Eastern Foxsnake government response statement

Photo: Scott Gillingwatery

The Eastern Foxsnake is non-venomous and is Ontario’s second-largest snake, reaching lengths of up to 1.75 metres. The snakes are usually found near water in both marsh and woodland, and often near human habitation. They are constrictors and feed mostly on rodents or birds.

Protecting and recovering species at risk in Ontario

Species at risk recovery is a key part of protecting Ontario’s biodiversity. Biodiversity – the variety of life on Earth – provides us with clean air and water, food, fibre, medicine and other resources that we need to survive.

The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) is the Government of Ontario’s legislative commitment to protecting and recovering species at risk and their habitats. As soon as a species is listed as extirpated, endangered or threatened under the ESA, it is automatically protected from harm or harassment. Also, immediately upon listing, the habitats of endangered and threatened species are protected from damage or destruction.

Under the ESA, the Ministry of Natural Resources (the Ministry) must ensure that a recovery strategy is prepared for each species that is listed as endangered or threatened. A recovery strategy provides science-based advice to the government on what is required to achieve recovery of a species.

Government response statements

Within nine months after a recovery strategy is prepared, the ESA requires the Ministry to publish a statement summarizing the government’s intended actions and priorities in response to the recovery strategy. The recovery strategy for the Eastern Foxsnake was completed on September 10, 2010.

The response statement is the government’s policy response to the scientific advice provided in the recovery strategy. In addition to the strategy, the response statement is based on input from stakeholders, other jurisdictions, Aboriginal communities and members of the public. It reflects the best available traditional, local and scientific knowledge at this time and may be modified if new information becomes available. In implementing the actions in the response statement, the ESA allows the Ministry to determine what is feasible, taking into account social and economic factors.

Moving forward to protect and recover Eastern Foxsnake

The Eastern Foxsnake (Carolinian population) and the Eastern Foxsnake (Georgian Bay population) (together "Eastern Foxsnake") are listed as endangered and threatened respectively under the ESA, which protects both the animal and its habitat. The ESA prohibits harm to or harassment of the species and damage to or destruction of their habitat without authorization. Such authorization would require that conditions established by the Ministry be met.

In Ontario, the Eastern Foxsnake is found in the Georgian Bay region, on the east shore of Lake Huron and on the north shore of Lake Erie, including associated islands and wetlands. The most significant threats to the Eastern Foxsnake are habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality and human persecution.

The government’s goal for the recovery of the Eastern Foxsnake is to ensure the persistence of the species and to maintain the current range of occupancy and connectivity of its habitat within both the Carolinian and Georgian Bay populations.

Protecting and recovering species at risk is a shared responsibility. No single agency or organization has the knowledge, authority or financial resources to protect and recover all of Ontario’s species at risk. Successful recovery requires intergovernmental co-operation and the involvement of many individuals, organizations and communities.

In developing the government response statement, the Ministry considered what actions are feasible for the government to lead directly and what actions are feasible for the government’s conservation partners to undertake with government support.

Government-led actions

To help protect and recover the Eastern Foxsnake, the government will directly undertake the following actions:

• Develop a protocol to protect hibernating Eastern Foxsnakes (or other snake species at risk) if they are accidentally unearthed.
• Develop a survey protocol to be used by proponents and partners to detect the presence or absence of Eastern Foxsnakes.
• Educate other agencies and authorities involved in planning and environmental assessment processes on the protection requirements under the ESA.
• Encourage the submission of Eastern Foxsnake data to the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre or to the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas. Ensure appropriate data sensitivity guidelines are put in place.
• Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario.
• Protect the Eastern Foxsnake and its habitat through the ESA. Develop and enforce a regulation prescribing the habitat of the species.
• Support conservation, agency, municipal and industry partners in undertaking activities to protect and recover the Eastern Foxsnake. Support will be provided through funding, agreements, permits (including conditions) and advisory services.
• Establish and communicate annual priority actions for government support in order to encourage collaboration and reduce duplication of effort.

Government-supported actions

The government endorses the following actions for the protection and recovery of the Eastern Foxsnake. Actions identified as "high" will be given priority consideration for funding or for authorizations under the ESA. The government will focus its support on these high-priority actions over the next five years.

Focus area: Monitoring and Research

Objective: Improve knowledge of Eastern Foxsnake distribution, population trends, ecology and habitat use.

Actions

1. (High) Identify locations of hibernacula, other habitat features and the extent of the species' distribution.
2. (High) Develop and implement a collaborative monitoring program across the species' Ontario distribution that includes monitoring of hibernacula and co-ordinated road surveys.
3. Conduct studies into the species' ecology, habitat use and genetics, including a focus on the ecological needs and dispersal patterns of juveniles.

Focus area: Protection

Objective: Identify and protect the habitat of Eastern Foxsnakes within their current distribution.

Actions

4. (High) Develop and promote best management practices to encourage management of rural landscapes that is compatible with the needs of snake populations.
5. As opportunities arise, support the securement of lands that contain Eastern Foxsnake sub-populations through existing land securement and stewardship programs.

Focus area: Threat Management

Objective: Reduce mortality of Eastern Foxsnakes by minimizing human-related threats.

Actions

6. (High) Develop, implement and evaluate mitigation measures for human-caused impacts, particularly road mortality. These may include:

   • erecting signs along roads in known areas of high road mortality;
   • considering temporary road closures during periods of high mortality;
   • developing and implementing appropriate measures to allow Eastern Foxsnakes to safely cross barriers such as roads; or
   • discouraging the use of mesh silt fences and erosion-control blankets near Eastern Foxsnake habitat.
7. Investigate the scale and significance of threats to the species. This may include studies of the impact of pesticides and other contaminants, illegal collection, road mortality, net or mesh materials and subsidized predators.^{footnote 1[1]}

Focus area: Awareness

Objective: Reduce human persecution of Eastern Foxsnake and promote stewardship.

Actions

8. Evaluate existing communications and outreach approaches and develop new strategies that will have a positive impact on people’s behaviour.
9. Deliver effective communications and outreach to key stakeholders, including landowners, cottage associations and schools within the range of Eastern Foxsnake.

Focus area: Restoration

Objective: Enhance and restore the availability of habitat for the Eastern Foxsnake (Carolinian population).

Actions

10. Evaluate potential restoration techniques and their effectiveness at enhancing the quality of Eastern Foxsnake (Carolinian population) habitat features (e.g., artificial nesting sites, artificial hibernacula and ecological restoration).
11. Co-operate with existing landscape-restoration activities to strategically implement habitat-restoration measures for the Eastern Foxsnake (Carolinian population) and to maintain connectivity and the availability of a mosaic of habitat types and features.

Implementing actions

Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund, Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program or Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program. Conservation partners are encouraged to discuss project proposals related to the actions in this response statement with the Ministry. The Ministry can also advise if any authorizations under the ESA may be required to undertake the project.

Implementation of the actions may be subject to changes in priorities across the multitude of species at risk, availability of resources and the capacity of partners to undertake recovery activities. Where appropriate, the implementation of actions for multiple species will be co-ordinated across government response statements.

Reviewing progress

The ESA requires the Ministry to conduct a review of progress toward protecting and recovering a species not later than five years from the publication of this response statement. The review will help determine whether adjustments are needed to achieve the protection and recovery of the Eastern Foxsnake.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank all those who participated in the development of the "Recovery strategy for the Eastern Foxsnake – Carolinian and Georgian Bay populations in Ontario" for their dedication to protecting and recovering species at risk.