American badger

On June 4, 2012, Ontario Nature will be supporting a national campaign called Black Out Speak Out. On this day, environmental organizations and other supporters across the country will darken their websites in protest against efforts to silence Canadians who speak up in defence of environmental protection.

This campaign is in reaction to the federal government’s budget implementation bill (Bill C-38), which contains a jaw-dropping range of amendments to environmental legislation that are entirely unrelated to fiscal matters.

Now, consider a similar budget bill, introduced by the provincial government here in Ontario. This is Bill-55, and it, too, includes a list of amendments to laws governing environmental protection, many of which will have a profoundly negative impact on conservation efforts.

Specifically, the Liberal government is proposing changes that will seriously weaken the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and will undermine key protective measures originally written to keep plants, animals and ecosystems from disappearing from Ontario altogether. Other changes will negatively impact the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act.

Moreover, hiding these kinds of amendments in a budget bill sidesteps the public’s right to participate in proposed changes to environmental laws. Normal procedure is that environmental amendments are posted under the Environmental Bill of Rights (EBR) registry for comment. We might not exercise this right often, but the fact is that each of us can make a submission regarding a suggested alteration to the rules determining what happens to our shared natural environment.

We object to the amendments in the budget bill that will strike at the heart of the ESA and provincial parks legislation. The Liberal government should stand by its own legislation.

And we object to the Province’s approach, circumventing the EBR. The EBR was created in 1993 because the government of the day recognized that all of us have a right to a healthy environment. We still have that right and we are asking Queen’s Park to recognize it.

Victoria Foote

Victoria Foote is Ontario Nature’s director of communications and editor of ON Nature magazine.

In complete disregard of a petition signed by more than 11,000 people and a report jointly released by Ontario Nature, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) told us that hunting snapping turtles can continue even though the animal is listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Wow. How can Minister Gravelle, or anyone working at MNR, believe that this is the right decision? Gravelle’s response is a slap in the face to the scientific experts who determined the hunt is unsustainable, the hunters who are eating potentially toxic meat, and the 11,000 Ontarians who asked the government to stop the hunt (www.ontarionature.org/protect/campaigns/snapping_turtle.php).

MNR has decided that while it’s ok to keep killing snappers, they would like to see mandatory reporting of the “harvest.” (MNR’s suggested reporting requirement is now posted on the Environmental Bill of Rights, registry number 011-6043).

We have no idea how MNR will enforce this directive. Moreover, mandatory reporting of hunted animals (using a tag system as is the case with moose and deer) yields notoriously inaccurate data. Typically, 50% of the hunted animals are reported. Still, through a tag system, MNR has contact information for every hunter and can theoretically enforce reporting. However, people who hunt snapping turtles are not issued tags, so MNR has no way of knowing who is doing the hunting. Any reporting they do get is surely going to be a huge underestimation of the actual total. Nevertheless, MNR will use this number to determine next steps, possibly concluding that the hunt is sustainable!

The fact of the matter is that the only way to determine if the hunt is sustainable is to determine how many snapping turtles are in Ontario and monitor the changes in population size over time. In addition, it would be helpful to get an accurate assessment of how many snapping turtles are being killed annually.

As if all this wasn’t bad enough, our report showed that many snapping turtles have concentrations of PCBs that are unsafe for human consumption. Yet nothing has been proposed to determine which lakes have safe levels of contamination as is done with sport fish. Snapping turtles can live for a very long time, some estimates suggest well over 100 years, and toxins accumulate in their bodies each year and often reach hazardous levels.

The snapping turtle hunt is unhealthy to people who eat the meat and unsustainable for snappers. Minister Gravelle’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge the evidence means everyone loses.

Please go to the EBR posting and ask MNR to do the right thing and ban the snapping turtle hunt or impose a moratorium until MNR has accurate hunting estimates, population trends and toxicity results across the turtle’s range with which to base an informed decision.

I can’t say that I’m a regular reader of Ontario Beef magazine, but an article in the February 2012 edition by Gerald Rollins caught our attention. Rollins, a beef farmer and director on the board of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, may well be affected by certain elements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

More specifically, he understands well that pastures and hayfields provide important habitat for two grassland bird species: bobolinks and eastern meadowlarks. Both of these birds are on the province’s endangered species list and their declines can be linked to habitat loss and habitat disturbance http://onnaturemagazine.com/songs-of-the-bobolink.html.

We’ve been working closely with the farming community on ways to protect bobolinks. These striking little birds nest in hayfields and lightly grazed pastures, and were doing just fine until the end of the 20^th century when hay harvesting started to occur earlier and more frequently, right around the time bobolinks’ eggs are hatching, habitat loss accelerated and pesticide use became more widespread in South America where the birds spend the winter. The plunge in bobolink numbers has been dramatic. Between 1968 and 2008, bobolinks have declined by 65% in Ontario. One study showed that 96% of eggs and nestlings are destroyed during early hay cropping.

The only way to save these birds is by working together. As Rollins writes: “The successful recovery of bobolink and eastern meadowlark will require the support and participation of the agricultural community.” The Ontario government granted farmers a three-year exemption to the ESA, meaning that they won’t be penalized for accidentally harming or killing the birds. During this time, conservationists and farmers can craft a plan that protects this charismatic songbird without adversely affecting a farmer’s livelihood.

A Bobolink Round Table Advisory Group has been struck, co-chaired, fittingly, by Bette Jean Crews, former Ontario Federation of Agriculture President, and Jon McCracken of Bird Studies Canada. We wholeheartedly endorse this innovative and proactive approach to collaboration. We can all learn from each other. As Rollins says, “We are confident that a mutually beneficial solution will be reached.” In three years’ time, we’ll be ready with a plan that suits everyone including the singing bobolink.

Victoria Foote

The take-home message from the 2012 Ontario Wetland Conference, hosted by Ontario Nature and partners, is: Strong policy, good science and dynamic communication strategies will improve the state of Ontario’s wetlands. And yes, despite the loss of more than 70 percent of southern Ontario’s wetlands in the last 150 years, there’s hope.

As I pulled into Toronto’s Black Creek Pioneer Village parking lot, I glanced up as a hawk soared overhead – a simple reminder of the resilience wild species show in a changing landscape. At the conference, I joined a diverse group of nearly 200 participants from Conservation Authorities, government agencies, Non-Governmental-Organizations and other engaged citizens on World Wetlands Day to discuss the history and future of Ontario’s wetlands. No meeting on this scale had been held for more than 20 years in Ontario, so there was a lot of ground to cover.

I was heartened to hear about some successful conservation actions happening right now in Ontario. Dave Reid gave a great talk on the ALUS project in Norfolk County where farmers directly benefit from allowing unproductive farmland to return to natural habitat. He cited some shining examples of farmers creating wetlands on their properties, which had local and regional environmental benefits.

Whether between scientists and landowners or concerned citizens and policy makers, communication was a recurring theme. Owen Steele from Ducks Unlimited Canada argued convincingly that, in order to engage landowners and to protect privately owned wetlands, scientists and government agencies need to speak the public’s language. Steele echoed keynote speaker, Dr. Paul Keddy’s suggestion that the bottleneck in conserving wetlands is communication. He felt that while sometimes more research is called for, we are now at the point where the science has to be made accessible to practitioners and landowners who can put it to good use.

Looking at wetland policy, Dr. Anastasia Lintner of Ecojustice assured us that the Greenbelt region’s wetlands are well protected. Dr. Barry Warner, of the University of Waterloo agreed that some policy efforts have been effective, but he noted that we continue to see the loss and impairment of wetland function in southern Ontario. A joint report by Ontario Nature, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Ecojustice and Earthroots Protecting Greenbelt Wetlands: How Effective is Policy? found that while legislation has significantly improved the level of protection for wetlands on the Greenbelt, some gaps remain allowing for the continued loss and damage of wetlands.

One of my personal highlights of the day was meeting and tapping into the knowledge banks of so many conservation professionals. The wetlands conference was an amazing opportunity to draw from the experiences of this group and I can’t wait to hear what’s planned for 2013!

Laura Robson, assistant ecologist Ontario Nature

Will Ontario make good on its promise to stop the losses of our native wildlife and sensitive habitats?

Earlier this week, Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, expressed his concerns about this when his office released a special report on biodiversity entitled: “A Nation’s Commitment, an Obligation for Ontario.” The report explains that biodiversity loss – the loss of the variety of species and natural systems that make up the web of life – poses an enormous threat to the well-being of people living in Ontario, Canada and the rest of the world.

The frightening implications of biodiversity loss were recognized in 1993 when Canada became a signatory to the Convention for Biological Diversity, an international treaty that commits the 193 signatory countries to work towards stopping further loss of species and ecosystems. Subsequently, in 1995, the Government of Ontario declared its commitment to conserve and sustain biodiversity.

But what does this commitment look like? If the Province is serious about protecting our biodiversity, then the government will have to follow up on two key recommendations. First, a provincial policy document must be drafted that requires each ministry to consider biodiversity in its daily operations and outline specific action items to be taken within key ministries.

Second, the Ontario Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment must be awarded sufficient funding to allow them to accomplish conservation goals.    Rumours that these ministries may be hit with further budget cuts in 2012 do not bode well on this one.

Cutting funding to the two ministries charged with safeguarding Ontario’s wildlife and wild spaces would be fiscally irresponsible. Investing in the environment creates economic wealth. For example, a recent study commissioned by the Government of Canada found that 28 full time jobs can be created for every one million dollars spent on green projects, such as biodiversity and habitat conservation. In comparison, investment in infrastructure, such as roads, creates 9 full time jobs for every one million invested.

Another example from the same study shows how investing in environmental programs more than pays for itself. Ontario spent 11 million dollars to create the Ontario Wetland Habitat Fund. This initiative generated almost 100 million dollars – paying for the program almost 10 times over! The profit reflects direct and indirect income, landowner contributions and the dollar value of ecological goods and services.

The bottom line: investing in biodiversity and a green economy creates jobs and generates wealth. Ontario Nature is asking the government of Ontario to consider this when choosing where to make cuts in the upcoming budget.

Garter snake CREDIT: Tim Zurowski

As discussed in an earlier post on this blog, we get lots of questions from people asking for advice about their day-to-day encounters with nature. I joined Ontario Nature this summer and am thoroughly enjoying fielding some of those queries.

Through twitter, a farmer told us that he had not seen any snakes on his farm in Corbyville, near Belleville, in two years. In the past, he and his family regularly spotted garter and water snakes along with the odd grass and milk snake. Chemicals are not used on the farm, and frogs, toads and turtles are in abundance, prey species that attract the snakes. So, the farmer asked, what gives?

It may be that snakes have not, in fact, disappeared from this farm. Snakes are often present in an area even though we don’t see them. Many snake species in Ontario are either nocturnal or spend much of their life hiding under rocks, trees and bushes, or even underground. If there is appropriate habitat (including good places to hibernate) and enough prey (insects, frogs, salamanders, small mammals), then perhaps the snakes are still there, just well hidden.

Unfortunately, it is also possible that the snakes have indeed disappeared despite this farmer’s efforts to provide snake-friendly habitat. Snakes frequently cross roads in search of mates or food, or get to hibernation sites and consequently suffer high mortality rates because of road kill. Because they are difficult to see, drivers run over these reptiles all the time. To learn more about road mortality, click here.

If you would like to learn more about snakes in general, or good stewardship practices, including how to create snake hibernacula (places where snakes hibernate), please e-mail me at jamesp@ontarionature.org.

When Ontario Nature’s staff ecologist, John Urquhart, asked if I (the new guy) could spare a couple days out of the office to help with some field work at our Lost Bay Nature Reserve, I didn’t hesitate. John’s “second office” is a quiet lakeside cabin in eastern Ontario with no electricity or running water, a true escape to nature. We figured we’d undertake a turtle inventory and some plant identification in the reserve as part of Ontario Nature’s At-Risk Species Inventory and Habitat Assessment. We were especially focused on finding northern map turtles, a species at risk in Ontario.

With the sun breaking through the light cloud cover, John explained where the turtles would be and his different strategies for catching them.

All suited-up, we swam towards the vegetation-filled water where John had spotted some turtles. As quietly as possible, we approached the thumb-sized turtle heads poking through the water’s surface. With just the top of my goggles and snorkel poking out of the water I could see a turtle staring at me, trying to figure out if I was something it should be worried about. At the last minute, the turtle decided it didn’t want to stick around and find out what my motives were and plopped under the water. In a heartbeat, John dove down. In seconds he emerged with a big grin… and a turtle. The first catch of the day was a male map turtle (identified by its distinctive yellow strips under the shell, long front claws, a long and thick tail and small size, compared to the female). Now I knew how it was done.

Over a couple hours “we” caught 10 turtles for identification (John captured nine of them). By the end of our second dive a day later we were up to 19 turtles (with the help of Ontario Nature ecology assistant Laura Robson). A good mix of map and midland painted turtles, with an eastern musk turtle (aka stinkpot) to boot. John was happy with our success and I was happy to spend a couple days swimming around getting out-smarted by turtles (at the end of two days, I had still only snagged one turtle).

It was a great experience to get out into the field and see the diversity of life that exists on this nature reserve. Now back at my desk, I am quickly reminded of how important the work of Ontario Nature is. The Nature Reserves and Greenway programs exist so that ecologically significant areas –like Lost Bay– are protected while still expanding conservation areas so that this rich diversity of life can remain on the landscape. Sitting in an office in downtown Toronto it can be easy to forget how lucky we are to have so much natural beauty throughout the province. I’ll always eagerly accept an invitation to explore our wild spaces.

Ontario Nature focused on issues concerning wild species and wild spaces. Here’s a summary of what each party said about endangered species, Toronto’s Greenbelt and the Far North Act.

Question: Does your party support the Endangered Species Act, including mandatory habitat protection, adequate funding for species recovery, and the integration of innovative approaches to help landowners help species, such as a “Safe Harbour” program?

Liberals: Yes. They support the ESA and will continue to fund recovery efforts and promote stewardship through Safe Harbour stewardship agreements and other mechanisms.
Progressive Conservatives: No response.
NDP: They will work with farmers to protect biodiversity by expanding incentive programs such as Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS).
Green: They strongly support innovative approaches to species protection, such as Safe Harbour and incentive programs such as ALUS.

Question: Will your party expand the boundaries of the Greenbelt in cooperation with willing neighbouring municipalities?

Liberals: Yes.
Progressive Conservatives: No response. However, the party leader has said publicly that they would “look at the legislation again.”
NDP: Yes.
Green: They will work with farmers, municipalities, and other stakeholders on ways to expand the Greenbelt. The Green Party believes that expansion of the Greenbelt must be done in ways that ensure the financial viability of family farms.

Question: Will your party retain the Far North Act and ensure that there is comprehensive land-use planning led by First Nations before development in the northern boreal region, including in the Ring of Fire?

Liberals: Yes.
Progressive Conservatives: No response. However, the party platform states that they would repeal the Act.
NDP: No.
Green: They would revise the Act.

What you can do

• Put wild species and wild spaces on the political radar. Attend the all candidates meeting in your riding and ask: “What will you do to protect endangered species and their habitats in Ontario?”
• Participate in Ontario Nature’s Rally 4 Nature on September 21 at Queen’s Park. Join us on Facebook.

The Ontario Nature team

After my recent article in ON Nature about the cooperation between Ontario cattlemen and conservationists to save the bobolink, readers contacted me to find out if there was a way of actually locating the nests in hay/grass fields. Some had watched their hayfields for years, and had always seen bobolinks, but never been able to find the nests of this rare species. The farmers wondered if they would need to change how they cultivate an entire crop if birds are believed to be nesting a particular section of their fields.

A few farmers were also interested to know if a volunteer “nest-location program” would be an option for those who are eager and willing to be a part of the bobolink recovery efforts. Unfortunately, even for experts, finding bobolink nests is a notoriously challenging task. Parent birds often land some distance from the nest and sneak through the grass to fool predators. As well, in searching for the nests, they would risk trampling the eggs.

I believe that the best approach would be to observe which sections of the field the birds – especially the females – are most active in to get a general sense of their location. In prime habitat, bobolinks often nest together in loose clusters. Those sections should then be where stewardship activities are focused.

The enthusiastic participation of farmers and other rural landowners is going to be critical to the future prospects of Ontario’s bobolinks. If farmers see bobolinks in a part of their fields and are able to leave that section uncut till the young bobolinks are fledged – by mid-July at the latest – that delay will greatly boost bobolink survival rates. The unfortunate trade-off is that late-cut hay is lower quality. So, to be fair in case of rented farm land, landowners may need to negotiate a lower rental price for those “late” sections with their farmers.

People often ask Ontario Nature staff for advice about how to deal with situations that they encounter in nature. Whether putting out a bird feeder, planting native flowers or grasses, or choosing not to cut down the trees on your property, people are on the front lines of local conservation efforts more often than you might realize.

Because I coordinate the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, I am frequently asked what to do when a turtle lays eggs in an “unnatural” place. Recently, someone wondered if it was ok to move snapping turtle eggs that had been laid in front of their house, separated from a nearby lake by a road and a trailer park.

First, some important information about turtles: Turtle eggs have a naturally high mortality rate. So while it is expected that many eggs will be lost, that in itself is not cause for concern given that adult turtles possess extremely high survivorship rates when people aren’t around. The egg mortality rate only becomes a problem when human activity – roads, development – cause an increase in adult mortality rates. Even a one percent/year rise in adult mortality rates could wipe out an entire population of turtles.

Consequently, it is more important than ever to make sure turtle eggs survive. Eggs may not develop if they are not oriented correctly after being moved. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is preparing protocols for nest protection, which will be released in 2012. In the meantime, MNR must authorize the re-location of turtle eggs. This is because seven of Ontario’s eight turtles are at risk and therefore protected under the Endangered Species Act; the eighth is protected under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Specific rules and regulations come with this protection including getting a permit before doing anything to turtle eggs. My advice in this situation is to contact your local MNR Species at Risk biologist to determine the best course of action.

However, given the toll that a growing human population in Ontario takes on turtles in general, I must emphasize how important it is to move adult turtles off our roads. Saving just one adult turtle from getting hit by a car is actually better for the species than protecting dozens of nests. Turtles should always be moved in the direction in which they are facing, no matter what the habitat looks like and nesting turtles should never be moved. You can learn more about reptile and amphibian stewardship here.

Another great way to help turtles is to record your observations for Ontario Nature’s Reptile and Amphibian Atlas to help improve our knowledge of where turtles can be found and their population numbers. If you’ve seen a turtle or turtle eggs, please let us know. If you are unsure about what kind of turtle you’ve seen, e-mail me a picture at johnu@ontarionature.org.