Our Biodiversity Commitment
We see the preservation of resilient ecosystems within our service territory as part of our responsibility and an important aspect of our ability to deliver reliable services to our customers.
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Reptiles and Amphibians In Our Power Line Corridors
Plants, pollinators and wildlife thrive in our power line corridors
Creating Important Habitat in New England
We maintain more than 3,500 miles of power line corridors throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In meeting the unique safety and reliability requirements of these corridors, we create critical low growth habitat that many plants and animals depend on.
Our vegetation management team works at specific times of the year and uses specialized equipment and best practices to protect environmental habitats from the critical work we must complete to ensure safe and reliable power for our customers and communities.
Who Calls Our Corridors Home
Hundreds of species of plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles, fungi, birds and mammals make their home in the critical low-growth environment we maintain.
Here are a few of the reptiles and amphibians that can be found throughout our transmission corridors:
American Toad
This toad can often be found on the forest floor eating insects, slugs, and other invertebrates.
Black Racer
This swift, non-venomous snake moves at a top speed of about eight to 10 miles per hour.
Blanding's Turtle
This turtle eats both plants and animals, such as snails, crayfish, and earthworms.
Blue Spotted Salamander
This mole salamander sports a variable pattern of sky-blue spots, blotches, and flecks.
Bog Turtle
This turtle lives in bogs and wetlands, but it likes sunny, open areas where it can rest and raise its body temperature.
Diamond-Backed Terrapin
With a lifespan of 25 to 40 years, this coastal species inhabits salt marshes and estuaries.
Eastern Box Turtle
This turtle is named for its ability to enclose its head, legs, and tail within its shell.
Eastern Hognose Snake
When threatened this snake raises its head, flattens its neck and inflates its body.
Eastern Milk Snake
This snake often appears in barns, leading to the inaccurate belief that it sucks milk from cows.
Five-Lined Skink
This skink likes steep, rocky areas with open ledges, and is New England's only lizard.
Fowler's Toad
This mostly nocturnal toad's "wahh" call resembles a bleating sheep.
Jefferson Salamander
This salamander lives underground for most of its life. It emerges in spring, migrating to its breeding pool.
Marbled Salamander
This mole salamander has a marbled pattern that extends from head to tail.
Red Eft
A red eft is the land-dwelling, juvenile stage of the Eastern Newt.
Snapping Turtle
This turtle's diet includes plants and animals, but it becomes more vegetarian as it ages.
Spadefoot Toad
This toad spends most of its time underground and is named for the hard-digging structures on its hind feet.
Spotted Salamander
This salamander can live for more than 20 years in forested areas close to vernal pools, wetlands or ponds.
Spotted Turtle
Feeding only under water, this turtle mostly eats animals such as small fish, snails, worms, and tadpoles.
Timber Rattlesnake
This venomous snake feeds mostly on mice, other small mammals, and sometimes birds.
Wood Turtle
The wood turtle feeds on animals like insects and earthworms, and plant foods like algae and grass.
Herptile Guide
More information on the reptiles and amphibians that live in our power line corridors is available.
Art by Matt Patterson
From as far back as he remembers, Matt Patterson has loved both wildlife and art. He grew up in a small, rural New Hampshire town.
Matt is a member of Artists for Conservation and is a Fellow in The Explorers Club. His work has been featured in Yankee Magazine, Fine Art Connoisseur and has won numerous awards, including twice winning the Roger Tory Peterson Wild American Art award. Matt has illustrated several books, including two written by bestselling author Sy Montgomery: The New York Times national bestseller Of Time and Turtles and The Book of Turtles, which won seven national awards. Matt received a degree in Illustration from the Art Institute of Boston.