What to Bring
windbreaker or jacket cap
water and snack camera
binoculars
comfortable walking shoes or boots
sunscreen mosquito repellent
Left: Signs provide visitors with more information about these unusual snakes.
Below: Walkways over the dens were built to allow visitors a better view and to keep snakes safe.
After taking a closer look at them, you
may find they are actually quite cute with their large unblinking doe eyes and gen- tle nature. Should you be brave enough to pick one up, you’ll find they are cool to the touch and just wriggle through your fingers. Tey may be small but you can feel the power in their lithe little bodies. Warm sunny days in the spring and
fall are the best times for viewing, but be sure to check the website
gov.mb.ca/ conservation/wildlife/spmon/narsnakes/
snakes_status.html, which provides ac- curate updates on snake activity and also offers directions for the one-and-a-half hour scenic drive north of Winnipeg. Te Narcisse Snake Dens are located a mere six kilometres north of the town of Narcisse. Signs guide motorists to the entrance equipped with washrooms, a picnic area, and the start of a three- kilometre walking trail.
Interpretive
signs line the crushed limestone trail that winds through native grasses and an aspen forest, leading to boardwalks and viewing platforms near the dens. Te site is managed by Manitoba Conservation and the Narcisse Snake Management Advisory Group to minimize the tour- ists’ impact on the snakes. Tis is a fun event for all, and a child favourite.
The red-sided garter snake or Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis is a gentle and “friendly” snake.
thehubwinnipeg.com Spring 2015 • 33
Photo courtesy of Manitoba Conservation.
Photo by Fred Greenslade. Photo courtesy of Manitoba Conservation.
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