“Of
Great Concern is the Potential Loss of
Endangered
Species Act
which could spell extinction for 'threatened wildlife'
across Ontario”, wrote Dr. Anne Bell and Ron Corkum.
“We
are now in the throes of the largest mass extinction
since
the disappearance of the dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago.
Let
that sink in!
“In
Ontario alone, there are 243 species currently listed as at
risk. The
Carolinian region in southern Ontario, is home to the highest
concentration of of endangered
species in
Canada.
For many of these animals and plants, their decline is due to
'habitat loss' and 'degradation'. Rampant development in the area
has left these species without a home ~ and has driven their
populations into serious decline!
“Examples
of endangered
species in
our region are: The Jefferson
Salamander which
depends on breeding ponds in woodlands for survival and the Redside
Dace, a
minnow of cold water streams.
Unfortunately, these species are on the path to extinction
if they do not receive adequate protection ~ and they are not alone!
“The
most important legal tool protecting our at
risk species is
Ontario's Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA). The ESA's purpose is
to protect and support recovery of at-risk-species
and their habitats.
But, is it on the chopping block?
“In
January 2019, the Ontario government's Ministry
of Environment...Conservation and Parks (MECP) announced
that it would review the Endangered
Species Act. After
assessing the government's
discussion
paper about the upcoming review,
it is obvious that the changes under consideration are not for the
good of Ontario's species.
In fact: They are going in the opposite direction
marked with a big green light for industry and developers!
Both writers, Dr. Anne Bell and Ron Corkum advise everyone:
Tell Ontario government that Endangered Species are not Red Tape!
“Lead
Use by Hunters and Anglers Should be Banned!”
Says
University of Guelph Biology Expert,Vernon Thomas
who says there are some regulations to protect wildlife from lead,
but they don't go far enough!
As
Professor emeritus, he states: All
the lead shot that has been shot out
into the environment over the
last 200 years is very much still there!
Published by The Hamilton Spectator, February 19, 2019,
Mark
McNeil illustrates with a photo of “a
distressed juvenile bald eagle”,
discovered in late January in Cootes Paradise ~ and rescued by the
wildlife service.
The eagle died after the rescue.
Tests are being done to determine the cause of death,
but it is believed to be a result of lead poisoning.
“After
a series of apparent 'lead poisonings' of swans and juvenile bald
eagles in and around the Hamilton Harbour, government scientists and
others are trying to figure out if Hamilton Harbour may have 'hot
spots' for lead, possibly from lead used by anglers.Vernon Thomas,
who has researched lead and wildlife issues for 20 years ~ says it is
not surprising that a popular fishing area, where lead sinkers and
jigs are used by anglers, will produce cases of 'lead poisonings'
in scavenging bird species.
When asked, “How many years does lead in the environment pose a
threat,
Vernon
Thomas stated, “It
lingers a very long time. In environments with neutral alkaline
waters like we have in southern Ontario, lead pieces of shot and
sinkers will persist for 300 to 500 years before they corrode...and
dissolve...and break down into powders. For more acidic waters, as
on the Canadian Shield in northern and central Ontario, that could be
shortened by 100 to 200 years.”
When asked, “What is known about the extent of lead poisoning in
wildlife in Ontario?,
Vernon
Thomas stated, “It's
a big concern! We know, with loons that 25 to 30 percent of the
known deaths are due to lead ingestion. Certainly, the rate of loss
of lead weights by conventional anglers is quite high. The swans and
juvenile eagles fly over a wide area, so they would have picked up
the lead elsewhere ~ maybe from a lead-killed carcass of a deer or
similar animal. What happens, is that hunters will shoot a deer and
gut it ~ and think they are doing wildlife a favour by leaving the
guts. But
the guts contain broken bits of bullets that scavenger birds can
take in and digest.
What do you think should be done?
I
think we should take a federal approach to use regulations under the
Canada Environment Protection Act, We used those regulations for
banning leaded gasoline. We could use those same regulations for
'banning
lead fishing weights and bullets and shot in all hunting.
This would put hunting and fishing on a more sustainable basis. And
it would remove the problem of lead ingestion.
A
Wild Goose Chase ... for A Wild Turkey!
Jon Wells, intrepid reporter from The Hamilton Spectaor, goes on a
turkey trot
and finds a fiery bird of a different feather!
The office was quiet. Too quiet. The case crossed my desk,
jolting me from my languid lassitude.
The unruffled bearing...slender feet...unblinking stare...the
smooth head.
She was quite the bird! No wonder, everyone in Hamilton seemed to
be tweeting about her, like she was a mythical creature that appeared
and vanished at her pleasure. She was a turkey ~ a wild one.
From
the photos of at least one 'wild turkey' seen around the town, it was
a female. She was spotted twice last week and several times in the
past few months: Near Main Street and King, City Hall and around
Charlton Avenue West. Your
Assignment, should you choose to accept it,
said my editor,
is to find the wild turkey.
I
fired up my Challenger and rumbled east. First stop: for obvious
reasons: City Hall. I happened across birds of another feather, the
yellow-vested variety; a gaggle of protesters carrying Canadian
flags, and signs including one about the Prime Minister. Next stop:
Main and King. Tracks in the fresh snow in Gage Park; boots, shoes,
bicycle tires. No Wild Turkey! I clomped in my damp leather shoes
across King into a watering hole called 'Faces Cafe and Bar'. But the
bartender hadn't seen or heard of turkeys. I hit the Durand
neighbourhood where there was a siting 3 days earlier. Parking on
Charlton, I watched small birds zipping in and out of a hedge. At
the West Town Bar & Grill, Joe, behind the bar said, 'Folks see
the turkey around here regularly. One of the servers there showed me
a photo on her phone, she'd snapped. Joe then further mentioned,
“People around here have seen her walking down the middle of the
street. Wild turkeys, he said, usually walk in pairs, but this one
was alone. Strolling back to my car, I saw it! Someone had written
a note on a big piece of paper and slapped it on my windshield: “
You
are parked in front of my driveway!”
I headed back to the office...time to put this caper to bed! The
bird who walks alone clearly had flown!
(the foregoing are excerpts from his writing)
Author: Merle Baird-Kerr...written March 5, 2019
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