Researchers study rattlesnakes in Idaho desert

ATOMIC CITY, Idaho – Idaho State University researchers Chris Jenkins and Scott Cambran spend most of their working hours slinking and slithering around in the dust, sagebrush, and lava rock of the upper Snake River Plain.

When it’s time to rest or reassess the day, they hole up in a small apartment in tiny but friendly Atomic City, population 30, a wind-riven grid of trailer homes, tree breaks, and desicated brick buildings in the high desert.

The two are wildlife biologists conducting herpetological research on the 890-square mile restricted landscape of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory site.

“We’re studying populations of rattlesnakes,” said Jenkins, a Massachusetts native and a Ph.D. candidate in biology at ISU.

Jenkins said that rattlesnake numbers have declined because of “the sagebrush steppe being changed by invasive plant species.”

He said that the two researchers capture rattlesnakes in their dens by using long tongs. They also make use of funnel traps that confuse lone serpents crawling across the ground.

According to Jenkins, the research project has captured more than 4,000 snakes to date. Some of the rattlers are fitted with internal radiotelemetry devices so their movements can be tracked.

Cambran assists Jenkins in the study. Originally from Indiana, Cambran recently graduated from the University of Idaho and will begin graduate study at ISU this fall.

Observing a rattlesnake up-close at the Atomic City research station is a careful operation. To demonstrate the method, Cambran removed the lid from a small cooler filled with a handful of long bags. At the bottom of each was a rattlesnake.

After Cambran lifted one of the top sacks out, a couple of faint, hollow rattling sounds emanated from inside the cooler.

Cambran poured out a nearly 3-foot long Great Basin rattlesnake into a small metal pot on a weighing scale. Then he grabbed a pair of plastic tubes like over-sized chopsticks and coaxed the serpent to slip its head into one of the sheaths. This was to protect the snake and, obviously, any observers and handlers.

There were a few resonant shakes of the snake’s hollow tail when it was hoisted higher or dropped lower. But in general the specimen stayed calm and didn’t squirm.

Cambran observed a small wire protruding from the lower third of the rattler’s length. A scan with a hand-held sensor revealed it was an antenna from a previous research tagging project.