Essays

Moseying: Locations of Interest

Live snakes at the Sibley Nature Center 1:00 p.m. September 15th
September 12, 2007

Almost a year ago the headline to this column stated the following; “Local sightings of Mojave rattlesnakes are a symptom of hysteria caused by nature-deficit disorder.” Reports of Mojave rattlesnakes in this area are one of the most commonly repeated “urban legends” in this region. (To see a photoessay on snakes of our region, visit this page.)

On September 15th the Sibley Nature Center is hosting a program at 1 p.m about snakes of the region. The presenter is Michael Price, the Executive Director of the city owned and managed San Angelo Nature Center. Mr. Price is a “SERIOUS” amateur herpetologist with an incredible collection of the venomous snakes of the American Southwest (and a comprehensive collection of the non-venomous species, as well).

Mr. Price works with a network of zookeepers, university professors, and private breeders. He is working on a book on the Mottled Rock Rattler, a species with four distinct geographical races, with a highly variable coloration pattern throughout its range. For five dollars the San Angelo Nature Center sells a color poster about the different forms of the species. ECO Publishing in Lansing, Michigan will publish the book, which specializes in books on captive breeding of snakes and other animals. He was the first to captive breed a rare species of Mexican rattlesnake.

A native of Snyder, Price was fascinated with herpetology at an early age. David Heckard, then assistant director of the Abilene Zoo, became his mentor, introducing him to the herpetological community and its activities. Like all serious amateur “herpers” he has spend thousands of hours “night-driving” West Texas roads (an activity that is now illegal and a law that he will briefly discuss in his presentation. “Much of my early field work was to try to “fill in the blanks of the range maps,” to find specimens of creatures in every county within their range. My specimens go to Travis LaDuc at the University of Texas.” He received a degree in theology from the Christ for the Nation Bible College in the Metroplex. In 2004 he became the executive director of the San Angelo Nature Center. “It is a dream job for me.” The Center is in the process of being accredited with the Zoological Association of America.

The San Angelo Nature Center has numerous creatures in cages besides snakes., ranging from invertebrates to a bobcat, three coatimundis, frogs and turtles. “We just started a 10 minute program on the City of San Angelo television station that runs at 8 in the morning and 5 in the evening. Each program is repeated for one week. We average about 8000 visitors a year. Most of our school tours occur in the spring – and we usually have about 100 schools come to the center. Our programs are built around our collection of animals. We also have day camps in the summer and spring break camps and participate in the Kid’s College Program at Angelo State University. “

Mr. Price enthusiastically continued, “We offer two classes – a six week class about the reptiles and amphibians of the Concho Valley and a six week birdwatching class taught by our volunteer Delbert Tarter, who is a licensed bird-bander. Our major fundraiser is the Critter Crawl, a fun run of five and ten kilometers with a ten-dollar entrance fee. We also receive some money from our captive-breeding program, but sell only to zoos, colleges and other institutions. We are also a membership organization.”
At present Mr. Price is engaged in research that will be published in the Herpetological Review. “We are feeding this year’s crop of baby mottled rock rattlers two different diets. Half of the babies are receiving nothing but lizards for food, while the others are eating nothing but baby mice. Newborn mottled rock rattlers are born with a yellow tail that they twitch, which draws the attention of the lizards. The question that the research seeks to answer is, is there an additional nutritional value of the lizards that is necessary for optimal growth in the baby rattlesnakes? The University of Texas has a research project that specializes in lizards, so they send us their extras, so we do not have to catch the food for the project. We then plan to repeat the research on Trans-Pecos rat snakes, which are primarily mouse eaters when juvenile.”

“My passion is learning “what is in my backyard,” Mr. Price continued. “I believe the focus of a nature center should be regional. When we hear things like the myth of the Mojave rattlesnake being repeated over and over, it renews our commitment to educating the public about their neighboring ecosystem and its habitats. It is important for us to serve as a resource for people, so they know what is around them, and what to expect from the animals that they see or cause problems at their home. Although the coatimundis are not found in Texas, but with their unusual form and behaviors, they are incredible ambassadors. They are unforgettable creatures. An Eagle Scout just built the cage for them and they seem to taken to it well.”

The Sibley Academy catalog may be downloaded here. There are still openings in the classes. You can download the registration form and email in!

At 6:00 p.m. On September 13th, Ethel Mathews will be giving a free demonstration of using regional plants to make natural dyes for cloth. Please call 684-6827 if you are interested in coming.