ENVIRONMENT

 species at risk workshops focus on a snake and a sink.

With: Muthoni Ismail

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (photo Will Jones)

Did you know that the Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake will hiss and strike when cornered? It’s OK though, because it’s not venomous, has no teeth and such poor eyesight that it’ll probably miss anyway.
And, how about the fact that the Five Lined Skink has a bright blue tail when it’s young, which falls off and wiggles around on its own if tugged by a predator, or clumsy amateur naturalist.
These gems of information were just a smidgen of what was learned by a small but enraptured audience at the Species at Risk Workshop, held at the Gooderham Community Centre on July 23. Hosted by the Halliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) and The Land Between, the workshop was one of a series currently touring the county in places where there are areas of particular biological interest.
“We’ve been to Dorset; today, we’re at Gooderham and Wilberforce and on August 6, there’ll be two more, in Minden and Miner’s Bay,” said Sheila Ziman, chair of the HHLT. “Our choice of location was influenced by our desire to find out more about these particular areas, in which currently we don’t have much data about threatened species such as the Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake and Five Lined Skink.”
Ziman introduced the workshop and talked about the 21 species of threatened wildlife in Halliburton County. She told of the HHLT’s work mapping the potentially suitable habitat for endangered species in the county and of over 450 reported sightings of endangered or threatened species in the recent past.
“Since we started logging reported sightings local people have become really involved,” said Ziman. “We have also mapped 50 ecologically important wetlands identified within the county so far and there are many more. In fact, I found out about one today, at the workshop in Wilberforce.”

Ziman went on to describe the 21 threatened species in the County and talk about their traits and quirks in order to let us none-experts better look out for and identify them.
We learned that the Blanding’s turtle has a yellow throat and looks as though it is smiling at you; and, that snapping turtles can jump if provoked. We discovered that Milk Snakes are called so because farmers used to find them in barns and believe they stole milk from the cows (They don’t. The snakes are more likely to be after rodents).
Engelmann’s Quillwort is a small grass-like plant that grows in shallow water. Or rather it did. This plant can be found at just two locations across Canada: both are in Ontario and one is in Halliburton Country. Similarly, American Ginseng is also categorized as endangered both provincially and nationally. It is difficult to distinguish from Sarsaparilla but, with Ziman’s advice, one attendee went home to check on what she thought might be Ginseng growing in her garden. She promised to report back to HHLT with her findings.
And that is the beauty of this Country, We are all lucky enough to be living amongst wildlife, some of which is endangered and very difficult to spot unless you have know how.
Leora Berman, program manager of the Land Between, took over from Ziman and explained more about the significance of the place in which we live. She went into detail about the Land Between and its meaning. “We’re in an acetone in biologist-speak,” she said, “on the transition between the Canadian Shield, which stretches down from the north, and the St Lawrence Lowlands, which spread up from the south. The result is a fantastically diverse strip of land that is home to creatures from both regions.”
This coincidence of nature means that Halliburton County is home to fishers, black bears, river otters, lynx and grey wolves, all of whom live on the shield. And, it is also possible to see European hares, cottontails, striped skunk and many other critters, who make their home in the lowlands too. But with this cornucopia of wildlife comes a responsibility to protect its habitat; the tract of nature that has been dubbed the Land Between.
Berman then went on to focus on the Eastern Hog-Nosed Snake and Five Lined Skink; outlining their preferred habitats and quirks.
“The Eastern Hog-Nose has been persecuted because it is bigger than say garter snakes and looks scary. People commonly called it the Puff Adder in the past,” she explained. “But, really, it is non-venomous and only interested in being left alone, so we shouldn’t be alarmed if we see it.”
Similarly, the Five Lined Skink is not dangerous in any way. In fact, its defence is to drop its tail if a predator grabs it. The tail then wiggles like a crazed worm, attracting the attention of the predator and so allowing the skink to escape.
“The trouble is,” said Berman, “the skinks store a lot of fat in their tail and so if they lose it they are in danger of starvation in the lean months. So, if you see one please don’t grab it by the tail.”
The largest threat to both species, though, is habitat loss on micro and macro levels. Both Berman and Ziman instilled the need for conservation of natural habitat and careful consideration of the uses to which developed land is put.
“If you look at a map of the Land Between, ninety percent of the landscape is still green and predominantly undeveloped,” said Berman. “This makes it all the more important to endangered species and we must do our utmost to protect and maintain it as wild land.”
The final two Species at Risk workshops are on August 6. In Minden the workshop will be at R.D. Lawrence Place, 174 Bobcaygeon Rd, from 10-11:30 a.m.: while, the Miner’s Bay Lodge will host a later workshop at 9718 Hwy 35, from 1-2:30 p.m. For more information go to www.haliburtonlandtrust.ca; call (705) 454-8107 or emailadmin@haliburtonlandtrust.ca.