These are nonpoisonous snakes and they keep the poisonous ones from moving in, so they are beneficial to the environment while eating many pest bugs and rodents. I like to work with the environment as much as possible to create a balance in our little world from which we all can benefit.
Providing habitat and watching over the lives of the adult nonpoisonous snakes gives me assurances that my chickens, dog and grandkids are safe on the land. We haven't seen a poisonous snake on this land for almost 20 years now, even though they used to be here in great numbers.
Each spring I check the "housing" of the known snakes to see if they came back and are thriving well...lift up boards and pieces of old tin here and there to visualize them. Then I put it back down and leave them be. Each year I get a garter snake in the log shed and I get to see him sunning himself on the logs. They are really beautiful and they serve a purpose, so I leave them be. It's a good life!