Ohio biologists: Proposed rules could put snakes in danger

LAURELVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Two southern Ohio biologists who are trying to help rattlesnakes say state forestry officials are pushing for changes that could hamper their work and endanger the snakes.

The proposed rules would prohibit electronic monitoring of wild animals in state forests, The Columbus Dispatch reported. The researchers, who monitor snakes with radio transmitters, would have to obtain a special state permit first. The state forestry division said the changes were intended to protect researchers.

The researchers go to Tar Hollow several times a week. The more than 16,000-acre state forest is located about 40 miles south of Columbus.

Each time they find a tagged snake, they log its location and distance from its den and whether it was in the sun or under leaves.

Logging their locations helps them understand how and where the reptiles are moving.

During testimony this year at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Nathan Johnson, an Ohio Environmental Council attorney, said the state was trying to obstruct research.

“It looks like there’s increased control being proposed over scientific inquiry and scientific publications,” Johnson testified. “And that just doesn’t look good.”

But rattlesnakes can cause problems for the forestry division, which sets controlled fires to promote oak and hickory growth. They also sell the timber rights to loggers.