Members collect for a briefing on the LTMP from Teagan Netten, conservation science coordinator at Ontario Nature © Ethan Owen
Spanning 3,000 acres of wetlands and forest, Wye Marsh is a Provincially Important Wetland (PSW) positioned on the south shore of Georgian Bay that gives habitat for a lot of of Ontario’s most susceptible species. This consists of 11 of Ontario’s 15 snake species lots of that are declining because of habitat loss, street mortality, and persecution.
The Pals of Wye Marsh joined Ontario Nature’s Lengthy Time period Monitoring Protocol (LTMP) for Ontario’s snakes in 2023. They arrange a web site on the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, which served as the proper location for a neighborhood science coaching occasion this spring. The occasion additionally marked a strategic step in our effort to develop the LTMP into under-surveyed areas the place there are important information gaps.
Researchers utilized data discovered from the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas to develop occupancy fashions which might level us to precedence areas for future snake surveys in Ontario. These areas embrace components of Simcoe, Muskoka, Parry Sound, and Haliburton County and are essential for a number of causes:
- They characteristic numerous habitats similar to wetlands, rocky outcrops, and forests which are house to quite a lot of snake species.
- They’re below strain from ongoing human developments, street enlargement, and elevated leisure use.
- They’re much less represented in present reptile information, making it more durable to evaluate species’ conservation standing in these zones.
By coaching native volunteers and naturalists in these areas, we hope to construct a stronger, community-driven monitoring community that may assist us reply key questions on Ontario’s snakes.
Coaching Group Scientists
On Might 11, 2025, we welcomed nature lovers, college students, and native stewards to Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre for a half-day occasion targeted on monitoring and amassing information on Ontario’s native snake species. Led by our conservation science coordinator, Teagan Netten, the coaching targeted on Ontario Nature’s LTMP, a standardized strategy for monitoring snake populations throughout the province.
Working in small teams, members practiced safely flipping pre-placed Synthetic Cowl Objects (ACOs) whereas awaiting indicators of motion, inspecting habitat options, and punctiliously returning every board to its authentic place. It was thrilling to see younger naturalists and seasoned volunteers alike recognizing bugs, fungi, and ultimately snakes! With some success, the group noticed a younger jap gartersnake below the very first board adopted by two younger jap milksnakes. Members discovered the best way to strategy a snake calmly, assist its full physique with out squeezing, and acknowledge indicators of stress or defensive conduct. For a lot of, this was their first time touching or holding a snake, a transformative expertise that supplied a novel likelihood to attach with the animal and dispel widespread misconceptions.
Why It Issues
Snakes play important ecological roles, from controlling rodent populations to serving as each predator and prey in meals webs. But, they continue to be amongst among the most elusive and infrequently underreported, which makes gathering long-term, repeatable information on their distribution and abundance particularly difficult. Some species, such because the jap hog-nosed snake and jap foxsnake, are listed as threatened or endangered and urgently want assist to make sure their survival. That’s the place Ontario Nature’s LTMP comes into play. By coaching neighborhood scientists to survey in constant methods over time, we are able to construct a stronger, province-wide dataset that helps biologists and researchers determine modifications in inhabitants traits, inform restoration plans, and prioritize habitats for cover.
Thinking about getting concerned? Contact our Conservation Science Coordinator, Teagan Netten, at teagann@ontarionature.org.
Ontario Nature gratefully acknowledges the monetary assist of Hodgson Household Basis, TD Pals of the Setting Basis, Huronia Group Basis, a public basis serving the individuals of North Simcoe, and the Coronary heart of Georgian Bay Group Ahead Fund.
Ethan Owen is a conservation science intern at Ontario Nature. He’s at present finishing his graduate research at York College, the place his analysis focuses on turtle inhabitants dynamics and habitat use in Central Texas. Over the summer season he will probably be supporting snake surveys in Norfolk County and helping with different area initiatives and occasions.
