Snakes attract curious crowd
MUDDY CREEK TWP — A weekend of outdoor programming near the shores of Lake Arthur included a Saturday crash course on Pennsylvania snakes for the 40 people who came to learn a little about the slithering creatures.
Though environmental education specialist Mike Shaffer spoke of snakes of various sizes and levels of danger, he and fellow Department of Conservation and Natural Resources employee Ivy Kuberry only were able to catch a few small snakes to show at the event at Moraine State Park.
They let the crowd see and touch garter snakes and a brown snake. Both, they said, were freshly caught that morning in firewood piles, where the snakes were returned after the event.
Returning those snakes was key: Shaffer made a case throughout the presentation for keeping the legless critters alive, and offered advice on avoiding the nastier varieties.
“You start seeing snakes that are big and fat, and they look really strong,” Shaffer said. “They've got the distinct neck, the big round head. Those are the snakes you really need to be wary of. For the most part though, I've never seen a rattlesnake here.”
Because mice reproduce so much and so quickly, Shaffer explained, one snake eating a female mouse could deplete a population by hundreds.
Don't want mice around your house? Then don't bother your local snakes, he said.
Shaffer asked the crowd whether any present had killed a snake before. None admitted to such a deed, but Kuberry said they usually get a few hands.
Shaffer argued that many were probably killing the animals accidentally just through gardening and lawn care practices.
“Herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, that stuff can actually get into the food chain and bring populations down,” Shaffer said. “Let the dandelions live. We don't need to have everything pure green. You don't want to be putting all those pesticides in your lawn, cause then it goes down and gets into your drinking supply.”
For children like Johnny Huntsman, 8, of Fenelton, a snake event like Saturday's was paradise.
“I've caught five or six snakes already this year,” Johnny bragged.His favorite part was getting to pet the snakes at the end of the presentation, he said.Tara Huntsman, Johnny's mother, said their family had already sat through the snake speech once before, but Johnny still loved it.“Sometimes I wonder if he couldn't teach a snake class himself,” Huntsman said. “Last year, that's what he wanted to do for his birthday party.”Others, like Eric Heckathorn of Moon Township, Allegheny County, sport a basic knowledge of Pennsylvania snakes and attended to see if they could pick up anything new. He said he's been interested in snakes since he was a child.During the lecture, Heckathorn explained that he had spotted a ribbon snake once on a hike, which Shaffer said was a rare find.“I just took up hiking last spring,” Heckathorn said. “The only snake I've seen is the ribbon snake, and like I said, it was getting out of my way as quickly as it could.”Snakes don't seem to scare the hiker.“Frankly, I fear ticks a lot more than I fear snakes,” he said.For those without Heckathorn's bravery, a few simple tips are all one needs to navigate Pennsylvania's snake populations. If it's got long stripes going down its body or if is solid colored, don't fear. Venomous snakes in this area tend to be thicker, and they generally sport bands wrapping around their bodies.To be sure, one can look closely at a snake's eyes. Round pupils indicate a lack of venom, whereas thin, slitted pupils like a cat's indicate a venomous snake.
