How You Can Help
To make this research successful, I need your help. There are three ways you can help:
- First, if you are near my study site and see a rattlesnake please leave the snake alone and call me. The phone number to reach me at is 909-800-1601. If you are a homeowner near my study area I will happily visit your property to try and capture the snake, collect pertinent data, and—if you request—relocate the snake to its natural habitat nearby. If you call Animal Control to remove the snake, they may be obligated to destroy the animal—and it may be a snake that is a part of my study. Incidentally, there are now a number of snake handlers scattered across the country who charge a fee for removing a rattlesnake from personal property and relocating it elsewhere, thereby sparing the life of the rattlesnake—and possibly that of a pet or human. Bear in mind that these snakes provide important ecological services in their natural habitat, including rodent control. We will happily provide the removal service without charging a fee.
- Second, if you are a homeowner you can give me your contact information and permission to track snakes that move onto your property. This way, I can inform you if one of the radio-tracked rattlesnakes moves onto your property and I can then gain access to it in order to collect the data I need. If you are willing to do so please print the “Property Access Agreement” form*, fill it out, sign it, and mail it to:
Aaron Corbit
Loma Linda University
Earth and Biological Sciences; GH 138
24941 Stewart St.
Loma Linda, CA 92350 - Third, you can make a donation to rattlesnake research at Loma Linda University if you are so inclined. Donations are, of course, tax deductible, and are used to defray the costs of the research and to support students like me. We are happy to acknowledge your support in any publications that result from this study. The check would need to be made out to Loma Linda University and accompanied by a letter stating that the funds are for rattlesnake research. These can be mailed to me at the address indicated.
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