North Coast's 'healthy' snake population finally emerging; bites up statewide*
by Clark Mason

A Northern Pacific rattlesnake tests the air Friday during a lecture by Al Wolf of the
Sonoma County Reptile Rescue for a group of rangers at Lake Sonoma.
Wolf was teaching the rangers how to identify various snakes they may encounter on the North Coast.
Rattlesnake sightings have increased this month.
 

Look out, it's snake season.

Thanks to plenty of rain and a good food supply for the rodents that snakes feed on, snake wranglers say Northern California is ripe with rattlers.

"With this hot spell coming up, snake calls will go way up.  I can count on it," said Al Wolf of Sebastopol.  "As it gets warm, I get five to 12 calls a day."

Wolf has been handling rattlesnakes for nearly two decades, moving them from people's gardens and out from under porch steps and relocating them to more remote areas.

Even with shrinking wildlife areas and growing numbers of humans in Sonoma County, Wolf says the snake population is "extremely healthy."

"It's grown over the last 10 to 12 years, since winters are so constantly mellow," said Wolf, a retired San Francisco Zoo administrator.

Mellow, yes.  But this year, also wet.  That long, wet spring kept rattlers in their dens and delayed their arrival.

"This year, July has been a little heavier," he said of snake encounters.  "Everything is a month to a month and a half late, because of the late winter and rains."

Greg Frost, a Clearlake man who retrieves snakes for Lake County Wildlife Rescue, noticed the same phenomenon.  Usually, he starts to get calls to remove rattlers in late April.  But this year, it wasn't until late May, when the weather finally started to warm up.

"My calls didn't start until three or four weeks after they normally start," he said.  "It was green and cooler longer.  We were having cooler nights."

State statistics appear to confirm Wolf's and Frost's observations.

Reported rattlesnake bites in California were lower in early spring this year, compared to last. But this May and June, the total of 87 bites for the two months was up by more than 50 percent, compared to last year's 56 rattlesnake bites for the same period.

And the four reported rattlesnake bites in Sonoma County this year have already surpassed the three for all of 2005, according to statistics kept by state poison control officials.

The numbers provide a partial snapshot because they represent only cases in which the poison center was consulted.  Some physicians are comfortable treating snakebites without calling the poison center for advice.

Two of the rattlesnake bites in Sonoma County happened this month.  And as the summer heats up and people take to the outdoors, the threat will continue, even beyond August, when bite incidents typically peak.

"As long as the weather is hot and dry, we need to be concerned and vigilant about rattlesnake appearances," said Judith Alsop, director of the Sacramento division of the state Poison Control System.

One of those keenly aware of the danger is Lisa Schaffner, who was walking a dog in the Geyserville area June 21 when a snake bit the dog.

Schaffner, a Healdsburg City Council member, was housesitting for friends in a hilly area on the east side of the Russian River, in a rural subdivision with a wooded setting.

She had just walked her 7-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl and their friend over to the Vineyard Club clubhouse.

"I was walking back with the dog and the snake was an inch or two inches from the road.  It jumped right up and bit the dog," she said.  "The snake was very aggressive."

Schaffner never heard a telltale rattle, but said, "I saw the snake retreating.  He was long, close to 4 feet.  He was a big, fat one."

Winston, an older yellow Labrador, was taken to the veterinarian for treatment and survived the snakebite, as most dogs and humans do.

But what especially bothered Schaffner was that her children were vulnerable, because they had just walked past the spot where the snake struck.

"That was the scary part for me, once I got over the fact it bit the dog," she said.

Snake experts say rattlers tend to strike only when threatened or deliberately provoked.  Given room, they retreat.

Most bites happen when a rattlesnake is handled or accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing.

Nationwide, rattlesnakes account for more than 800 bites annually, but only one or two deaths, poison control officials say.

The rattlesnake is California's only native venomous snake.  While there are six rattlesnake species in the Golden State, the only one in the northern half is the Northern Pacific rattlesnake, found from Fresno to Washington.  It can be seen anywhere from sea level to 10,000 feet elevation.

The cold-blooded reptiles usually come out to bask in the warmth of late mornings and afternoons.  They retreat to their dens before coming out again at nightfall to hunt their prey.

From Petaluma to Windsor, most of Wolf's calls tend to be in the hills east of Highway 101.  That includes numerous calls in Santa Rosa's relatively new hillside Fountaingrove area.

In the west county, he gets snake calls along both sides of the Russian River toward Forestville and Guerneville.

The vast majority of snake bites, he said, occur when "people are working in their yard, picking up stuff and moving it."

State officials said rattlers are also pretty good swimmers, and sometimes people are bitten when they pick up a snake they mistake for a floating stick.

"Rattlesnakes are appearing, showing up in rivers, creeks and waterways, near reservoirs and lakes," said Alexia Retallack, spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Game.  Because it was a high-water year, many snakes were displaced, she said.

With the increasing urban inroads into wildlife areas, officials say people will meet up with all kinds of animals, whether bears, mountain lions or snakes.

"As we encroach on the territory of the rattlesnake and build more and more houses in the countryside, there will be less country for the snake and they will be in town and in populated areas where there's a greater chance of encounters," said Alsop.
 

KEEPING SAFE FROM SNAKES

First, know that rattlesnakes are not confined to rural areas.
They have been found near urban areas, in river or lakeside parks, and at golf courses.
Be aware that startled rattlesnakes may not rattle before striking defensively.
Here are several safety measures:

Never go barefoot or wear sandals when walking through wild areas.
Wear hiking boots.

When hiking, stick to well-used trails and wear over-the-ankle boots and loose-fitting long pants. Avoid tall grass, weeds and heavy underbrush where snakes may hide during the day.

Do not step or put your hands where you cannot see, and avoid wandering around in the dark. Step on logs and rocks, never over them,
 and be especially careful when climbing rocks or gathering firewood.
Check out stumps or logs before sitting down, and shake out sleeping bags before use.

Never grab "sticks" or "branches" while swimming in lakes and rivers.
Rattlesnakes can swim.

Be careful when stepping over a doorstep.
Snakes like to crawl along the edge of buildings where they are protected on one side.

Never hike alone.
Always have someone with you who can assist in an emergency.

Do not handle a freshly killed snake; it can still inject venom.

Teach children early to respect snakes and to leave them alone.
Children are naturally curious and will pick up snakes.

Source: Dept. of Fish and Game