Don’t Get Rattled Their Slithery Bodies And Much-Maligned Behavior Make Rattlesnakes Fascinating For At Least One Man.

It sounds like an electric razor, but when the buzz of a Northern rattlesnake resonates from a rock pile beneath your feet, the last thing you want is a close shave.

Unless you’re snake man Gary Lentz.

While other outdoor enthusiasts avoid the Northwest’s only venomous snake, Lentz pokes under rocks in search of the reptile.

The rattler’s “buzz” is a beacon to the friendly, talkative park ranger who uses public lectures and expert knowledge to reverse the scary image and myths that prompt so many people to pick up a club or gun when they cross paths with a rattlesnake.

Lentz, area manager at Lewis and Clark Trail State Park and Camp Wooten on the Tucannon River, just wants people to respect the reptile as another animal and consider the possibility it may hold unknown biological worth.

“I think we need to respect the animal. They are another life form on this planet,” Lentz said. “And the forms are dying off. How long until we go with them?”

Lentz finds the slithery bodies and much-maligned behavior of rattlesnakes so fascinating, he bought 5.5 acres of dry, sloping land near Pomeroy infested with them. On his best day, Lentz walked around poking at snake dens and scribbling in his journal. Within an hour, he counted 200 rattlers.

It’s no surprise, then, when Lentz says that’s where he’ll build a retirement home.

It’s got everything a man could want - majestic view, open sky, peace, quiet … and hordes of venomous snakes.

The thought makes Lentz smile.

But he understands why few others share his affection for reptiles.

Most people are afraid of snakes for reasons rooted more in emotion than logic, Lentz said.

“Snakes aren’t like most pets. They’re long and tubular, not warm and cuddly,” Lentz said.

Rattlers don’t have ears, yet possess a noise-making rattle. Their fangs are natural hypodermic needles backed by a reservoir of poison.

Snakes have a forked tongue and even shoulder the blame for encouraging Eve to chomp into the forbidden fruit.

“Talk about getting some baggage early on,” Lentz said.

That’s one of the reasons Lentz has taken it upon himself to help the Northern rattler gain acceptance among its human neighbors.

The two can coexist, with a little foresight on our part.

He’s helped homeowners who discovered their house was built on or near a rattlesnake den.

Don’t pick up a hoe and start chopping off heads, he said. (One man who did that accidentally flung a snake on his wife.)

Instead, Lentz suggested a 2-foot fence made of 1/4-inch wire mesh to keep snakes away. They won’t try to climb over but will follow the edge of the fence until it ends, he said.

One tip, however: Don’t herd them into your neighbor’s yard if both of you have a snake problem. Your neighbor won’t appreciate it.

Lentz’s fascination with one of the nation’s most-feared animals is founded in a couple of childhood experiences.

When Lentz was 11, he was bitten by a copperhead, a venomous snake found in the Eastern United States while exploring caves in Pennsylvania. He survived, and the ordeal wasn’t as bad as he thought.

At 15, Lentz and a friend went on a snake-killing spree just for sport.

They returned to town with loads of dead snakes, and not only were the two suddenly revered as snake experts, but they also got their picture in the paper.

But it wasn’t until the ‘70s when Lentz’s fascination with snakes bloomed. He started as a volunteer at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and later became an assistant zoo keeper. In 1975, he earned his degree in zoology from the University of Washington.

He went on to work as a state park ranger at Gingko Petrified Forest at Vantage and found more people had questions about the rattlesnake warning posters than they did the impressive geology of the area.

He researched snake stories, studied the reptiles and began giving talks on the topic.

Lentz prides himself on finding the right answers instead of telling tales about the dreaded rattlesnake.

“I didn’t want to go in and do any talks as a pseudo-expert,” he said. After all, tall tales are partially to blame for the rattlesnake’s reputation.

Most fascinating to many people is that rattle, Lentz said. It’s the snake’s warning intended to tell large animals they’re getting uncomfortably close.

Unfortunately, people tend to kill rattlesnakes that rattle. As a result, Lentz said, he’s finding more rattlesnakes keep perfectly quiet as people approach.

It’s not exactly the kind of selection that helps humans, he said, another reason he thinks snake killers should change their ways.

Many people also are misinformed about the dangers of rattlesnake bites, he said.

Lentz said he knows of no deaths, for example, from snake bites in Washington during the last 20 years.

Even hikers and experienced outdoor enthusiasts sometimes don’t realize not all rattlesnake bites involve the injection of venom. Many are only brief but painful warnings by the rattlesnake that the person is getting too close.

But just because you’re treading in snake country doesn’t mean you have to risk being bitten. Lentz hasn’t had a snake’s teeth under his skin since that copperhead back in Pennsylvania.

And he’s handled a lot of rattles.

“I don’t take risks,” he explained.

He taps on rocks with a stick as he walks through snake dens to warn them he’s there. He wears thick rubber boots that ride high on his calves. And he watches and listens carefully. If he hears a rattle, he stops in his tracks until he locates the snake.

He approaches with caution, but he knows how to handle the reptile. The best advice for others is to move cautiously away when a snake is encountered.

Snakes don’t have the desire to bite you any more than you want to be bitten, he said.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SNAKE BITE SAVVY How to deal with rattlesnakes and rattlesnake bites: When treading in snake country, never travel alone. If bitten, there’s a good chance the snake won’t dispense venom. But if bitten, you’ll need someone to help you return to the car and drive you to the nearest hospital. First things first: Get away from the snake. It might sound silly, but one bite is better than two. Rattlesnake venom rarely kills humans, but it can cause vomiting, blurred vision and blackouts. If bitten, remain calm, said Dr. James Newman of Kadlec Medical Center in Washington. Remind yourself the fatality rate from snakebites is less than 1 percent, and getting excited only helps venom circulate. Throw out most of those vague recollections from your old scout handbook. Don’t apply a tight tourniquet. Cutting off blood flow from a leg or arm actually can cause more damage to that extremity. Newman said you’re better off trying to keep it immobile. Stop movement in the affected arm or leg, and that will slow down the spread of the venom. Don’t cut into the wound and suck out the venom. This technique can do more harm than good. Cutting into the wound only invites infection, and some experts say it exposes more flesh to the venom. Don’t use ice or ice water. They can worsen the injury. Best advice: Remain calm, immobilize the extremity and get to the nearest hospital. Rattlesnake venom is hemotoxic, which means it affects the blood. Expect pain, bleeding and swelling at the bite. If you’ve got a long way to go to the hospital, consider having your partner stop at a nearby house to call ahead. That way, the hospital can have a doctor and antivenin ready. And if you’re worried about snakebites, heed this advice: Don’t grab any snakes. It seems obvious, but Newman said, “Most snakebites are caused by people trying to grab onto the snake.”