Sat, Sep 18 2010 - Snake Lecture and Hike at Cochran Mill Nature Center (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Nancy L Participants: Nancy L, Chris H, Jesus S, Safiya, Katherine M, Kathy DeLong, Marlene, Michael Chandler, Allan, craig, Tatiana, Carol Mitrisin

Write Up:
We had a great time at the Cochran Mill Nature Center on Saturday, September 18th. Rick, one of the naturalists at the nature center, gave us a lecture and hands on presentation about reptiles. He spent a lot of time talking about identification and behaviors that are exhibited by reptiles, particularly snakes. Everyone seemed to enjoyed the hands on part of the event. We were introduced to some of the animals on exhibit at the nature center: the native black rat snake, an alligator named Flounder, and a super-sized albino Burmese Python named Marigold. Rick also took out the copperhead that is on exhibit to demonstrate how they are intimidated by people and would rather just stay away from us. Don't worry, the copperhead only comes out for special interest groups, never for birthday parties. The hike afterwards ended up being much shorter than originally planned but we got a chance to spend a lot of time with Rick and the animals. We also checked out the birds of prey that are on exhibit in the aviaries at the nature center, and I can't forget to mention the 4.5 foot long iguana that's there too. This was a fun event and I'm glad that I got the chance to put it together. I would like to do another one in the spring that will be very similar but allow more time for a longer hike afterwards and maybe a picnic.

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