Watch your step and avoid snakes

They may be nature's very own ground worshipers, but snakes generally don't slither behind rocks, trees and logs within the Lake Tahoe Basin.

But just a couple thousand feet below the basin, several species of the serpent lurks in sagebrush, under stones and burrows in oak and cottonwood trees.

As is the case with the Great Basin and Pacific rattlesnake, its bite can be deadly, but the good news is, most snakes make it a habit to stay away from humans as much as possible.

"I've never heard of a rattle snake in the Tahoe basin. It is possible but they are not normally up there. But there are plenty of rattlesnakes down in the valley," said Carl Lackey, wildlife biologist and game warden with the Nevada Division of Wildlife.

Rattlesnakes and most nonpoisonous snakes native to the area typically live below 6,000 feet in areas that provide food and shelter away from the sun. They can be found along trails that cover the foothills leading into the mountains. They only bother people when they are bothered with, Lackey said.

Few sounds stop outdoors enthusiasts in their tracks as quickly as the ominous thrumming of a rattlesnake. As springtime calls people and snakes alike to the outdoors, encounters become inevitable.

On the California side, especially along the West Slope, most snakes are benign. Common nonvenomous snakes are the bull snake, gopher snake, garter snake, rubber boas and water snakes.

The exception is California's only native venomous snake, the rattlesnake. In Nevada it is the Great Basin rattlesnake.

Though rattlesnakes are dangerous if provoked, they also provide humans with a tremendous service - they eat rodents, other reptiles, and insects and are in turn eaten by other predators.

Enjoying the outdoors means learning how to avoid contact.

Generally not aggressive, rattlesnakes strike when threatened or deliberately provoked, but given room they will retreat. Most snake bites occur when a rattlesnake is handled or accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing. The majority of snakebites occur on the hands, feet and ankles.

Rattlesnakes can cause serious injury to humans on rare occasions. The California Poison Control Center notes that rattlesnakes account for more than 800 bites each year with one to two deaths. Most bites occur between the months of April and October when snakes and humans are most active outdoors. About 25 percent of the bites are "dry," meaning no venom was injected, but the bites still require medical treatment.

Two years ago in Nevada, a young boy was bitten in the hand by a rattlesnake, but the wound was small enough so that the snake's venom did not get into his bloodstream.

The potential of running into a rattlesnake should not deter anyone from venturing outdoors, but there are several precautions that can be taken to lessen the chance of being bitten when out in snake country - which is just about anywhere in Nevada and California.