FWS, Arizona Game and Fish Department, and New Mexico Department of Game and Fish are working collaboratively to advance understanding of two at-risk gartersnake species. An immediate need is to determine where the species are occurring while advancing survey techniques in support of Species Status Assessments and future population viability analysis.There is a dearth of recent survey information throughout the range of the Narrow-headed Gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus/THRU) and Northern Mexican Gartersnake (T. eques) in Arizona. The project seeks to fill in these gaps by conducting rapid and intensive surveys in a number of sites where the species has not been detected in many years, where observations are intermittent, and sites where there is suitable habitat but no surveys have been conducted. These proposed surveys will provide valuable information to the many aspects of THRU recovery efforts and actions including the upcoming SSA and completion of a standardized sampling protocol, by allowing for estimates of detection probabilities and site occupancy. The lack of up-to-date presence/absence and relative abundance data will provide the SSA team with a better perspective on the species current status and threats. In addition, genetic and eDNA samples will be collected during the surveys and shared with USGS, which is completing a genomic analysis of gartersnakes.
