Butler’s Garter Controversy Goes National

The controversy over whether the Butler’s Garter Snake (Thamnophis butleri) should lose its threatened status in Wisconsin has been simmering for months; I first covered it in late July. State representatives argue that the snake is plentiful and its status is threatening development. Opponents of the plan to delist argue that it’s politics rather than science, and that it represents a slippery slope that could set a precent that would undermine endangered-species listings anywhere. Which is probably why it made page two of today’s Washington Post.