The most snakes have been seen near the Facilities Management building. Rick Wade, who works in Facilities Management, said this is because there are no barriers in between the building and the mountains.

Any snake sightings should be reported to Facilities Management, which can send professionals to retrieve and relocate the snakes. They typically require a half-hour response time. People who work in buildings where snakes have been sighted are asked to wear closed-toe shoes and long pants.

Wade said that so far, about a dozen snakes have been seen around campus this summer. Snakes do not have the ability to regulate their body temperature, so when there is hot and dry weather, they come down from the mountains to find somewhere cooler.

According to Wade, there is no effective way to prevent snakes from coming on campus. There are products designed to repel snakes, but so far nothing has effectively kept them away.

“The best approach is to just be aware of your surroundings,” Wade said. He also advised that people keep the areas around buildings tidy, as snakes like garbage to stay in.

Wade has been working at Weber State University for 26 years, and said he has never seen a summer where snakes have not been spotted on campus.

“We have always had snakes on campus,” Wade said.