WSIU InFocus Video Player

Chad Deaton, District Wildlife Biologist with the Mississippi Bluffs Ranger District of the Shawnee National Forest, and Scott Ballard, District Heritage Biologist for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, take us on a surreal trip down Snake Road near Wolf Lake in Union County. Located in the LaRue Pine Hills natural area, Snake Road holds a road closure during the spring when nearly 35 species of snakes and other reptiles and amphibians migrate across the road to reach their summer habitats. This road closure is so that animals can make it to their destinations freely. Along with keeping the animals protected, this is a research site, as well as an area where tourists can watch the snakes and other animals trekking across the road. During this segment, Ballard will show us many of the different snakes and wildlife you will see while on Snake Road.