By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Friday, Sept. 25, researchers from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) released captive-bred Chittenango ovate amber snails (COAS) at Chittenango Falls State Park.

Named for its egg-shaped, amber-colored shell, the COAS is a rare and vulnerable land snail that survives exclusively near Chittenango Falls.

The species has been listed as endangered in New York State since 1977.

The COAS conservation effort has brought together a variety of individuals and organizations, including ESF, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), New York State Office of Parks, Recreations, and Historic Preservation (Parks), Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, and Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester.

Under the supervision of COAS Project Lead Dr. Rebecca J. Rundell — an associate professor in the ESF department of environmental and forest biology — two snail populations were bred in captivity for eventual release.

“We are fortunate to still have a chance to restore and protect this tiny little snail’s population,” said Rundell. “Each year we are able to use a few wild snails from [Chittenengo Falls State Park] to take back to our lab at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse, where my students breed the snails and take care of the captive population. We also have a population we maintain at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the two snail populations were combined in a single lab, where ESF graduate student Emlyn Clark has been overseeing their breeding and care.

Prior to their release into the wild, the snails were marked to help the researchers track them in the future and gain a better understanding of whether the release was successful.

“The release of these special little snails is timed to coincide with National Public Lands Day, a day that celebrates the importance of environmental stewardship, and the connection between people and green spaces,” Rundell said in a Sept. 23 ESF press release. “This is an incredibly rewarding project for many reasons. The opportunity to support such a tiny, yet important part of our ecosystem is meaningful. Our success is rooted in solid partnerships with visionary organizations committed to the wellbeing of the environment. And this project is driven by the talent, energy, and passion of ESF students and alumni, who are tireless.”

ESF alumnus Cody Gilbertson was responsible for the development of a special approach to the snail diet that has allowed for successful long-term COAS breeding in lab settings. The new approach enables the researchers to raise additional COAS in the lab to be released to help the wild population.

“Making sure the snails are feeding and staying healthy is no small feat,” said Rundell in the press release. “We also rely on ESF grad Alyssa Whitbread, and undergraduates Toni Daino and Elona Tanski to help care for the snails. Over the years, many ESF students have contributed to this endangered species’ conservation and research project, for example by collecting and sorting the various species of dead leaves that comprise the special diet of COAS.”

According to Rundell, a dedicated team of volunteers and ESF staff, affectionately known as the “Snailblazers,” also contributes to the COAS conservation effort.

The Chittenango Fall State Park staff has been instrumental in restoring and protecting the COAS habitat and helping to ensure that visitors do not accidently harm the snails.

“It is [very] important that we continue to reach out and educate our park patrons about the COAS and the other rare species found at Chittenango Falls State Park, including the American hart’s-tongue fern,” said Tom Hughes, NYS Parks Biologist and ESF alumnus, in the Sept. 23 press release. “The success of our stewardship efforts and rare species protection relies greatly on public awareness and participation, and I’m excited that we will be doing this release as part of National Public Lands Day.”

According to Rundell, the COAS conservation effort would not be possible without the support of the public.

“We depend on visitors to the park to join us in protecting the snail, by avoiding entering or trampling its habitat,” she said. “Without caring visitors and community members, we would not be able to keep this snail from becoming extinct. And once we lose the species, it is gone forever.”