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BELCHERTOWN, Mass. (AP) — A citizens' advisory board that makes recommendations to Massachusetts officials has voted in favor of establishing a timber rattlesnake colony on an uninhabited island.
The Recorder newspaper (http://bit.ly/1Rnj5TE) reports the 11-member Quabbin Watershed Advisory Committee on March 14 voted 5-2 in favor of the plan, with several abstentions.
Representatives of several sporting, recreational and environmental organizations sit on the committee, whose job is to advise the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Division of Water Supply Protection.
The state wants to establish the venomous snake colony on Mount Zion island, which is off-limits to humans.
The endangered snakes are native to Massachusetts. Opponents of the plan fear the snakes will get off the Quabbin Reservoir island and injure people and pets. State officials and plan supporters say those fears are unfounded.
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This story has been corrected to show the committee voted on March 14, not on Monday.
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Information from: The (Greenfield, Mass.) Recorder, http://www.recorder.com
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