Little did the Napa Sierra Club Group know that when several of its members decided to do a group bike ride as part of the Vine Trail Locomotion Fundraiser recently, it would literally come to the rescue of a California King snake, saving its life in the process, while experiencing first-hand the dangers to wildlife of discarded plastics in our environment.
It all started on a beautiful Sunday morning in May when a group of bicyclists gathered at Kennedy Park to ride to American Canyon and back as part of the annual Vine Trail Locomotion fundraising event. The ride highlighted this section of the SF Bay Trail and future Vine Trail, and also reinforced the importance of bicycles as a way of travel that reduces our carbon footprint, always a laudatory goal in this time of climate change.
Riders included Vine Trail board member Ellen Udoff, Napa Sierra Club Group Chair, Nick Cheranich, Napa Climate NOW! cofounder Linda Brown, longtime Napa Valley winemaker David Mahaffey, me (the Treasurer of the Napa Sierra Club Executive Committee), and others.
“Our annual LocoMotion event raises awareness and money regarding the Vine Trail, which will eventually stretch 47 miles, all the way from Calistoga to the Vallejo Ferry Terminal,” said Udoff. “The trail caters to cyclists, pedestrians and other forms of active transportation, creating healthy recreation and transportation options for our community.”
As we snaked along (no pun intended) the very busy Devlin Road on our way to American Canyon’s Wetlands, I was riding at the rear, while Cheranich was leading our entourage. Before reaching the Amazon Distribution Center, I saw our group stopped on the shoulder, and Mahaffey was standing by the side of the road holding a large piece of plastic netting commonly used in vineyards.
When I dismounted to see what was going on, I saw that the piece of plastic was moving, writhing to be exact, and that a beautiful California King snake was hopelessly entangled in the plastic. It was clear that the only way the snake could be saved would require cutting the plastic and peeling it off it, layer by layer.
“I nearly ran over the poor snake, which was stretched across the bike lane,” said Cheranich. “Everyone on the scene immediately jumped into action.”
Unfortunately, none of us had a knife, so we started cutting the plastic, as best we could, with the only tool we had--a key. Part way through extricating our newfound friend from its dire straits, a passing motorist slowed down to see what was going on. When we asked if he had a knife, he replied, “No, but I have a box cutter.”
This good Samaritan, who was on his way to work, kindly left the box cutter with us so we could continue our task. We immediately started to remove the remaining plastic, albeit as carefully as possible without harming the snake. It took nearly 30 minutes to finish cutting the plastic and freeing the entombed reptile from certain death.
In the end, we were able to save its life and return it to a safe spot in the surrounding forest away from the human-created plastic danger it had unknowingly fallen victim to earlier that morning. Another snake was not so lucky. Cheranich and Brown found it under a pile of plastic netting debris as they worked to clear the area.
When we finished, all of us could see firsthand the dangers of discarding plastics in our environment, the hazards these nonbiodegradable materials present to our fragile ecosystems, and the importance of keeping them out of the reach and off all creatures that live around us.
“Saving this one snake from such a horrible fate cheered us all,” said Mahaffey. “We are all indebted to the California King snake and other snakes that help maintain a healthy ecosystem. It is our responsibility to make sure they do not have to navigate our wastes.”