City o f Ma rkha m’ s Wildlife Se rvic e s I nve nto ry o f Pro g ra ms a nd Se rvic e s Ge ne ra l Co mmitte e Mo nda y April 9, 2018
Purpo se : Pro vide a n o ve rvie w o f a ll the c urre nt pro g ra ms, pra c tic e s a nd se rvic e s tha t the City ha s in pla c e to pro mo te a nd pro te c t its wildlife . I de ntify wha t we do we ll in the City to pro mo te a nd pro te c t o ur wildlife . I de ntify a re a s fo r impro ve me nt to o ur c urre nt pro g ra ms a nd se rvic e s.
Ba c kg ro und: City o f Ma rkha m’ s inte ra c tio ns with wildlife a re g uide d b y the fo llo wing princ ipa ls: 1. Wildlife ha s intrinsic , e c o lo g ic a l, e c o no mic , so c ia l a nd c ultura l value . 2. Ma rkha m r e he althy a nd susta ina b le wildlife po pula tio ns. e side nts de sir Ide ntify a nd pr ote c t na tura l he rita g e syste ms a nd wildlife ha b ita ts. 3. 4. T he City re c o g nize s the impor tanc e of planning and managing na tura l he rita g e re so urc e s e sponsible fo r pre ve nting a nd ma na g ing huma n-wildlife 5. E ve r yone is r c o nflic ts. 6. Pre ve ntio n o f human- wildlife c onflic t is ac hie ve d thr ough pr oac tive e ffor ts a nd a n a da ptive ma na g e me nt a ppro a c h. 7. E ffe c tive outr e ac h and e duc ation a re impo rta nt fo r mitig a ting fo r huma n- wildlife c o nflic ts.
Anima l Se rvic e s – Wha t we do ? Re spo nsib le fo r the we lfa re o f b o th do me stic a nd wild a nima ls. E nfo rc e s the City’ s Anima l Co ntro l By-la w. Pro vide s thro ug h o ur se rvic e pro vide r Sha de s o f Ho pe , wildlife se rvic e s inc luding re ha b ilita tio n. F a c ilita te e duc a tio na l o ppo rtunitie s fo r re side nts o n living with wildlife .
Anima l Se rvic e s – Wha t we do we ll? A le a de r in wildlife re ha b ilita tio n we ll a b o ve wha t o the r munic ipa litie s pro vide . T o -da te , Ma rkha m re ma ins o ne o f o nly two Onta rio munic ipa litie s tha t pro vide s funding fo r wildlife re ha b ilita tio n. T he City is o ne o f the o nly munic ipa litie s in the Pro vinc e to ha ve a n Adviso ry Co mmitte e so le ly de dic a te d to a nima l we lfa re . T he City’ s Anima l Ca re Co mmitte e (ACC) ha s pla ye d a n inte g ra l pa rt in fra ming Ma rkha m’ s a nima l se rvic e s de live ry mo de l a nd the ACC’ s fundra ising e ffo rts c o ntrib ute d to the e sta b lishme nt o f the inno va tive o ppo rtunitie s like the Ca t Ado ptio n a nd E duc a tio n Ce ntre . ACC’ s pa rtic ipa tio n wa s instrume nta l in the City b e c o ming a le a de r in wildlife re ha b ilita tio n a t the munic ipa l le ve l.
Anima l Se rvic e s – Whe re we c a n impro ve ? Public E duc ation Pre ve nting ha rmful inte ra c tio ns b e twe e n re side nts a nd wildlife . An o ppo rtunity to inc re a se a wa re ne ss o f wildlife issue s in Ma rkha m. T he City ha s, o ve r the pa st se ve ra l mo nths, inc re a se d pub lic e duc a tio n a ro und wildlife issue s a nd c urre ntly two se ssio ns a re b o o ke d fo r 2018, o ne spe c ific a lly o n c o yo te b e ha vio rs a nd ma na g e me nt. Ame ndme nts to Mar kham’s Animal Contr ol By- law Sta ff ide ntifie d g a ps in c urre nt By-la w’ s wildlife re g ula tio ns inc luding the fe e ding o f wildlife . F e e ding o f wildlife c a n c re a te a nuisa nc e fo r re side ntia l a re a s b y a ttra c ting wildlife a nd ma ke s wildlife de pe nde nt o n the un-na tura l fo o d so urc e . Sta ff pla n to b ring fo rwa rd b y-la w a me ndme nts to c o rre c t the se g a ps in 2018. Conflic ting City Re gulations Sta ff ide ntifie d c o nflic ting munic ipa l re g ula tio ns re g a rding the tre a tme nt o f wildlife . Anima l c o ntro l By-la w pro hib its the re mo va l o f wildlife fro m City Pro pe rty, Pa rks By-la w pe rmits fishing in c e rta in Ma rkha m pa rks.
Ope ra tio ns a nd E nviro nme nta l Se rvic e s – Wha t we do ? Re spo nsib le fo r the ma inte na nc e , re pa ir, re sto ra tio n a nd ma na g e me nt o f City o wne d o r ma na g e d pa rks, ro a ds, a nd the ir re la te d infra struc ture . E spe c ia lly tho se within va lle y la nds, pro vide ha b ita t a nd se rve a s c o rrido rs to suppo rt a nd fa c ilita te the mo ve me nt o f wildlife . F o llo w a re g ula to ry fra me wo rk o f five F e de ra l a nd fo ur Pro vinc ia l Ac ts, se rve to g o ve rn a nd info rm a ny wo rk a c tivity tha t ha s the po te ntia l to c a use ha rm to wildlife o r the ir ha b ita t.
Ope ra tio ns a nd E nviro nme nta l Se rvic e s – Wha t we do we ll? I de ntify insta nc e s a nd a re a s whe re the e nda ng e re d spe c ie s a re a t risk a nd ta ke ste ps to pro te c t the spe c ie s thro ug h ha b ita t pro te c tio n a nd re ha b ilita tio n. Pla n o ur wo rk in se nsitive a re a s to b o th e nsure tha t it is in c o mplia nc e with the Pro vinc ia l a nd F e de ra l le g isla tive fra me wo rk a nd minimize a ny ne g a tive impa c t o n wildlife . Wo rking with the lo c a l re side nts a sso c ia tio ns to c re a te a nd insta ll pa rk sig na g e to e nlist the he lp o f pa rk visito rs to pro te c t a nd minimize the impa c t o f re side nts sha ring the wildlife ’ s ho me s Sinc e 2007, Ma rkha m’ s T re e s fo r T o mo rro w Pro g ra m ha s he lpe d to suppo rt a la rg e numb e r o f ha b ita t re sto ra tio n pro je c ts in pa rks a nd na tura l a re a s a c ro ss the City. A 2015 wo o dla nd a sse ssme nt b y the Re g io n de te rmine d tha t the City’ s inve nto ry o f wo o dla nd ha b ita t inc re a se d in a re a b y mo re tha n 230 he c ta re s sinc e 2009, the se c o nd hig he st inc re a se o f the Re g io n. I n c o lla b o ra tio n, with the Da vid Suzuki F o unda tio n, the City b e c a me Ca na da ’ s first ‘ Mo na rc h F rie ndly City’ in April 2016.
nviro nme nta l Se rvic e s – Whe re c a n we impro ve ? Ope ra tio ns a nd E Wo rking with Anima l Se rvic e s to e nsure tha t City b y-la ws a re no t in c o nflic t with o pe ra tio na l pra c tic e s. Wo rk to e nsure tha t se nsitive a re a s a re ide ntifie d a nd pro pe rly a nd c o nsiste ntly sig ne d to pro te c t wildlife a nd e duc a te re side nts. Re spo nding to issue s with wildlife g e tting into City wa ste re c e pta c le s with the a dditio n o f lids whic h to de te r the m o n a n a s ide ntifie d b a sis.
Pla nning a nd Urb a n De sig n – Wha t we do ? Re spo nsib le fo r pre pa ra tio n a nd imple me nta tio n o f Ma rkha m’ s Offic ia l Pla n (OP) to g uide future de ve lo pme nt a nd to ma na g e g ro wth. A ke y c o mpo ne nt o f the OP is the ide ntific a tio n o f a City-wide Gre e nwa y Syste m whic h a re pro te c te d la nds tha t a re no t a va ila b le fo r urb a n la nd use s a nd de ve lo pme nt. Pro te c t a nd pre se rve this c o nne c te d ne two rk o f na tura l he rita g e a nd hydro lo g ic fe a ture s to ma inta in via b le wildlife po pula tio ns o ve r the lo ng te rm. Wo rk with o utside a g e nc ie s like the T o ro nto Re g io n Co nse rva tio n Autho rity to e nsure a ll de ve lo pme nt a pplic a tio ns a nd studie s me e t the po lic y re q uire me nts a nd fo llo w b e st pra c tic e s.
Pla nning a nd Urb a n De sig n – Wha t we do we ll? Re q uire prio r to de ve lo pme nt a dja c e nt to the Gre e nwa y Syste m, E nviro nme nta l I mpa c t Studie s (E I S) to a ddre ss po te ntia l impa c ts to na tura l he rita g e fe a ture s. T he purpo se o f the E I S is to pro vide re c o mme nda tio ns to a vo id, minimize , o r mitig a te the impa c ts o f de ve lo pme nt. T he City ha s b e e n a n e a rly a do pte r o f pro g re ssive na tura l he rita g e pla nning po lic y a s de mo nstra te d thro ug h the a ppro va l o f va rio us Offic ia l Pla n Ame ndme nts a nd thro ug h po lic y studie s suc h a s the City’ s Bird F rie ndly Guide line s.
Pla nning a nd Urb a n De sig n – Whe re we c a n impro ve ? Re se ar c h of the Impac ts of Road De sign on Wildlife Move me nts Sta ff a re wo rking with the T RCA to b e tte r unde rsta nd ho w to b uild the se e c o lo g ic a l princ ipa ls into o ur de ve lo pme nt pra c tic e s. Inve ntor y of Wildlife Spe c ie s T he so le City-wide inve nto ry o f wildlife spe c ie s in Ma rkha m wa s unde rta ke n in the e a rly 1990s a nd a t the time , 77 b ird spe c ie s, 7 a mphib ia n/ re ptile spe c ie s, a nd 12 ma mma l spe c ie s we re ide ntifie d. An upda te d wildlife study a nd inve nto ry ma y pro vide use ful insig hts a nd info rma tio n o n spe c ie s a nd ha b ita t dive rsity a nd he lp info rm future upda te s to the Offic ia l Pla n o r o the r po lic y do c ume nts. Ide ntific ation of Spe c ialize Habitats T he City’ s da ta o n na tura l a re a s is g e ne ra lly o nly a va ila b le a t a fa irly c o a rse le ve l a nd mo re de ta ile d studie s wo uld a ssist in ma na g ing the se a sse ts.
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