AS LONG AS THERE'S NOPLACE TO GO. The Discovery Channel is profiling the efforts of a Northern Illinois biology student who works with the nastiest snakes in the Great Lakes.

[Kristin] Stanford is known to the locals in Ohio’s Put-in-Bay Harbor as “the Island Snake Lady.” Although working toward her Ph.D. in biology at NIU, she spends most of her time at Put-in-Bay, where she serves as recovery plan coordinator for the endangered Lake Erie Water Snake.

The region encompassing the islands and mainland of Lake Erie between the Ohio and Ontario borders is a paradise for boaters and fishermen. It’s also the only place worldwide where the snakes can be found. Out of necessity, Stanford, a native of Mt. Prospect, has become an expert at catching the creatures, which might be likened to the punk rockers of the Great Lakes’ reptilian world.

“These water snakes are probably the smelliest, dirtiest snakes out there,” Stanford says. “When you pick them up, their defensive response is to thrash around and spray you with feces and musk. On the other end, they bite and bite and bite. It’s not exactly a friendly snake.”

In some ways the job doesn't sound too much different from keeping a tavern in a college town.

“I don’t mind getting bit. It’s kind of gross when they poop all over you. But the barfing is definitely the worst part,” Stanford says. “It’s really smelly.”

The research also discovers that predator-prey cycles can emerge in response to invasive species.

Stanford’s job would accurately be described as half scientist, half outreach coordinator. In addition to monitoring the population of the snakes, she works to improve their nasty image. And she’s getting help from an unlikely suspect—an invasive, bottom-dwelling fish known as the goby. The exotic species threatens the habitat of native fish, including walleye and smallmouth bass, which are prized by locals and tourists alike.

As it turns out, the water snakes have a voracious appetite for the pesky goby—a fact the scientists learned from studying the snakes’ diet.

What happens if that fish virus also gets into the snakes?

The show runs this evening, looks like 6 pm Central.