Welcome to the Effie Yeaw Nature Center rattlesnake study blog!

I started implanting radio transmitters in Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) at Effie Yeaw Nature Center a few days after the issuance of our final permit in May 2014. Soon thereafter, I started emailing “Rattlesnake Updates” to EYNC staff and docents — with no inkling of how popular the Updates  would become.  By the end of the 2014 season, the email list had grown substantially!

As a result, I have switched to a blog for 2015 and beyond. In this way, you can elect to be notified automatically of new entries [Subscribe], go back and check out what you’ve missed, and the web address can be easily shared with others. One of the links on the menu at left (EYNC Rattlesnakes in 2014) will take you to an explanation of how the study and Updates began and PDF files of the thirteen emailed Updates from 2014. Other menu links will take you to information about Effie Yeaw Nature Center and to a brief introduction to me.

The EYNC rattlesnake study would not be possible without the consent and support of the board of directors of EYNC’s parent organization, the American River Natural History Association and the staff of Effie Yeaw Nature Center, particularly Executive Director Paul Tebbel. Necessary permits have also been granted by the County of Sacramento Department of Regional Parks and the State of California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

I hope you enjoy learning about the private lives of these amazing and timid creatures!

Mike Cardwell