We saw a copperhead today!

Of the 27 snake species in Maryland, the copperhead is the only venomous one we might come across here at camp.  Sightings of them are VERY rare compared to the 25 harmless species in our state.  The only other harmfully venomous one is the timber rattlesnake, which sadly, over many years has been killed off locally.  Sadder still, harmless lookalikes like the juvenile black rat snake in this photo are often killed for the misfortune of being mistaken for rattlesnakes and copperheads.  Populations of all of these important natural rodent-borne-disease-controlling exterminators are in decline.

  

"I thought you said you saw a copperhead at camp today?"  

Yep!  We saw a copperhead- one that Ranger James is helping relocate as a favor to a friend in the neighborhood who found it in her yard yesterday.  He'll release it this weekend in a corn field somewhere where it can help a farmer.  Meanwhile, we had a safe opportunity to see what they actually look like in real life, so we did it!  With care, each camper today got to peek into a bucket to see the real thing.  Now everyone who was at camp today knows what copperheads actually look like.  

During the warm season when they're active, snakes are part of our everyday safety talk!  See a snake? Give it space and respect, and tell your counselor right away!  The counselor will identify it, and if harmless, may decide to hold the snake for a moment, carefully, so their campers get some quality time with it (perhaps even a chance to touch it with two fingers).    

The chances of coming across a venomous snake in our woods are pretty slim, but not impossible.  While we haven't seen a copperhead ourselves in the areas we frequent, that doesn't mean they're not there.  Photos turn up on social media occasionally, and an occasional hiker will mention having seen one many years ago to let us know we are risking children's safety simply by letting them play outdoors.  

The thing is, there's taking dumb risks, and there's taking careful, calculated risks.  The key is in understanding the difference, and every child needs to learn that difference if there's any hope of a future where the natural world has a chance at being conserved.  The societal and individual benefits of enjoying the outdoors and learning hands-on through taking reasonable risks far outweigh the much lower potential for being seriously hurt. 

On rare occasion we have a kid who decides to pick up a harmless snake when we're not looking, but they're genuinely curious and willing to take the risk because they've done it before. They nearly always get bitten (nonvenomous snake bites are really pretty harmless), and their parents are never surprised or upset by the phone call ("Yup, that sounds like my kid!").  Meanwhile it only helps us reinforce to the rest of the kids the reason why we don't let campers pick up snakes! When it can be done carefully by a counselor, seeing a snake up close is memorable and formative in helping develop a sense of wonder and respect that lasts a lifetime.

Wonder and respect are sparked by direct experiences from a young age. It's rare to see that happen in adults; they're already baked. Kids' brains though are still growing and making connections that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.  They are sponges, and if we're not careful we can unintentionally hinder the development of the senses of reasonable risk and safety that come naturally through experience.   

In short, people care about the things they experience up close, and childhood is the time in our lives when we need to encourage those experiences so their growing brains can make new connections and spark natural curiosity.  As their guides during these formative years, our job is to help them build a mental framework capable of assessing reasonable risk that prioritizes knowledge, experience, and care over ignorance, fear, and perhaps eventually, disregard.

 

About the Author: 

“Ranger James” (James Frank) was raised by a multi-generational family of teachers and librarians.  He spent weekends as a child in the woods while his dad read the newspaper nearby and actively ignored him.  After two years of teaching in his own classroom, he decided he liked nature's classroom better.  Twenty years in, after developing and managing nature centers and programs on both US coasts, he started Lure of the Wild Nature Camps in Catonsville, Maryland.  The program is modeled on forest school and democratic education principles centered on free play with minimal adult intervention.  When he’s not actively helping people feel comfortable enough to let their kids play by themselves, he throws copies of Dr. Peter Gray’s book Free to Learn at them like candy from a parade float.