Wild Ohio Video - Spring Valley Wildlife Area - Greene & Warren Counties

Sep. 22, 2013

Wild Ohio Spring Valley Wildlife Area video by ODNR - Division of Wildlife -

http://vimeo.com/73832544

This 842-acre wildlife area is situated in the gently rolling agricultural region of southwest Ohio just east of the Little Miami River, eight miles south of Xenia and four miles north of Waynesville. The area may be reached by turning east off U.S. Route 42 onto Roxanna-New Burlington Road.
More than one-third of the area is in cropland and permanent meadow intermixed with brushy fencerows and extensive brushy coverts. Woods cover approximately a third of the area. A 150-acre lake and marsh complex are located on the area’s south edge.
ohiodnr.com/Home/wild_resourcessubhomepage/WildlifeAreaMaps/SouthwestOhioWildlifeAreaMaps/SpringValleyWildlifeArea/tabid/20055/Default.aspx

Spring Valley offers Viewing Opportunities for Massasauga Rattlesnakes
Killdeer Plains, Mosquito Creek, and Spring
Valley wildlife areas and the Cedar Bog Natural
Area currently support massasauga rattlesnake
populations.
 
Massasauga rattlers are typically found rest-
ing under flat boards, metal, or other discarded
material. They often bask in the sunlight in
clearings and openings.
These snakes are quite timid and pose no
threat to people if they are left alone. Snakes
do not seek out people to bite; striking and
biting is a defensive measure on the part of the
snake. The risk of snake bite is highly overrated;
annually, more people die from bee stings or
lightning strikes than from snake bites.
Massasaugas are active and found most
commonly in April, May, and October; they are
less likely to be encountered during the months
of July, August, and September.
 
Ohio Venomous Snakes

http://ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Home/resources/reptiles/poisonoussnakes/tabid/5685/Default.aspx

Eastern Massasauga

http://ohiodnr.com/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/easternmassasauga/tabid/6610/Default.aspx

Eastern Massasauga Life History Notes

http://ohiodnr.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=KyXJdy4lsMI%3d&tabid=6610