Over the past few years the plight of the world's amphibians has received considerable publicity. Scientists from around the globe have watched amphibian populations decline and even disappear. In Ontario, as in most other places, there are few baseline data from which to determine if amphibians are really declining. Recently, a number of projects have been initiated to learn more about the province's amphibians and help ensure their long-term survival.
The Canadian Wildlife Service is coordinating several amphibian monitoring studies province-wide. "Amphibian Road Call Counts" are similar to the "Breeding Bird Survey" (BBS) routes which have been run for many years by ornithologists and birdwatchers. Participants select a 7.2 km route to drive. Three times during the spring and summer the route is driven between dusk and midnight. At each of ten survey points, .8 km apart, participants listen for three minutes and tally calling amphibians.
An even simpler survey is the "Backyard Frog Survey" where participants listen daily for calling frogs and toads and record the information on a daily log. Both surveys will give biologists a better picture of amphibian populations in the province and will help determine if declines are taking place. Participants in either survey receive the newsletter "The Ontario Chorus". For further information contact "Frog Surveys", c/o Canadian Wildlife Service, Canada Centre for Inland Waters, 867 Lakeshore Road, P.O. Box 5050, Burlington, Ontario L7R 4A6 (905-336-4968).
Another project which monitors both birds and amphibians is the "Marsh Monitoring Program" coordinated by the Long Point Bird Observatory. The goal of this project is to monitor the health of marshes in the Great Lakes area by surveying indicator species that utilize these habitats during the breeding season. Volunteers receive a Marsh Monitoring Training Kit with written instructions and a tape of bird and amphibian calls. For further information contact the Marsh Monitoring Program, Long Point Bird Observatory, P.O. Box 160, Port Rowan, Ontario N0E 1M0 (519-586-3531).
For several years the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo has been organizing the "Adopt-A-Pond" program. This program is aimed mainly at schools who participate by either adopting, restoring or creating wetland habitats. To participate contact Heather Gosselin, Adopt-A-Pond Program Coordinator, Metropolitan Toronto Zoo, P.O. Box 280, West Hill, Ontario M1E 4R5 (416-392-5900).
The Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary (OHS) project continues to gather and computerize information on Ontario amphibians and reptiles. Data gathered will provide baseline information against which future changes in amphibian and reptile populations can be compared. The Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) is helping with the preparation of an atlas of Ontario amphibians and reptiles based on over 100,000 records gathered by the OHS project. Any records of Ontario amphibians and reptiles which have not already been submitted can be sent to the NHIC for inclusion in the Atlas. For more information see the recent (March 1995) OHS newsletter, available from the NHIC.
Projects similar to those described above are being undertaken in other provinces and throughout the world. Canadian efforts are being coordinated by the Canadian Task Force on Declining Amphibian Populations (DAPCAN), which is part of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Task Force on Declining Amphibian Populations. Each year since 1991 Canadian biologists have met to discuss amphibian decline and monitoring. This year's meeting will take place in October in Burlington. Watch the NHIC newsletter for further details.
1994 was a banner year for botanical finds in the province, including four native additions to the Ontario flora. Some amazing plant discoveries continue to be made in parts of southern Ontario where one might think the flora is very well known. Undoubtedly, 1994's botanical highlight was the discovery of a new woody plant species for Canada, Bear Oak (Quercus ilicifolia). Sean Blaney, Vivian Brownell, and Paul Catling discovered this shrubby oak at several nearby sites in eastern Ontario while conducting fieldwork for ANSI (Area of Natural and Scientific Interest) reports. Not only was Bear Oak found during this fieldwork, but a number of other very significant botanical discoveries were made in eastern Ontario by Vivian and Paul, including Rotala (Rotala ramosior - second Ontario and first eastern Ontario record), Three-awn Grass (Aristida dichotoma - first native Ontario record), Engelmann's Spike-rush (Eleocharis engelmannii - seventh Ontario and first eastern Ontario record), Autumn Coral-root (Corallorhiza odontorhiza - first eastern Ontario record), and False Pimpernell (Lindernia dubia var. anagallidea - first eastern Ontario record). In addition to being new records for eastern Ontario, all these plants are also provincially rare and currently tracked by the NHIC. Details of these finds have been outlined in a paper submitted to the Canadian Field-Naturalist by their discovers (Brownell, Blaney and Catling 1995).
NHIC fieldwork resulted in two additions to Ontario's native flora. On Pelee Island a specimen of the Tickle Grass, Agrostis hyemalis, was collected. This grass is not attributed to Ontario by Dore and McNeill (1980) or Morton and Venn (1990), or to Canada by Scoggan (1978). Agrostis hyemalis is closely related to another Tickle Grass species, Agrostis scabra, which is not uncommon in Ontario, in fact, some authors consider Agrostis scabra to be a variety of Agrostis hyemalis. This record from the Stone Road Alvar on Pelee Island is another in the long list of rare plants known from the site, including three others currently unknown elsewhere in Canada (Blephilia ciliata, Muhlenbergia sobolifera, Solidago ulmifolia).
At an alvar site in eastern Ontario, a population of Short-pedicelled Chickweed (Cerastium brachypodum) was discovered. This species had not previously been found in Ontario (Morton and Venn 1990; J.K. Morton personal communication). It is possible that it has been overlooked because it is similar to Nodding Chickweed, Cerastium nutans. Fieldwork on eastern Ontario alvars this year will attempt to determine if this plant occurs at additional sites.
A study of significant natural areas along the Niagara Escarpment by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources resulted in an exciting rediscovery. Trail Plant (Adenocaulon bicolor) had not been seen in Ontario this century, the only previous record being an 1895 collection from Cape Croker on the Bruce Peninsula. In 1994 Steve Varga found a population on the Meaford Tank Range (a site which can only be visited by special permission) near Owen Sound. Trail Plant is a largely western species which is disjunct in the Great Lakes area.
Brendon Larson's discovery of the Spike-rush Eleocharis nitida in Brant County is the first southern Ontario report of this rare plant (Larson 1995), previously known in the province only from a few northern sites. In London, Bill Draper found a population of Beak Grass (Diarrhena obovata), the third Ontario record for a plant not known in Canada a decade ago. At South Fowl Lake in northern Ontario, Sue Bryan and Al Harris discovered the province's second locality for Stemless Locoweed (Oxytropis viscida var. viscida), a western species disjunct in the Great Lakes area. Fieldwork by NHIC biologists on Manitoulin Island resulted in the discovery of at least 15 plants not previously reported from Manitoulin (by Morton and Venn 1984), including two provincial rarities (Cyperus houghtonii and Eleocharis rostellata).
With the 1995 botanical season almost upon us, who knows what exciting finds this year will bring!
The NHIC would like to thank the individuals mentioned in this article for sharing their
discoveries with us, and the following botanists for assisting with specimen identification:
Peter Ball, Harvey Ballard, Donald Britton, Paul Catling, Stephen Darbyshire, John Morton,
Thomas Patrick, James Phipps, Richard Rabeler, Tony Reznicek, and Gordon Tucker.
References
Brownell, V.R., C.S. Blaney and P.M. Catling. 1995. Recent discoveries of southern vascular
plants at their northern limits in the granite barrens area of Lennox and Addington County,
Ontario. Canadian Field-Naturalist: submitted manuscript.
Dore, W.G. and J. McNeill. 1980. Grasses of Ontario. Research Branch Monograph 26,
Agriculture Canada, Ottawa. 566 pp.
Larson, B.M.H. 1995. An assortment of new county plant records for southern Ontario:
evidence for Murphy's Law. Field Botanists of Ontario Newsletter 8(1):9-15.
Morton, J.K. and J.M. Venn. 1984. The Flora of Manitoulin Island. Second Revised Edition.
University of Waterloo Biology Series 28, Waterloo. 181 pp. + maps.
Morton, J.K. and J.M. Venn. 1990. A Checklist of the Flora of Ontario - Vascular Plants.
University of Waterloo Biology Series 34, Waterloo. 218 pp.
Scoggan, H.J. 1978. The Flora of Canada. Part 2 - Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae,
Monocotyledoneae. Publications in Botany 7(2):93-545, National Museum of Natural Sciences,
Ottawa.
Plans for the 1995 field season include surveys for several endangered species. Surveys of historic occurrences of King Rail (Rallus elegans) will be conducted in marshes along the Lake Ontario and Erie shorelines in an attempt to better determine the current provincial population. As in much of the interior portion of its North American range, King Rail has been declining steadily in Ontario over the past 25 to 30 years. Continued degradation and loss of its preferred shrub marsh habitat, coupled with declines in its provincial population promoted its recent designation as 'Endangered in Canada' by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
Henslow's Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) surveys will again be conducted in 1995. Specific searches will target the central Lake Ontario counties, where both large tracts of previously unsurveyed mesic to wet old field habitat occur, as well as sites known to have harboured the species historically.
Like King Rail, Henslow's Sparrow has been declining steadily in Ontario since the 1960's. Although individuals are still detect-ed sparingly at migration monitoring stations like Long Point, annual totals of five or fewer territorial males have been documented in recent years in Ontario. The perilous status of the species in the province, combined with its documented decline elsewhere, prompted its official listing as Endangered by the Ministry of Natural Resources in 1994.
Pearly Mussels, unionids or clams (Mollusca: Unionidae), are a conspicuous and locally common component of the aquatic invertebrate fauna of many rivers, lakes, and streams throughout Ontario. Southwestern Ontario supports the most diverse assemblage of clams, with over 30 species having been recorded in one southern Ontario river alone.
In recent decades pearly mussels have suffered apparent dramatic declines in southern Ontario and elsewhere in North America. Of the 297 recognized North American taxa, 213 (or nearly 72%) are now considered endangered, threatened or of special concern, due to recent marked declines in their populations (Williams et al. 1993). Causes for these declines are many, and include: organic, inorganic and thermal pollution; siltation; damming and other alterations to river channels; and the introduction of nonindigenous molluscs.
The most recent threat faced by pearly mussels in the Great Lakes basin is overwhelming competition from the introduced Zebra (Dreissena polymorpha), and Quagga (D. bugensis) Mussels. These small molluscs have already decimated native mollusc populations in the lower Great Lakes, and threaten to destroy populations along the lower reaches of several mollusc-rich rivers in the southwest, as well.
Many clam species in Ontario are rare (and a few extirpated). However, information on the distribution and status of Ontario populations of most species is incomplete, and data are currently needed for many species in order to establish priorities for effectively conserving their populations.
Biologists at the NHIC are therefore initiating a survey of the Pearly Mussels of Ontario. Individuals interested in contributing to this survey may assist the NHIC by making collections of the clams in their area.
Fortunately, it is not necessary to collect living clams; in fact, the collection of live specimens should be discouraged. Ontario clam species may be identified based on features present on dead shells (see Clarke 1981). Such characters as shell size, colour, pattern and surface texture are used to differentiate species. Moreover, the collection of relatively unworn, 'fresh' dead shells may indicate the presence of a 'live' mussel bed nearby, without further impacting or disturbing the population.
Pearly mussel shells can often be found in considerable numbers on sand and gravel bars, and scattered along lake and river shores. Canoeing or walking along shorelines is an excellent way of searching for clam shells. Dead shells should be collected and placed in a suitable container. Inasmuch as paper bags become weakened by wet shells, deteriorate and break in the field, plastic "Zip-lock" bags are a practical way of storing shells in the field. Try to select several examples of each species present at each locality; selecting complete (i.e., both halves from the same individual), relatively unworn shells. Keep shells from different localities separate, placing a label in each container of shells, in the field. The label should provide, at a minimum: a precise location (i.e., preferably using a UTM grid reference derived from an NTS map in the field), date, collector, and waterbody name. Habitat data (i.e., water depth, substrate type, water clarity, submerged vegetation, etc.), and an estimate of the number of shells present, are also very useful. Labels should be written on sturdy paper (i.e., high rag content, if possible) using a pencil or waterproof ink pen. Try to avoid breakage of small, fragile shells by keeping them separate from larger, heavier shells.
Upon returning home, clean dirty shells by washing them in warm, soapy water. A small, soft brush (e.g., toothbrush) may be used to remove dirt. Dry shells by spreading them out on newspaper for a couple of hours, ensuring that specimens from different localities are kept separate, with their respective field labels. Then rebag them, recopying any field labels which have become soggy or illegible.
Cleaned and labeled shells can be carefully packaged and mailed to: Zoologist, Natural Heritage Information Centre, P.O. Box 7000, Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 8M5; (705) 745-6993. A list of identified shells will be provided to the contributor.
References
Clarke, A.H. 1981. The Freshwater Molluscs of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences,
National Museums of Canada, Ottawa. 446 pp.
Williams, J.D., M.L. Warren, Jr., K.S. Cummings, J.L. Harris, and R.J. Neves. 1993.
Conservation status of freshwater mussels of the United States and Canada. Fisheries 18(9):
6-22.
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Great Lakes Coastal Meadow Marshes (also known as 'Shoreline Fens' and 'Interdunal Pannes') are distinctive wetlands, which occur on calcareous sandy shorelines and sandspits of the lower Great Lakes, and adjacent areas.
They are open communities with sparse cover, generally dominated by graminoids, although they may also support a rich assemblage of other herbaceous species. Many of these species have affinities with other vegetation types, including fens and prairies. Coastal meadow marshes differ from fens in that they occur on calcareous, mineral sandy substrates, and due to processes such as wave-wash, ice-scour and periodic water draw-downs, little organic matter accumulates in the soil. They may also occur in sparser fashion on coarser substrates such as gravel and cobble.
In comparison, fens are open wetland communities which may be dominated by graminoids, but have organic substrates of sedge and wood peat, and a surface layer of 'brown mosses'. Water is at, or near the substrate surface throughout the growing season, unlike meadow marshes, which typically experience dry periods in the upper soil layer during the growing season.
Coastal marshes also share visual similarity and floristic affinities with wet and moist prairies such as those found in southwestern Ontario, mainly on Walpole Island First Nation and the Ojibway prairie complex in Windsor. These sites differ from fens in that they are not maintained by disturbances such as wave-washing and ice-scour, but rather by frequent burning in combination with seasonal flooding caused by imperfect drainage. Consequently, the prevalence of 'prairie' species adapted to this regime is much greater here than usually occurs in coastal meadow marshes.
In some locations such as Manitoulin Island, however, the prairie species Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium, also a shoreline species) grows abundantly in meadow marshes, alongside fen species such as Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea), False Fly-Asphodel (Tofieldia glutinosa), small Tamarack (Larix laricina), and calcareous shoreline species including Bird's-eye Primrose (Primula mistassinica) and Ohio Goldenrod (Solidago ohioensis). Here, the community best resembles a combination of coastal meadow marsh, fen, and sand dune!
Coastal meadow marshes also resemble meadow marsh types which are common in Ontario, such as those found along rivers, inland lakeshores, and old beaver ponds. These meadow marshes, usually dominated by Bluejoint Grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), Reed-canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), and Red-top (Agrostis gigantea), are different from coastal meadow marshes in that they lack a rich assemblage of 'fen' and 'prairie' indicator species .
Manitoulin Island, the Bruce Peninsula, the Midland Peninsula and its offshore islands, Ipperwash, Long Point, and Presqu'ile Provincial Park support some of the most extensive examples of this vegetation. Elsewhere, coastal meadow marshes may occur less extensively, or as complexes of smaller meadows, yet they remain important, as they contain elements of diversity not always represented in the larger sites (Figure 1).
The draft Ecological Land Classification for Southern Ontario recognizes the following types,
which are briefly described below. Keep in mind that the types identified here are preliminary,
and need to be refined using quantitative data and analysis:
Twig Rush-Beak Rush Coastal Meadow Marsh Type
Dominated by some combination of Twig Rush (Cladium mariscoides),
Beak rush (Rhynchospora capillacea, R. alba), Bluejoint and Bulrush
(Scirpus acutus, S. cespitosus, S. pungens), with associated species such as
Kalm's Lobelia (Lobelia kalmii), Baltic Rush (Juncus balticus), False
Fly-Asphodel, Low Nut-rush (Scleria verticillata) and Lindheimer's panic-grass
(Panicum lindheimeri).
Shrubby Cinquefoil Coastal Meadow Marsh Type
The dominant species in this type is Shrubby Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa),
with associated shrub and herbaceous species including Sweet Gale (Myrica gale),
Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius), willows (Salix spp.), Grass-of-Parnassus
(Parnassia glauca, P. palustris), sedges (Carex spp.), and rushes
(Juncus spp.).
Mixed Forb Coastal Meadow Marsh Type
These are dominated by a variety of forbs, including Ohio Goldenrod, Grass-of-Parnassus, False Fly-Asphodel, Pitcher Plant, Prairie Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadriflora), Balsam Ragwort (Senecio pauperculus), Spikerush (Eleocharis elliptica), and sedges.
Rush Coastal Meadow Marsh Type
Coastal meadow marshes may be dominated by rush species such as Knotted Rush (Juncus nodosus), Jointed Rush (J. alpinoarticulatus), and other species including Tufted Club-rush (Scirpus cespitosus), sedges (Carex scirpoidea, C. viridula, C. crawei), and Horsetails (Equisetum variegatum, E. arvense).
Baltic Rush Coastal Meadow Marsh Type
In this type, Baltic Rush is the dominant species. Associated with it are typical coastal meadow marsh species such as Kalm's Lobelia, Twig Rush, Spikerush, and Shrubby Cinquefoil.
Status
Coastal meadow marshes are rare both from a global and provincial perspective. Recent studies of rare vegetation communities by The Nature Conservancy, both in the Great Lakes basin and in the United States, have identified them as globally imperiled communities (G2). In Ontario, coastal meadow marsh types are ranked as extremely rare (S1). This rank is based upon considerations such as the estimated number of occurrences, the total area of the occurrences, and the range of the community within the province, along with considerations such as protected sites and threats. While these communities are known from more than 5 sites, it is estimated that they occupy fewer than 1,000 ha, and threats to many of the occurrences are high, thus a tentative rank of S1 has been assigned.
In addition to their overall rarity, coastal meadow marshes support some of Ontario's rarest plant species, including: Spike-rush (Eleocharis geniculata [= E. caribaea], S1), Bluehearts (Buchnera americana, S1), Three-awn (Aristida longespica s.l., S2), Rigid Sedge (Carex tetanica, S3), Yellow Cyperus (Cyperus flavescens, S2), Stiff Yellow Flax (Linum medium var. medium, G5T3S3 [a Great Lakes basin endemic] and var. texanum, S1). Other rare species which occur in these marshes are Beaked Spikerush (Eleocharis rostellata, S3), Low Nut-rush (S3), Great Plains Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum, S3), Bushy Aster (Aster dumosus var. strictior, S2S3) and Dense Blazing-star (Liatris spicata, S2S3). They also support provincially rare invertebrate species such as Dusted Skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna, S1).
Threats
Since coastal meadow marshes occur in prime areas along shorelines, they are under intense pressure, primarily as cottage and condominium development, but also municipal road and drainage 'improvements'. Much of this vegetation has already been lost in Ontario to these human factors. Although numerous examples of coastal meadow marshes occur in protected sites such as provincial parks, national wildlife refuges, and private nature reserves, not all of the types and rare species associations are represented in these areas. Furthermore, considering their global rarity, it is not sufficient merely to protect 'examples' of each type throughout their range. Clearly, these unique and diverse communities which are a part of our dwindling natural landscape, need to be protected from further losses by human encroachment.
References
Bakowsky, W.D. 1990. The vegetation of Pinery Provincial Park. Draft. 84 pp. + 3 appendices.
[Report. Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.]
Brunton, D.F. 1989. A life science inventory and evaluation of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park
and adjacent natural areas, Simcoe County, Ontario. Parks and Recreational Areas Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, OFER 8905, Central Region, Richmond Hill, Ontario.
Charlton, D.L. and S. Hilts. 1989. Quantitative evaluation of fen ecosystems on the Bruce
Peninsula. Pp.339-354, in M.J. Bardecki and N. Patterson (eds.) Proceedings of Wetlands
Conference: Inertia or Momentum. F.O.N./Ryerson.
Lee, H., W.D. Bakowsky, et al. (draft, in press). An ecological community classification for
southern Ontario: A first approximation. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Southern Region
Science and Technology Transfer Unit, Aurora.
Nature Conservancy, The. 1994a. The conservation of Biological Diversity in the Great Lakes
Ecosystem: Issues and opportunities. Great Lakes Program, The Nature Conservancy, Chicago.
118 pp.
Nature Conservancy, The. 1994b. Rare plant communities of the conterminous United States:
An initial survey. D.H. Grossman, K.L. Goodin and C.L. Reuss, eds. [Prepared for the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service by The Nature Conservancy.] 620 pp.
Oldham, M.J. 1994. Natural heritage resources of Ontario: Rare vascular plants. Ontario
Natural Heritage Information Centre, Peterborough, Ontario.
Reznicek, A.A. and P.M. Catling. 1989. Flora of Long Point, Regional Municipality of H
aldimand-Norfolk, Ontario. The Michigan Botanist 28(3):99-175.
Riley, J.L. 1989. Southern Ontario bogs and fens. Pp.355-367, in M.J. Bardecki and N.
Patterson (eds.) Proceedings of Wetlands Conference: Inertia or Momentum. F.O.N./Ryerson.
Sutherland, D.A. 1995. Personal communication.
A draft community classification for southern Ontario has been completed, and is now in the process of being reviewed. The classification has been developed by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' Southern Region Science and Technology Transfer Unit (STTU), and the Natural Heritage Information Centre.
The classification includes an outline, fact sheets, and a detailed community catalogue. Once the review comments have been received and considered, this initial classification will be available to the public.
The community types (elements) in the classification are now being ranked according to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) ranking guidelines. These guidelines differ slightly from those used to rank species, since a community is a landscape unit; consequently, area is used as a factor, instead of population size. Typically, three factors play the most important role in ranking a community: the estimated number of community occurrences, the estimated total area (community abundance), and the estimated range within the province. These factors are coded ranging from A-D, with A being the rarest .
For the estimated number of occurrences, the letter codes are:
Codes for the estimated community element abundance are:
Letter codes for the estimated range of the community element are:
Other ranking considerations include the number of community element occurrences within protected sites, and threats to the element. While the consideration of estimated number of community element occurrences is usually the most important criterion, the element abundance is also very important. When a rare community element only remains in the province as small fragments of a formerly more widespread type, the element ranking may be higher than the number of occurrences would normally dictate.
Exactly what constitutes an element is also a consideration. For example, does a small fragment of a community element represent an 'occurrence'? The NHIC considers small remnants or fragments to be occurrences, but these are not considered when ranking a community's rarity status. Since small occurrences are not necessarily viable or diverse, perhaps requiring restoration or human maintenance, only the larger community element occurrences (generally > 2-5 ha) are considered.
It is hoped that a draft list of the community element ranking will be completed by early summer, after which the list will be sent out for review. Once reviewed, the rare community list will be made available to the public.
The NHIC will be using Global Positioning System (GPS) this summer during field inventories. GPS allows the centre to collect data on precise locations for species and community occurrences in the field. After differential correction using a base station (either a static station, or one of the units kept at a known location), locations collected using the GPS are accurate to 2-5 metres, depending upon the distance from the base station used to correct the data.
Point and line locational data collected using the GPS units can be transferred into the centre's ARC/INFO Geographic Information System (GIS) to allow for comparison of locations with other species and community locations.
Staff will eventually use GPS units to return to previously surveyed sites much more easily than with map and compass alone.
The NHIC was established to address specific business needs of the MNR and its Partners. The pressures and issues guiding the Centre's activities generally fall into categories related to:
In December 1994, the NHIC was midway through its two-year development phase. Although significant enhancements had been made to the original work plan, the centre was well ahead of its work schedule. Information services and a client-user interface (Natural Heritage Information System) have been developed and implemented. As well, there has been considerable success in acquiring key data bases and sets required to populate the NHIC's files and the NHIS. It became necessary to establish a plan to ensure continuity, and to enable the centre to make longer term commitments. To this end, the NHIC presented MNR's Executive Committee with a business strategy for the long-term development and maintenance of the Centre.
The strategy outlines the functions of the centre from our current development phase through maturity, as well as the benefits to the MNR and the Partners.
Examples of the primary business drivers from MNR's perspective, include:
The operational functions and structure of the NHIC at maturity in the business strategy include:
In January 1995, MNR's Executive Committee approved the transition of the NHIC partnership from a two year agreement to a permanent, province-wide operation with the Ministry assuming full responsibility for core funding and staffing by January 1, 1996.
Ontario naturalists have participated in several atlas projects during the past decade. The highly successful Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas was followed by the Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary, Atlas of Ontario Mammals, and Ontario Butterfly Atlas. This spring a new project, the Ontario Tree Atlas, gets underway.
The Tree Atlas is collaborative project between the Genetic Heritage Program of the Ontario Forestry Research Institute and the University of Guelph Arboretum. The Tree Atlas Management Advisory Committee, which includes representation from the NHIC, has been meeting for several months to help coordinate the project. As with other atlas projects, volunteer observers survey one or more 10 km X 10 km atlas squares to determine which tree species are present. Trees are an especially attractive group for an atlassing project because there are a relatively small number of species in the province (just over 100), they are large and easy to see, most species are easily identified both in summer and winter, and being immobile, identifications can be confirmed by repeat visits to the same tree.
If you would like to participate or find out more about the Ontario Tree Atlas contact Rob Guthrie at The Arboretum, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 (519-824-4120 ext. 3615).
Over the past two summers, MNR biologists Jeff Skevington and Gordon Vogg have been conducting invertebrate inventories within Pinery Provincial Park. Among their many significant finds in 1994, was the discovery of a previously unknown population of the globally rare (G3T3) tiger beetle, Cicindela patruela patruela. A species of bare sandy openings in pine woodland, the occurrence of this tiger beetle had been documented at only a few other places in the province. Further fieldwork will be required both to establish its distribution and abundance within the park, and its potential occurrence elsewhere in the Grand Bend vicinity.
In the last newsletter (Vol. 2, No. 1) we mentioned that the NHIC is trying to build up its library of natural history literature and periodicals. A number of individuals generously responded to our request for back issues of journals and newsletters. From the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club via Bill Cody and Stephen Darbyshire, we received a complete set of back issues of Trail & Landscape. Daryl Coulson donated some back issues of Wood Duck and Dave and Winnifred Wake provided copies of The Cardinal. Ross James gave us various back issues of Canadian Field-Naturalist, and Tony Reznicek and Richard Rabeler donated copies of Asa Gray Bulletin, New Series. Dave Cunningham donated copies of a number of biological reports. We would like to thank all these individuals for helping our library to grow.
Effective April 30th, Audrey Heagy will assume the position of Projects Biologist at the Long Point Bird Observatory. As the LPBO staff biologist responsible for coordinating volunteer-based projects, Audrey will also assume the title of Ontario Birds at Risk (OBAR) coordinator and, as such will continue to maintain the close ties with NHIC's zoology program. Audrey will already be familiar to many readers as, among other things, coordinator of the recently completed and highly successful Hamilton-Wentworth Natural Areas Inventory, editor of the Ontario Bird Banding Association's (OBBA) Newsletter; and participant in a wide range of volunteer-based projects, including the Mapping Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) program.
Audrey takes over from Lisa Enright, the present projects biologist and OBAR coordinator, who is leaving LPBO after two and a half years to pursue graduate studies in biology at the University of Guelph. During her term at LPBO, Lisa has been involved in nearly every aspect of the observatory's program, culminating in her position as OBAR coordinator, from May '94 to the present.
The NHIC wishes Lisa well in her academic pursuits and looks forward to working with Audrey in maintaining the strong ties with LPBO's OBAR program.
Trent University student Cassandra Bean has been doing volunteer work at the NHIC one afternoon a week for most of the winter months. Cassandra has been helping with filing, computer data entry, photocopying, and various other tasks. We greatly appreciate her assistance.
George is the NHIC's Systems Administrator / Database Manager. He graduated from the University of Guelph in 1981 with a Bachelor's degree in Biology.
Working at various technical positions with university, government and private sector organizations, he became increasingly involved with computers and data management.
George has been employed full-time as a systems manager/programmer since 1987, most recently with OMNR in Toronto. From there, he joined the NHIC in Nov. 1993.
Currently, most of George's time is spent preparing and importing data from a number of acquired databases into the Biological and Conservation Data System (BCD).
© Ministry of Natural Resources, 1995