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Science & Technology

WSIU InFocus: A Hike at Union County's Snake Road With IDNR Herpetologist Scott Ballard

WSIU Public Broadcasting | By Kevin Boucher
Published October 8, 2015 at 9:01 AM CDT
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Copperhead at LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area
Kevin Boucher/WSIU
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Timber Rattlesnake at LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area
Kevin Boucher/WSIU
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Winters Pond is where the reptiles and amphibians spend the summer
Kevin Boucher/WSIU
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Overview of the LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area
United States Forest Service
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Limestone Bluffs Tower to 150 feet at La-Rue Pine Hills Research Area
Kevin Boucher/WSIU radio

In 1991, the LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area was officially designated as a research site, the nation's 250th such area.  Join IDNR Herpetologist Scott Ballard as he takes us on an informative hike on Snake Road. For more information about the Research Area and the twice-yearly road closure so the reptiles and amphibians can safely pass, go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website.

Special thanks to Linda Hauser of the United States Forest Service and Herpetologist Scott Ballard with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 

WSIU Student Reporter Alex Kierstead contributed to this report.

Tags
Science & Technology Energy & EnvironmentShawnee National ForestSnakesMigrationScience and TechnologyWSIU InFocus
Kevin Boucher
Born in Newport, Rhode Island to a military family, Kevin Boucher traveled the country and the world at a young age before his family settled in Murphysboro, Illinois in 1976. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Radio-Television at Southern Illinois University (SIU) in Carbondale and worked in commercial radio before becoming the Traffic Manager at WSIU Public Television. Boucher has since earned a Master's degree in Professional Media & Media Management Studies from SIU's College of Mass Communication & Media Arts. He is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys gardening and exploring the flora and fauna of the Shawnee National Forest and other beautiful natural areas across southern Illinois. Kevin is embarking on a new path with WSIU as the Community Engagement Producer for WSIU Radio. Look for Kevin's work on air and on line.
See stories by Kevin Boucher
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