Raising awareness for South Frontenac’s Species at Risk

Mar 25, 2010

Ron Hipfner informs residents about South Frontenac's species at risk

With spring just around the corner these lands will once again be alive with various fascinating creatures, some waking from their winter hibernation and others returning from the south. What is unfortunate and unknown to most people is that many of these species are at risk.

In the hopes of raising awareness about the species at risk in South Frontenac, members of the South Frontenac Natural Environment Committee, Ron Hipfner and committee secretary Paul Fodden, presented “Endangered Species of South Frontenac”, a slide presentation and lecture held at Trinity United Church in Verona on March 17.

Since the Endangered Species Act came into effect in June 2008 the number of species at risk has risen from 174 to 202, and 31 of them can be found in South Frontenac. They include 13 birds, including the short-eared owl, chimney swift and whip-poor-will; 2 butterflies (the monarch being one); 4 fish including the Lake Sturgeon and the American Eel; the cougar, one of which was spotted in the Bedford district in 2007; the tree-climbing grey fox; the milk, rat and ribbon snakes; the eastern musk, stinkpot, snapping and Blandings turtles; 2 plant species - the butternut tree and American ginseng; and Ontario’s only lizard, the five-lined skink.

For Ron Hipfner it was a personal encounter with a Blandings turtle that inspired him to join the SFNEC and to lecture about SARs. Ron recalled encountering a turtle on the road close to where some road construction was being done. “When I got home I looked it up and found out it was an endangered Blandings turtle. I got very excited and went to council telling them there should be something done to look out for these animals.”

The Blandings turtle, recognized by its high, yellow-flecked helmet-shaped shell and yellow chin and neck line, can live to the ripe old age of 80. The Endangered Species act forbids the killing, harming, harassing or capturing of any Ontario species listed as endangered, extirpated or threatened. It is also illegal to possess, transport, sell, trade or lease any of those species, and offenders can receive hefty fines and/or imprisonment.

In August 2008 one Toronto man pleaded guilty to the unlawful capturing and possession of 26 Blandings turtles and one spotted turtle and was sentenced to nine months in jail. A second man in the same incident was fined $10,000 and put on a three-year probation. The turtles were taken from the waters of the Walpole Island First Nation located near Wallaceburg, Ontario.

Ron’s presentation included slides of each of the SARs in South Frontenac as well as practical information on how residents can aid them in their survival.

As the warmer weather draws near residents are encouraged to slow down on the roads to avoid running over these slower moving creatures especially snakes and turtles. Gently helping these critters across the roads is encouraged (always in the direction they were originally heading), and discouraging children and pets from harming them is also highly recommended.

Covering turtle nests with large mesh chicken wire and removing it well before the hatchlings arrive is another way to help, as is helping the young hatchlings to water.

Butterflies can be helped by protecting their food sources and refraining from pesticide use, and by avoiding groups of butterflies, which tend to gather in clusters in shallow puddles.

Birds can be helped by keeping cats indoors or fenced-in, by checking trees and shrubs for active nests before cutting them down and by removing the eggs of brown-headed cow birds, which are in the habit of laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species.

For Ron sharing information about these species is something he is passionate about and relaying information to the public he sees as a step toward preserving these 31 species at risk. "We live in a very rich neighbourhood here and we can have a positive effect on the species that live here." For more information about South Frontenac’s species at risk please visit the South Frontenac Township’s website and look for the links to the SFNEC.