with Nearby Nature"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You never know what you might find under the snake boards at Hopkins Hollow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There might be mice or shrews. There might be pill bugs or ants. But if you\u2019re lucky, there will be snakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBasically, we\u2019re checking for common garter snakes, Butler\u2019s garter snakes, and DeKay\u2019s brownsnakes. We\u2019ve mainly found female Butler garter snakes. We haven\u2019t found any common garter snakes, and we\u2019ve found two DeKay\u2019s brownsnakes,\u201d Hassan Richardson reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richardson is in the middle of his summer internship with Nearby Nature<\/a>, a nonprofit that focuses on environmental justice, stewardship, and outreach in Milwaukee. Richardson, a conservation and environmental science major at UW-Milwaukee, had just finished an urban planning course when he found the internship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis (job) was probably one of the few that incorporated environmental justice and ecology and aligned with my most recent career goals,\u201d he said, adding that he\u2019d like to find a career that combines his interests in urban planning, environmental justice, and wildlife biology. He\u2019s a CES major because \u201cit came to me naturally \u2013 no pun intended.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The job is hard \u2013 Richardson is outside in the sun for 4-5 hours at a time, doing trash pick-up, volunteering at outreach events, assisting with hikes for community members, and removing invasive plant species from natural areas. The buckthorn is bad, he said, but invasive wild parsley is worse: \u201cIf you cut the leaf and the oil gets on your skin and it\u2019s exposed to the sun, it\u2019ll give you burns or a rash in a couple of hours,\u201d Richardson explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But for all of the work, there\u2019s plenty of fun. Richardson and his fellow interns have enjoyed field trips to the local Department of Natural Resources office, and they\u2019ve learned a lot about urban natural areas, environmental advocacy, and outreach. They\u2019ve also been able to see some interesting wildlife; Richardson said one of the coolest experiences he had was catching a glimpse of a scissortailed flycatcher, a bird that is rarely seen in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the best part is definitely the snakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearby Nature has been conducting a snake survey this summer, counting the number of several different types of snakes they find and recording the data. They\u2019re working in Hopkins Hollow, a green space near 35th and Hopkins, to find the reptiles. When Richardson finds one under one of the area\u2019s 24 snake boards \u2013 large pieces of wood covering the ground that provide excellent cover for snakes and other wildlife \u2013 he records its species, length, gender, and whether or not the snake is pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s become good at identifying who is who: Common garter snakes have three scale rows of colors and broader heads while Butler\u2019s garter snakes have four scale rows and narrower heads. Female snakes generally have more tapered tails while male snakes have blunter tails, and he can tell if a female is pregnant by gently pressing above her \u201cvent\u201d \u2013 the opening where snakes void their waste and lay eggs \u2013 to feel for the presence of eggs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an important job because Milwaukee needs environmental stewards, especially in communities of color. Many times, environmental justice efforts have ignored the needs of neighborhoods that are primarily non-white. Nearby Nature strives to correct that in Milwaukee by advocating for antiracism and equity among its leadership and constituents, and by stewarding the land so that Hopkins Hollow and nearby Havenwoods \u2013 the largest urban state forest in Wisconsin \u2013 are available as green spaces for all communities, but especially those that are Black and brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c(The DNR) said 60 percent of Wisconsin\u2019s African American population lives within a 5-miles radius of Havenwoods. Not Milwaukee, Wisconsin,\u201d Richardson added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t always like this. Richardson recalls stories from Nearby Nature\u2019s Arts & Youth Leader, Martina Patterson, about the former state of Hopkins Hollow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo years ago, the area that we\u2019re working in was a huge illegal dumping spot. The trash was 12 feet tall, or something like that. People in the community called for help and nobody helped. It took a couple of years for them to get all of the trash picked up,\u201d Richardson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things are changing, thanks to interns like Richardson, the Nearby Nature staff, and the community members who engage with organization. With this summer\u2019s experience, Richardson is more dedicated than ever to environmental justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And also to counting snakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Sarah Vickery, College of Letters & Science<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You never know what you might find under the snake boards at Hopkins Hollow. There might be mice or shrews. There might be pill bugs or ants. 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