TRR photo by Charlie Buterbaugh A gestating female timber rattlesnake with its sulfur yellow patterns coils on a rock ledge early this spring. (Click for larger image)

The timber rattlesnake, a threatened survivor

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

TUSTEN, NY—Turning over rocks close to rattlesnake dens might sound like proverbial idiocy, but for Randy Stechert, it is an important part of documenting the annual spring emergence of a threatened species.

Whether he found a snake or not, Stechert returned each rock to its original position to maintain the snake shelter.

“Timber rattlesnakes are very particular about their habitat. For example, they seek exact thermal conditions when they hibernate,” Stechert, a New York Department of Conservation (DEC) reptile and amphibian specialist said.