The Narcisse Snake Dens is a provincial

wildlife management area A Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a protected area set aside for the conservation of wildlife and for recreational activities involving wildlife. New Zealand There are 11 Wildlife Management Areas in New Zealand: * Horsham Downs Wildlife Man ...

located in the

Rural Municipality of Armstrong Armstrong is a rural municipality in the province of Manitoba in Western Canada. It lies in the southern area of the Interlake and was named after James William Armstrong, a Manitoba politician. History The surrounding area was settled by immi ...

about north of Narcisse,

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. The dens are the winter home of tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes (''Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis''). These pits are the largest known concentration in the world of this particular type of snake. Their winter dens are caverns formed by the area's water-worn

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

bedrock. In the spring, they come up from their dens to the snake pits, where they mate, then they disperse into the nearby marshes for the summer.

Conservation

The population of red-sided garter snakes around Narcisse was roughly 70,000 until terrible weather in 1999 killed tens of thousands of them before they could reach their winter dens

This tragedy triggered concern about the snakes' biannual migratory path, which cuts right across Manitoba Provincial Highway 17, Highway 17. Every year, 10,000 snakes trying to get to or from their winter dens had been crushed under the wheels of vehicles. This had not been a problem before, because the vast population compensated for the losses. After the winter of 1999, however, the population of garter snakes was dangerously low, causing

Manitoba Hydro The Manitoba Hydro-Electric Board, operating as Manitoba Hydro, is the electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1961, it is a provincial Crown Corporation, governed by the Manitoba Hydro-Electric Boa ...

and volunteers to intervene. Foot-high

snow fence A snow fence, similar to a sand fence, is a barrier that forces windblown, drifting snow to accumulate in a desired place. They are primarily employed to minimize the amount of snowdrift on roadways and railways. Farmers and ranchers use snow f ...

s were built to force snakes into six-inch (15-cm) tunnels that went under Highway 17. Since some snakes still managed to squeeze under the fence and onto the road, signs were put up during the migratory season urging motorists to slow down to avoid accidentally driving over snakes. These measures worked, and now fewer than 1000 snakes per season are killed on the highway.

Visiting

The conservation area is open to the public. The snakes are most active during the spring and fall, in late April to early May, which is the mating season, and also in early September, when the snakes slither back down to their winter dens.

References

External links

The Snakes of Narcisse , Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection
(Province of Manitoba)

(Nature North Zine)

Narcisse Wildlife Management Area, MB, CA on iNaturalist

If You're Scared of Snakes, Don't Watch This, National Geographic News
{{Manitoba parks Geography of Manitoba Natural history of Manitoba Wildlife management areas of Manitoba

Conservation

Visiting

See also

References

External links