Queensnake recovery, distribution and stewardship in Huron County 1 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Queensnake recovery, distribution and stewardship in Huron County

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Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)

 Small to medium semi-aquatic snake  Brown to olive back with narrow black stripes  Belly is pale yellow with narrow black stripes

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Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)

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Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)

Females

 are larger than males  have an abrupt taper from vent to tail

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Age Gender Average Length (cm) Weight (g) Adult Female 59 44 Male 54 39 Sub-adult Female 51 30 Male 48 27 Juvenile Unknown 36 16 Neonate Unknown 21 3

Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)

Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)

 Hibernate through the fall and winter  Emerge in spring  Give birth to live young between July and September

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Other snakes along the Lower Maitland

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Dekay’s Brownsnake Eastern Gartersnake Milksnake Photos from OntarioNature.org Red-bellied snake

Where do Queensnakes live?

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10  Under or around medium-sized rocks along a river’s shoreline  Areas with no woody vegetation, low water flow 

Crayfish present

Where do Queensnakes live?

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 Two species of crayfish:

 Northern Clearwater Crayfish* (Orconectes propinquus)  Virile Crayfish (Orconectes virilis)

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Food source: Crayfish along the Maitland

Northern Clearwater Crayfish Virile Crayfish

Critical habitat features

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 Areas that are critical for

Queensnake survival and reproduction

 Parturition (birthing) sites  Hibernation sites  Movement between populations

Potential hibernation site

Threats

 Habitat destruction and degradation  Intentional human-caused death  Unintentional human-caused death or disturbance

(trampling)

 ATV, hiking, fishing

 Pollution  Invasive plants and wildlife

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Invasive Rusty Crayfish

Why should we care?

 Important part of the food web  Diverse ecosystem is more resilient  Indicator of watershed health

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Research Questions

 How large are the populations in the Maitland?  Does the availability of food (crayfish) influence the

distribution and number of Queensnakes?

 What is the range of Queensnakes along the Maitland River?  Where do Queensnakes hibernate and give birth?  How far do they move (up/down stream, in land, to

hibernacula, etc.)?

 How can we work together to conserve this sensitive species?

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Photo: Joe Crowley

Mark-Recapture

 Repeated surveys at same sites  During each survey, observed snakes are marked  Commonly used technique: proportion of un-marked to

marked individuals is used to calculate total population size estimate

 Started in 2012 and ongoing in 2013

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Mark-Recapture

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 5 survey sites on

the Maitland River

 Sites are surveyed

every 4 weeks

 Habitat and

crayfish are also studied

Mark-Recapture: Results

 2012: 71 snakes marked  2013: 62 snakes marked so far  Analysis of data ongoing

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Exploratory Surveys, 2011-13

 2011 – 88 snakes at 16 different locations along the Lower

Maitland River

 Caught 27 snakes in one day, identified possible parturition

site

 Searched the Nine Mile River and Bayfield River (ABCA) 22

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Nine Mile River

Results 2011

River(s) Average # hours spent locating one snake Average # of rocks flipped to locate one snake Maitland, Nine Mile, and Bayfield

4 2970

Maitland

3.6 2829

Maitland River excluding

• utlier

5 4169

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Exploratory Surveys, 2011-13

 2011 – 88 snakes at 16 different sites along the Lower

Maitland River

 Caught 27 snakes in one day, identified possible parturition

site

 Searched the Nine Mile River and Bayfield River (ABCA)

 2012 - 119 snakes, found snakes in 3 new locations

 Identified potential hibernacula 25

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Exploratory Surveys, 2011-13

 2011 – 88 snakes at 16 different sites along the Lower

Maitland River

 Caught 27 snakes in one day, identified possible parturition

site

 Searched the Nine Mile River and Bayfield River (ABCA)

 2012 - 119 snakes, found snakes in 3 new locations

 Identified potential hibernacula

 2013 – searching for 80.75 person hours, found snakes in 3

new locations

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Implications of the Results

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 Learn more about the species’ range  Identified large populations that could be used to study the

species more in depth (mark-recapture survey, habitat use, population size, demographics)

 Contributing to the National Heritage Information Centre,

Ontario Nature’s Reptile and Amphibian Atlas

 Improving the recovery strategy  Raise public awareness

Implications of the Results

 “The fact that you and your crew have successfully located

numerous snakes along multiple river sites over a relatively short period of time is in itself remarkable based on past efforts to survey for this species.” (Scott Gillingwater)

 “Information gathered from this study will provide currently

unavailable data for the species, not only in the Maitland watershed, but for the species across its Canadian range.”

(Scott Gillingwater)

 The Maitland River remains healthy – therefore it’s probably the

best opportunity we have to collaborate with local conservation partners and the community to conserve a Queensnake population in Ontario

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Future Goals for Recovery

 Continue mark-recapture surveys  Delineate habitat features  Crayfish surveys and research  Use of telemetry  Continue education 31

What can I do?

 Ontario Nature’s Reptile and Amphibian Atlas  Spread the word!  Keep our river healthy

 Maintain natural vegetation along the shoreline 32

Benefits of having Species at Risk on your property

 Preserving sensitive species and habitats adds to the overall resiliency of the system  Funding is available for projects on your property

 Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program (up to 80% funding)

 Habitat protection in livestock systems (removing watering systems, fencing, improved stream

crossings)

 Habitat development (planting trees, native grass habitat restoration, wetland restoration, etc.)  Restoration of degraded areas (invasive plant species control)  Planning for action (grazing management, soil erosion control, biodiversity enhancement, riparian

health assessment) 33

Lois Sinclair lsinclair@ontariosoilcrop.org cell: 519 955 3139

How can I learn more?

 Websites: Ontario Nature, Ministry of Natural Resources,

the Nature Conservancy of Canada

 Take home a Stewardship Guide, fact sheet  Visit the NCC website – updates on Huron County research  Survey sheets 34