Georgia Magazine - June 2017 - 8

COMPILED BY JENNIFER J. HEWETT

Georgia glimpses

DNR answers questions about snakes

* Vying for the crown. Young women
from all over the state will compete
for scholarships and a chance to be
crowned Miss Georgia June 13-17 at
the 73rd Annual Miss Georgia Pageant,
held at the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus. The winner will
advance to the Miss America Organization pageant in September. For information, visit missga.org.
* Grant awarded. The Atlanta Jewish
Film Festival (AJFF) recently received
a 2017 FilmWatch grant from the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences to support programming that
showcases Israeli history, culture and
politics. Celebrating its 17th year, the
AJFF presents year-round programming and is Atlanta's largest film festival. For more on the AJFF, visit ajff.org.
* Funky nests? The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is seeking submissions to its
Funky Nests in Funky Places contest, in
which people submit photos of quirky
places birds build their nests. Amateurs
and experts of all ages are welcome to
enter the contest by sending photos,
videos, audio recordings, poems or
artwork. The deadline is June 30. For
categories, guidelines and contest
rules, see funkynests.org.
8

Common garter snake

n spring and summer, calls and
emails about snakes are a given
at Georgia Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) offices. Most of
those contacts are to ask the same
thing: What species is this, and what
do I do with it?
"Only every once in a while is it
a venomous snake," says John Jensen, a senior wildlife biologist with
the DNR's Nongame Conservation
Section and co-author of "Amphibians and Reptiles of Georgia."
Whether it's a venomous snake
is, of course, the concern underlying
most of the questions. Chances are,
it's not, Jensen says. Only six of the

Snake notes
* Benefits: While some snakes
eat rodents and even venomous
snakes, others prey on creatures
Georgians also may not want
near their homes. Brown and
red-bellied snakes, for example,
feed on snails and slugs, the
bane of gardeners. Crowned
snake species primarily eat centipedes.
* Babies? Snakes such as earth
and brown snake species do
not grow large, and homeowners occasionally mistake them
for juveniles. The concern here:
Are larger parents nearby?
Snakes do not exhibit parental
care, Jensen says. If there are
parents, they're not watching
over their offspring.
* Prevention: To reduce the
potential for snakes near your
home, remove brush, log piles
and other habitat features that
attract mice, lizards and other
animals on which snakes prey.

Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

COURTESY GEORGIA WILDLIFE RESOURCES DIVISION

COURTESY THE GEORGIA TRUST

* Explore historic neighborhoods.
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's Southwest Atlanta Expedition
tour of historic West End,
Adair Park,
Capitol View
Manor and
Adams Park
neighborhoods is set
for June 10. For tour details, call (404)
885-7812 or visit georgiatrust.org.

JOHN JENSEN / GEORGIA DNR

* Going for gold! The National Senior
Games, nsga.com, are set for June 2-15
in Birmingham, Ala. Georgia will send
303 athletes who qualified at the Georgia Golden Olympics in Warner Robins
last September. The games are open to
the public and free to attend. For more
on the games, see our May feature,
"Going for gold in their golden years,"
page 16, bit.ly/gmgo517.

http://www.nsga.com http://www.bit.ly/gmgo517 http://www.georgiatrust.org http://www.missga.org http://www.ajff.org http://www.funkynests.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2017