NATURAL RESOURCES BOOK REVIEW.

``Dangerous Wildlife in California & Nevada'' By F. Lynne Bachleda

(Menasha Ridge Press, 2002, $22.95)

I hate snakes.

I hate them so much I can't stand the reptile house at the zoo.

I've hated them since I was 8 years old and I encountered a rattlesnake for the first time on my grandfather's ranch - about 6 inches from me. Unfortunately, I've continued to encounter them on a fairly regular basis at the ranch over the years and, despite being an otherwise rational person, I freak out every time.

And I'm not alone, I learned. The author writes that most adults have a disproportionate fear of snakes and other creepy and crawly things, which makes this handbook an excellent reference for anyone who spends any kind of time in the outdoors. It explains precisely what we should fear and why.

Dealing not only with reptiles and insects, the book discusses flora such as poison oak, sea creatures like sharks and rays, and mammals, including bears and mountain lions.

Its breezy, humorous style keeps the narrative from reading like a textbook despite being packed with information. And as for me and those rattlesnakes, well, I think I'm worse than I was before. The western diamondback, the book tells me, is ``ever ready to throw itself into its striking coil and to dispute the way with a trespasser ... whose threatening demeanor when aroused is backed by a hair-trigger readiness to strike.''

- Michael A. Anastasi

INTERNET

Small but smart

When it comes to bass fishing, it's usually the bigger the better. Maybe that's why largemouth bass tend to get much more attention than the smallmouth species, which doesn't grow anywhere as big as its cousins but does have a following. A good smallmouth Web site is www.bronzeback.com.

Here, you can read the informative Bronzeback Chronicles, written by ``The Bass Coach.'' There are several articles worth clicking on.

And what about a smallmouth-bass screen saver? You can get yours here.

--The old college try: Think sailing and you think the ocean. That said, you think college sailing clubs and teams are near the coast. Indeed, schools such as Hawaii, Stanford, Washington and Boston College all have Web sites.

But consider these schools which actually field sailing teams: Oklahoma (www.ou.edu/student/sailing); Texas A&M (http:recsports.tamu.edu/sailing/index/html) and Michigan (www.unmich.edu/[ordinal indicator, feminine]umsc/).

Oklahoma seems like the least likely place to have a sailing club. These Sooners aren't as passionately followed as the school's national powerhouse football team. But they cruise Lake Thunderbird, a short drive away from the OU campus in Norman.

- Chris Cocoles

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