HHLT Species at Risk

HHLT Species at Risk

Kelton Adderley-Heron, Michael Duquette, Mikayla Young

Haliburton Highlands Land Trust, Greg Wickware

Tom Whillans, Environmental and Resource Science/Studies

TP-4864

2019

Online

Haliburton County

The Barnum Creek, Dahl Forest and Barry Wetland properties of Haliburton Highlands Land Trust are valuable habitats for species that require wetlands, now more than ever due to the rapid decrease in wetlands in Canada over recent years, especially in Ontario (Eamer et al., 2010). The aim of this paper is to use a literature review to identify species-at-risk that could be found within these wetlands, describe their characteristics and habitat requirements, and to outline some recommendations for managing their habitat . It was found that there could possibly be 10 species-at-risk within these locations, those being: Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica), Blanding’s Turtles (Emydoidea blandingii), Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera), Least Bitterns (Ixobrychus exilis), Little Brown Myotis’ (Myotis lucifigus), Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus), Snapping Turtles (Chelydra serpentina), Spotted Turtles (Clemmys guttata), and Western Chorus Frogs (Pseudacris triseriata). The main management recommendations are to where possible, protect and maintain upland habitat surrounding wetlands from disturbance, especially clear-cut logging, and to carefully plan development so as to not degrade or fragment the wetland environments.