COURIER EXPRESS (DuBois, Pennsylvania) 30 August 10 Risky relationship: Resident relocates rattlesnakes (A.J. Sylvis)
DuBois: Watch your step - you may be sharing your scene with a snake.
Treasure Lake is known for its wildlife including deer, fox, turkeys and bear. However, many people do not realize that Treasure Lake is also home to rattlesnakes.
Rick Gray, a Treasure Lake resident, relocates rattlesnakes and is routinely called for his services in the community.
Gray said he has relocated six or seven rattlesnakes this summer and has relocated more than 100 since moving to Treasure Lake 12 years ago. The first snake call this season came in June and the season will continue through September.
His interest in snakes started about 45 years ago, when he was invited to spend time with friends in Clearfield who were involved with snakes and he has been doing it as a hobby ever since.
He said he has never been bitten by a snake and never came close because he does not handle them or play with them. His snake equipment consists of a pair of snake tongs, a linen sack and 15-inch high snake boots.
Gray is a volunteer and is not paid for his services. "I am doing this under the guidance of a rattlesnake expert from the Fish Commission and there are strict guidelines to follow. When moving a snake if at all possible you do not move them more than 50 yards from where you find them because they risk becoming disoriented and this could cause them to die. Any snakes you cannot move within the 50 yard guidelines, are returned immediately unharmed to a known den site in Treasure Lake."
He stresses that the snakes are relocated unharmed in compliance with Fish Commission guidelines. He said he has never killed or harmed a snake, just relocated them.
He said rattlesnakes could be encountered anywhere in Treasure Lake since males tend to travel. About three years ago, Gray received a call for a rattlesnake on the front sidewalk near the Treasure Lake post office. The snake was curled up sound asleep under a display table in front of the flower shop. When the table was moved at closing time, the snake was discovered. It was about 3 1/2 feet long.
Gray said he also received a call for a big black snake at the front gate flower garden where you turn off Route 255. This rattlesnake was approximately 4 feet long.
The majority of his snake calls, he estimates 80 percent, have been in the Silverwoods Golf Course area. Locations vary and, most recently, a resident found one in his driveway at a lakefront home and a neighbor found a rattlesnake under their porch.
The largest snake he has relocated was taken off the golf course and measured 54 inches.
He said snake experts from the Fish Commission are predicting a busy snake year for next year due to the breeding cycles.
He wants to make people aware that there are rattlesnakes in the area and they may be closer than you think. Gray said snakes can be found in the shade on hot days. In the morning and as the sun goes down at night they tend to be more out in the open.
"The best thing people can do is not chase golfs balls in the high grass. If you see a rattlesnake walk away and leave it alone. They are non aggressive and will not chase you. It is illegal to kill or harass one as it increases your chance of being bitten. They are an important part of the eco-cycle here and go a long way to control the mice and mole population. If we did not have rattlesnakes we could have a tremendous rodent problem," he said.
Resident relocates rattlesnakes

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