Tianna Burke, lands and wildlife programs manager at Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere, holds snapping turtle hatchlings before they are released into the wild.Supplied
Summer is road-trip and construction season on many of Canada’s country routes, sparking an unintended consequence: roadkill.
A few hours north of Toronto, in the Georgian Bay area, innovative efforts are now under way to prevent reptile mortalities, and they involve bicycles, snake trials, construction-worker training and new fence designs.
The area in Ontario is a designated UNESCO biosphere, or a region of global ecological significance. Of the 19 reptile species found in eastern Georgian Bay, 13 are considered at risk, and road mortality is a big factor in why they die.
Reptiles such as snakes, skinks and turtles are crucial to the ecosystem – and to human health. Snakes, for example, consume rodents, thus controlling tick populations and reducing the risk of Lyme disease, while snapping turtles help keep ponds and wetlands clean by eating decaying animals.
One pilot project is using a new type of fencing to stop snakes from slithering over roads. Snakes often seek out the warmth of asphalt in the summer, making them vulnerable to being run over by cars or construction vehicles.
New, concave fences being used in the Township of Carling, Ont. are part of a pilot project to help prevent road mortality of reptiles in the area.Supplied
“Fox snakes are one of the most notorious reptiles to keep off roads just because they’re so big and they’re so good at climbing,” said Tianna Burke, lands and wildlife programs manager at Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere, an environmental charity based in Parry Sound.
To prevent deaths, “we wanted to try something completely new that hadn’t really been tried yet.” Their efforts to understand roadkill began with collecting data by riding around rural roads on bicycles – recording the “hot spots” with high rates of reptile roadkill.
Previous attempts to prevent animal deaths included tall, vertical fences, which can pose challenges for snow-plowing or lawn-mowing equipment and people who need to cross roads. This new project, installed in November, 2022, uses fences that are just three feet and less disruptive for municipal work – but they are concave, making them tricky for critters to climb.
Turtles are ready to be released into the wild in 2022. Members of the Shawanaga and Wasauksing First Nations participated in what included teachings and cultural ceremonies in celebration of the release of the turtles on their traditional territory.
Painted turtle hatchling ready to be released in the Georgian Bay area. It was one of thousands released into the wild in 2022.Supplied
The group is working with Sabrina Lounsbury, a master’s student from Laurentian University who is collecting data on the reptile populations and evaluating the effectiveness of the efforts. Early results are promising, she said. She has tested 21 individual fox snakes on the new fence, conducting 27 trials since 2023. So far, none of them have been able to climb over with the exception of one unusually large, five-foot-long snake.
A bonus, she said, of using fox snakes as the target species for their behavioural trials is that, “since they are the largest snake in the area and the best climbers, we can assume that if the fence is successful for fox snakes, then it would also be successful for other reptiles, amphibians and small mammals.”
It’s too early to estimate how many lives have been saved from these efforts. But her team’s research of turtles has identified 180 from four species at risk that live in the wetland beside the fence. So far, they have not found any turtles dead on the road since the fence has been installed, she said.
Reducing reptile deaths has been a team effort – a partnership between local municipalities, public-works departments, construction companies, nearby First Nations communities, university students, local citizens and Killbear Provincial Park. Other jurisdictions in Ontario are now interested in replicating these efforts, Ms. Burke said.
A eastern foxsnake crosses a road near Parry Sound, Ont.. Road mortality is one of the highest threats to their population.Supplied
Sabrina Lounsbury, a Master’s student at Laurentian University, holds a foxsnake while doing field research.Supplied
Georgian Bay Biosphere is also training construction and hydro workers on how to detect and safeguard turtle nests, and how to move them off roads. Some are removed from construction sites. The organization has collected 10,258 eggs since 2020. Not all made it to the hatching stage, but the vast majority did. Between 2020 and last summer alone, 7,858 hatchlings were released back in the wild.
Construction workers are also becoming citizen scientists, helping to document where turtles are laying eggs. Some workers are so jazzed about the project, they’re bringing their kids and grandkids back to watch when the hatchlings are released: “They’ve gotten really, really into it,” Ms. Burke said.
The turtle eggs are taken to a turtle hatchery, where they are incubated in May and June; they typically hatch from the end of July until early September, after which they are released.
“To actually see the babies that came out of the eggs that [the workers] had saved and helped save and release them back into the wetlands – it’s created some pretty special memories for them,” Ms. Burke said.
Chris Waefler, public-works manager for the Township of Carling, said workers have learned how to handle a snake along with where to look for nests and turtle tracks. His team even times the planning of projects to mitigate the impact on wildlife – trying to start roadwork earlier in May, before turtles nest, and not returning until the fall, after they’ve hatched.
He’s so enthused about the projects that he’s taken his daughter to watch the baby turtles be released.
“She was very excited to see that. Like I said, they’ve been here a lot longer than us. To me, it’s important to work with Mother Nature,” Mr. Waefler said.