SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD (Virginia) 12 July 06 Even if it's tough, be kind to snakes (Jack Randolph)
When the subject turns to snakes, especially water snakes, just about every snake you hear about is a water moccassin. The truth of the matter is the poisonous water moccassin is extremely rare around here.
I have seen just one and in that case an angler brought it to my house for identification.
There was a report of one seen on the lower Appomattox River this year to which I tend to attach some credibility. The water snakes we are most apt to encounter hereabouts are the brown water snake and the banded water snake, both of which grow to a pretty large size.
There was a time on Chickahominy Lake when I encountered a whopper of a snake. I saw the critter swimming in the lake across from an area known as Cypress Banks. Two other guys saw the snake and wanted to kill it. The guy in the bow had a paddle and as he drew closer to the snake his resolve began to wilt. As he came within swatting range of the snake he decided that this encounter could go either way so he decided not to attack.
Many people never saw a snake they didn't want to kill. Thankfully I have outgrown that urge. It has been my observation that snakes, or for that matter, all reptiles around here, are growing scarcer and scarcer. The same can be said of amphibians. Have you noticed that we seldom hear spring peepers anymore? Box turtles have grown very scarce. I remember when we used to race them when we were kids.
I think the best that we ordinary folks can do is to back off from killing snakes and other critters just for the hell of it.
One of the things that baffle me (and I'm easily baffled) is while our native snakes appear to be growing scarcer there are areas where there are snake and reptile population explosions. In Florida there are areas where iguanas have appeared and thrive to the point where they are downright nuisances. People have released pet pythons in the Everglades and now there is a population explosion of huge pythons in the Everglades. One recently died trying to swallow an alligator.
It wasn't too many years ago that alligators in Florida were put on the endangered species list. Now there are an estimated three million of them and encounters between 'gators and people and pets have reached the troublesome state.
One of the growing problems is the increase in wild critters and the decrease in habitat. I was raised in New Jersey where the ongoing crusade to pave anything yet unpaved is taking its toll. I am seeing the same thing right here in Virginia. Around my neck of the woods they are even tearing up golf courses to build homes. Inasmuch as I'm not a golfer, I do not lament the loss. Most golf courses are not even very good wildlife habitat.
What concerns me is dealing with pollution in this state seems to be reactive rather than proactive. We have seen both branches of the Shenandoah River suffer severe fish kills. Now, we see the same folks who should solve the Shenandoah River dilemma standing around scratching their heads while the James River builds a head of foam that would give a cold beer credit. Somehow, something isn't right.
If you would like to get a handle on the extent of pollution in our inland and coastal waters go to www.vdh.virginia.gov/hhcontrol and examine the fish consumption advisories. It looks to me that most of the waters in our state suffer from some kind of pollution. Worse, the situation isn't getting any better.
Even if it's tough, be kind to snakes