Baker administration officials say there will be more study of a plan to start a colony of venomous timber rattlesnakes on a remote island in a large central Massachusetts water reservoir.
The state’s top environmental official apologized for a lack of public participation and told a legislative oversight committee Tuesday that a working group, which will include local officials, will be created to evaluate the rattlesnake preservation plan.
Tom French, who runs the endangered species program for MassWildlife, said the plan to put the snakes on Mount Zion Island in the Quabbin Reservoir is scientifically sound.
" We can say with confidence that there is little to no risk to the public posed by this project," French testified at a hearing of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture.
The hearing was held Tuesday at Town Hall in Athol.
An online petition opposing the plan garnered thousands of signatures, as did another petition advocating for protecting the endangered species.
