Illinois State Snake To Become Official As Amendment Takes Effect

CARTERSVILLE, IL — Starting next month, Illinois will have an official state snake, thanks to a middle school student in Southern Illinois.

House Bill 4821, "an act concerning snakes," is one of the 185 new laws set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2023.

Gentry Heiple, a student at Carterville Junior High School, spearheaded the passage of the bill, which was introduced in the House in January and sponsored by State Rep. Dave Severin.

Heiple contacted Severin to ask about how bills become laws and chose the eastern milksnake, according to a signing statement.

"I decided to do this bill to try and highlight the good and importance of snakes all over," Heiple said. "And by doing this I was able to visit the capitol and meet some of the most important people in Illinois."

The then-seventh grader presented the idea to a House committee, where it received unanimous consent in February.

Severin said he enjoyed working with Heiple and his mother. The Benton Republican said he was pleased to help connect a local student to the legislative process.

"Gentry had the idea, did all the research, and bravely presented his idea to the House State Government Administration Committee," Severin said.

The eastern milksnake joins seven other official state animals and various other Illinois state symbols.

The 2- to 3-foot-long snakes live around the state in fields, woodlands, hills and rivers. The non-poisonous snakes have blotchy patterns with brown or black borders and are sometimes kept as pets.

The Shawnee National Forest, located near Heiple's hometown, features the world's only known annual snake-related road closure.

For the past 50 years, a 2.5-mile segment of Forest Service Road No. 345, also known as Snake Road, closes to allow for snakes and amphibians to migrate from their winter habitat in limestone bluffs to their summer habitat in LaRue Swamp.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, the road closes to vehicles from mid-March to mid-May for the spring snake migration and in September and October in the fall. Most area residents are supportive of the closure, the district wildlife biologist told National Geographic.

In March, the amendment to the State Designations Act passed unanimously in the House and by a vote of 54-2 in the Senate before Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it into law in June. Sen. Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) were the only votes against.

"I am very grateful and appreciative of all the people who supported me and voted yes on the bill," Heiple said. "I was surprised to see the amount of people with such fear be so intrigued and supportive of this snake bill."