TIMES LEADER (Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania) 21 September 06 Snakes in Plains and other places (Tom Venesky)
They've infested a Dorrance Township yard and inhabited an old Lehman Township farmhouse's stone foundation. Three dozen raided a forested area near the Carbon County border. A poisonous one sprawled across a walkway at the Seven Tubs Nature Area in Plains Township.
The heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding in June has forced snakes from their traditional habitat, resulting in more human/snake encounters. It's a trend that's likely to continue until the reptiles hibernate for the winter.
'We field a lot of snake calls two times of the year - in the spring and now,' said Sally Corl, a supervisor with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Sweet Valley office. 'They just seem to be on the move more right now. Maybe they're fattening up for winter.'
Or maybe they're trying to get back to their normal haunts, which were flooded a little more than two months ago.
Some parts of the county seem to have more snake sightings than others. Dorrance Township resident Marc Caladie said he has seen significantly more snakes, mainly garter snakes, in his yard this year. Jack Hanish, who recently purchased a 150-year-old farmhouse in Lehman Township, said the stone foundation was home to nests of garter snakes that have moved on as the home has been renovated.
And then there's the sighting witnessed by naturalist Rick Koval in July. Koval was working on a lake in Luzerne County, near the Carbon County border, shortly after the June flood. The water level was high, he said, and so were the numbers of timber rattlesnakes.
'The higher water pushed the snakes away from their traditional birthing area, and we counted 35 rattlesnakes traveling through the surrounding forest looking for a sunny spot to bask,' Koval said. 'I never saw anything like it in my life, and it was due to the high water levels.'
The high water levels are likely the reason why a rattlesnake decided to bask on the dry walkway leading to the Tubs. Plains Township police Chief James O'Malley said his officers responded to the call in early July.
'It's rare to get a call like that. I don't remember any,' he said. 'We just kept people out of the area until the rattlesnake moved on.'
Hanish reasons that he is seeing more snakes than before because many area property owners are selling their stone walls. Landscaping companies from out of the area purchase the stones to create decorative stone walls in yards.
'That's snake habitat that is disappearing, so the snakes will have to go on the move to look for another place,' Hanish said.
Whether it's fattening up for the winter, habitat loss or flooding, Corl advises against killing snakes.
'There's just such a fear of snakes and, granted, you don't want the venomous ones around children or pets,' Corl said. 'But they view us as the predator so they will try to avoid us.'
It isn't illegal to kill a snake, assuming you have a valid fishing license. There is no closed season on snakes (except endangered or threatened species) and the daily limit is two. Timber rattlesnakes may only be harvested from June 11 through July 31, and the annual limit is one.
Most snake calls received by Corl's office are for apparent copperheads or rattlesnakes. Most of the time, however, people mistake the snake for a poisonous variety.
'Everybody sees a snake and it's automatically (a copperhead or rattlesnake). Typically it's not venomous,' Corl said. 'Watersnakes aren't venomous yet they are mistaken for a copperhead because of their pattern. Milk snakes and hognose snakes are also mistaken for venomous varieties.'
How to keep snakes away
If you want to discourage snakes from inhabiting your property, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Supervisor Sally Corl says:
Remove piles of firewood or lumber near your home.
Set mouse traps and get rid of the mice population. Mice attract snakes.
If you have a new home, play the waiting game. 'A lot of homes are being built in areas inhabited by snakes, and we expect them to leave right away. It doesn't happen overnight,' Corl said.
If you don't mind having a few snakes around the yard or garden, Corl said, they will provide a host of benefits, including insect and pest control.
Snakes in Plains and other places