By: Diana Johnsen
djohnsen@kcautv.com
It's a little noisy creature that is getting a second chance out on the prairie.
The Prairie Rattlesnake is very rare to the rest of the rattlesnake family in Iowa with hot spots only found in the Northwest part of the state.
Since 1999, The Broken Kettle Grasslands has made major efforts in protecting them and has learned a lot about them in the process.
"The guys need a champion," Dan Fogell, a snake specialist who helps preserve the snakes, said. "They need someone to stick up for them. The more diverse an area is the more valuable an area is in terms of natural history."
Due to the endangerment, the preserve has had to keep a close eye on them installing a microchip in each one that helps keep track of their location and well-being.
By preserving these snakes, the folks at Broken Kettle are helping keep the prairie in its most purest form.
"This place would be a great place regardless if there were rattlesnakes here or not," Fogell said. "Just like they'd be a great place without the bison. But, it's a much better place with the bison, and this is definitely a much better place with the rattlesnakes."
