Sunday afternoon, Goose Creek State Park is hosting a free educational forum about eastern North Carolina snakes for people of all ages.

The event is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. at the park’s visitor center. It will give people a chance to see snakes up close and personal. The rangers will lead participants on a walk to see snakes in their natural habitat as well.

“We will have some snakes that we’ll get out and allow people to touch,” said Nicole Crider, parker ranger at Goose Creek State Park.

The park’s goal is to educate people on how to identify snakes so they can stay safe when finding one in the wild.

“We just want to inform people what is here is locally and the ID tips. We want people to know not all snakes are bad,” Crider said. “We have really awesome snakes, like King Snakes that eat venomous snakes.”

People will see small and large snakes, along with venomous and non-venomous snakes, according to Crider.
Crider said she has always enjoyed snakes from an early age and it is a passion of hers. One of the best snakes she has seen is the Pygmy Rattlesnake. That type of rattlesnake calls eastern North Carolina home, along with most of the southern United States, Crider said.

Leading the event is Jane McAllister, assistant park ranger at Goose Creek State Park. McAllister said she is going to bring exotic snakes to the forum to show what snakes call the coastal plains home.