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Snakes out and about in Ohiopyle, region

By Olivia Goudy ogoudy@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
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Those looking to get outside aren’t the only ones flocking to the outdoors in warm temperatures and summer weather.

Snakes are also taking advantage of the mild weather, especially during the night and morning hours.

“In a warm summer, they’ll be out at night foraging,” said Barb Wallace, environmental education specialist at Ohiopyle State Park.

As one of the most visited outdoor recreation hubs in the region, Ohiopyle draws thousands of visitors every summer. And according to Wallace, it’s also a perfect habitat for snakes.

“We have a wide variety of them,” she said.

The ones that pose a threat, though, like rattlesnakes and copperheads, generally aren’t seen. Smaller, harmless snakes are seen more often.

“The snakes are accustomed to people, especially in the visitor area, so they know — they’re out early in the day and leave when there’s a lot of foot traffic,” she said.

Wallace does offer advice, though, for those who are hiking or camping in the area.

For hikers in particular, Wallace said they recommend that they look on the other side of logs before stepping over them.

“Look before you put your foot down. Pay attention, make noise when walking. Don’t startle them,” Wallace said. “They’ll get out of the way.”

She also said there’s a large emphasis placed on properly identifying venomous snakes.

Water and garter snakes, for instance, get a bad reputation because they’re often mistaken for copperheads, Wallace said.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, native venomous snakes have an indentation or pit on each side of the head between the eye and nostril.

They also possess a vertically elliptical eye pupil resembling that of a cat and a single row of scales on the underside of the tail, according to PFBC.

“Nonvenomous Pennsylvania native snakes do not possess facial pits, their eye pupils are found like a human’s, and there is a double row of scales on the underside of the tail,” PFBC officials write on their website.

Wallace noted that venomous snakes are typically less aggressive than nonvenomous snakes.

“Venomous snakes don’t need to be aggressive. They have venom,” she said.

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Though venomous snakes have been seen in Ohiopyle, according to Wallace, there have only been about eight snake bites in the last 20+ years.

“Timber rattlesnakes don’t interact with people — they tend to like higher elevations and remote areas,” Wallace said.

Pennsylvania’s third native venomous snake, water moccasins, aren’t in the Ohiopyle area.

If someone does come into contact with a rattler or copperhead, Wallace said they’re automatically life-flighted to Morgantown, West Virginia or Pittsburgh.

“We don’t mess around,” she said.

As for local hospitals who often treat snake bite victims in their servicing communities, a supply of antivenom is kept in stock.

According the William Johnson, director of pharmacy services at Uniontown Hospital, they typically keep pit viper antivenom in stock, which is appropriate for treating rattlesnake and copperhead bites.

“It usually has a shelf life of 18 months,” he said. “It’s prepared well in advance.”

Johnson said he hasn’t seen many snake bite victims over the years. When victims are treated, though, it all depends on the amount of venom injected into the site.

“Rattlesnakes in the area, their venom tends to be more potent. And the higher volume of venom produces a more severe reaction,” Johnson said. “A copperhead can be bad, but might not be as severe as a rattlesnake.”

“You really need to seek attention as quick as possible,” he added.

Andrew Bilinsky, a media specialist with Monongahela Valley Hospital, said they also carry antivenom designed for rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins.

“The physician I spoke with emphasized time when it comes with venomous snake bites,” he wrote. “The sooner the antivenom is administered, the better. Once given the anti-venom, the patient is then observed for up to eight hours.”

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