I suspect the pine snake thing to be a cover for the real reason BUT......

I guess they could think that unfettered access to the property for Gov employees could result in Pine Snake sightings resulting in loss of land use. In other words not being able to manage the land as they see fit due to the existence of an endangered or "threatened" species. Just like the tracts in Monroe County that can't be cut due to the Red Hill Salamander or the Red Cockaded Woodpecker.


Don't get me wrong, I'm all for species being preserved but they go about it ALL wrong. They essentially "take" the land (or its value) by restricting the landowners right to harvest timber, or other management steps he might wish to take. The natural reaction if a landowner sees something like that on his place now is to get rid of it, quickly).

If there was some sort of compensation for not being able to use his land as he wishes (darn those pesky private property rights) there might be more people incentivized to help propagate the species.