A photograph of Slender Blazing-star in prairie habitat

Photo: Wasyl Bakowsky

Introduction

Overview

To fulfill a legislative commitment of the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA), the Government of Ontario has published the 2018 Five-Year Review of Progress Towards the Protection and Recovery of Ontario’s Species at Risk, that includes progress reports for 17 species at risk, and highlights recent activities undertaken as part of the province’s species at risk program.

Under the ESA, reviews of progress towards the protection and recovery of a species are required to be conducted five years after the publication of the government response statement (GRS) for that species. The review provides an opportunity to report on progress made towards the protection and recovery of a species, based on progress towards implementing the actions set out in the species’ GRS. In doing so, the review can also help to identify implementation gaps as well as opportunities to adjust protection and recovery actions to achieve the recovery goal for the species.

In 2018, a review of progress towards protection and recovery is required for the 17 species that had GRS published in 2013, which are:

  • Ten plant species: American Chestnut, American Water-willow, Cherry Birch, Drooping Trillium, Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus, Heart-leaved Plantain, Large Whorled Pogonia, Nodding Pogonia, Red Mulberry and Wild Hyacinth
  • One fish species: Lake Chubsucker
  • One bird species: Prothonotary Warbler
  • Two amphibian species: Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander and Northern Dusky Salamander
  • Three insect species: Hine’s Emerald (a dragonfly), Hungerford’s Crawling Water Beetle and Pygmy Snaketail (a dragonfly)

There are a total of 16 reports for the 17 species as Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander and Northern Dusky Salamander are reported on together.

The progress reports consist of two parts: 1) this Introduction chapter that provides an update of recent activities as they relate to Ontario’s species at risk program; and 2) a set of 16 chapters with detailed information on the progress made towards the protection and recovery of the species listed above.

Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List

On August 1, 2018,Ontario Regulation 230/08 was amended to make changes to the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List as recommended by the Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) in their report.

Three species were added to the SARO List as endangered: Eastern Banded Tigersnail, Golden-eye Lichen (Great Lakes population) and Transverse Lady Beetle. Caribou (Eastern Migratory population), Evening Grosbeak and Rusty Blackbird were added to the SARO List as special concern.

A number of species were re-classified on the SARO List. Lake Sturgeon (Great Lakes - Upper St. Lawrence populations) was re-classified from threatened to endangered. One species, Spotted Wintergreen, was re-classified from endangered to threatened as habitat management has helped stabilize populations at several sites, and additional occurrences have been discovered through increased search effort. Mapleleaf (a mussel) and Channel Darter were re-classified from threatened to special concern. Another species, Eastern Pondmussel, was re-classified from endangered to special concern as substantial search effort over the past two decades has resulted in the discovery of additional occurrences.

As of December 2018, there are 117 endangered, 54 threatened, 56 special concern and 16 extirpated species on the SARO List for a total of 243 listed species.
  • 117
    endangered
  • 54
    threatened
  • 56
  • 16
    extirpated
As a result of the changes to the SARO List, species protection now applies to 187 species listed as endangered, threatened or extirpated. Habitat protection is afforded to the 171 species listed as endangered or threatened.

COSSARO website launch

COSSARO is an independent committee of experts established under the ESA who consider which plants and animals should be listed as at risk based on the best available scientific information and Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge.

In the fall of 2017, the Committee announced the launch of a new website (cossaroagency.ca) that includes information about:

  • Committee membership and how to apply
  • How species are assessed and classified (including current criteria)
  • What species will be considered next by COSSARO
  • How to participate in the assessment process
  • The Committee’s assessment decisions
  • How to contact COSSARO

The new website makes species assessment reports available from past meetings and also links to the reports from COSSARO to the Minister that are available on the Ontario government website.

The provincial record of species at risk

Staff at the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) track Ontario’s species at risk by collecting, reviewing and managing species information that is then incorporated into the comprehensive provincial database known as Land Information Ontario (LIO). As of October 2018, LIO contained 641,941 observations and information on 25,845 occurrences of species at risk in Ontario.

Recovery strategies

As of December 2018, recovery strategies have been developed for 140 species at risk. Progress is being made towards the development of recovery strategies for an additional 34 endangered and threatened species. The Government of Ontario is cooperating with federal agencies on the development of the majority of these strategies, and strategically prioritizing development of recovery strategies under the ESA for the remaining species.

Government response statements (GRS)

The Government of Ontario publishes a GRS to identify and communicate how the government will support the recovery of a species. The GRS is the Government of Ontario’s species-specific policy on what is needed to protect and recover the species. The GRS for a species includes a recovery goal as well as actions the government will lead or support to help achieve that goal.

As of December 2018, government response statements have been published for 133 species listed as endangered, threatened or special concern on the SARO List.

Compliance monitoring and enforcement activities

The Government of Ontario is responsible for administering and enforcing the ESA and its regulations. Compliance monitoring and enforcement are critical to the successful implementation of the ESA, and are included as government-led actions in all GRS.

Provincial enforcement staff continue to focus outreach and enforcement efforts on the illegal collection, trade and trafficking of Ontario snakes and turtles; the illegal harvest and commercialization of Lake Sturgeon including the caviar trade; and the illegal harvesting and sale of wild American Ginseng. In 2017, enforcement officers conducted 52 patrols and visited 380 retail locations that had the potential to sell ginseng, in order to monitor compliance and perform outreach activities.Officers also attended 16 outreach events and provided educational messaging and materials to attendees.

The goal of enforcement outreach is to encourage compliance by increasing public and regulated sector knowledge of the rules protecting Ontario’s species at risk and their habitats as well as the signs of illegal activity including commercial exploitation. Preventative measures are not always feasible and enforcement staff may issue warnings, lay charges and direct actions that must be taken for individuals to be in compliance with the ESA. An enforcement officer may issue a stop order requiring a person to stop engaging in an activity if the officer has reasonable grounds to believe that the person is engaging in an activity, has engaged in an activity or is about to engage in an activity that is, has or is about to contravene the species or habitat protection provisions of the ESA.

Everyone is encouraged to report illegal activities involving Ontario’s species at risk. To report a natural resources violation, call the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF, or the Ministry) TIPS line at 1-877-847-7667 toll-free any time or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours.

Species at risk stewardship in Ontario Parks

Across the province, Ontario Parks staff are leading a range of species at risk protection and recovery activities in provincial parks including research, surveys and monitoring, habitat restoration and natural heritage education programming.

Examples of recent provincial park research and monitoring activities:

  • Mark-recapture studies of Massasauga in Killbear Provincial Park to enable longer-term tracking of individuals
  • Monitoring and nest protection measures for Blanding’s Turtle in Grundy Lake Provincial Park
  • Surveying Blanding’s Turtles to determine habitat occupancy and mortality rates from predation

Habitat management for species at risk is an ongoing recovery activity in a number of provincial parks including:

  • The Massasauga Provincial Park: The invasive plant species European Common Reed (Phragmites australis ssp. australis) is being managed in coastal wetlands to protect the habitat of species at risk including Eastern Musk Turtle and Northern Map Turtle
  • Killarney Provincial Park: Large bat houses are being installed to provide alternate habitat for a colony of Little Brown Bats and discourage them from occupying park buildings
  • Prescribed burns have been undertaken in a number of parks to restore habitat for grassland and prairie species

Recovery of the Piping Plover in Ontario’s Great Lakes Provincial Parks

Ontario Parks, Birds Studies Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service have been participating in a cooperative binational effort for the recovery of the Piping Plover with key American partners, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Michigan. Studies on the species’ habitat preferences, chick behaviour and the effects of food availability, initiated by Ontario Parks’ staff, are being continued by Trent University researchers in a dozen provincial parks along Great Lakes shorelines. The overall success of recovery efforts thus far could not have been achieved without the enthusiastic efforts of volunteer citizen scientists on both sides of the international border.

Habitat Restoration for Bluehearts

In 2009, a campground area in Pinery Provincial Park was closed to enable restoration of damaged habitat for Bluehearts, an endangered plant species in Ontario. Following habitat restoration work by park staff over the years, this habitat area is now home to the largest population of Bluehearts in the park. Although population numbers vary naturally from year to year, a record number of 2,429 plants were counted in 2018, far more than had been found in previous years. One of the success factors was the ability of the species to spread into an area that was once a campground footpath.

Peregrine Falcons Return to Algonquin Provincial Park

Peregrine Falcons were nearly extirpated from Ontario by the early 1960s. An intensive recovery effort from the 1970s to the 1990s included a captive-breeding program with the goal of reintroducing the species to previously active nesting locations. At that time, recovery attempts were not successful in Algonquin Provincial Park, where breeding Peregrine Falcons had been absent for fifty years. Beginning in 2005, birds were observed at historical nesting sites in Ontario, and a single breeding pair was documented in Algonquin Provincial Park in 2012. Since then, there have been several observations of adults in the breeding season in the park, but only one record of successful nesting. The good news is that a 2018 survey has confirmed that nesting occurred at four sites, with a fifth to be confirmed. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, the long-empty aeries in Algonquin Provincial Park will once again be home to many more nesting pairs of Peregrine Falcon.

Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark Monitoring at Bronte Creek Provincial Park

Bronte Creek Provincial Park is home to large areas of farm fields and planted tallgrass prairie that have been place since 2005, and that provide nesting habitat for Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark. The park also includes a working farm. During monitoring in the spring of 2018, four nesting pairs of Bobolinks were observed at two locations in the park. Individual Eastern Meadowlarks were observed, but no nesting pairs of this species were seen. While park staff primarily observed Bobolink males establishing territories, females were also seen exhibiting feeding behavior. Cutting of hayfields was paused at sites where nesting Bobolinks were discovered; haying was resumed after all Bobolinks had left their nesting grounds.

A number of historical farm crop fields have been transformed into tallgrass prairie fields to allow for more natural low-maintenance habitat and possible harvesting of prairie plant seeds to support further expansion of this rare and native ecosystem.

Supporting public participation in species at risk stewardship activities

The government promotes and supports landowner and public participation in a broad range of stewardship activities through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program. The program provides financial support to enable individuals and organizations to get directly involved in protecting and recovering Ontario’s species at risk.

Since the Species at Risk Stewardship Program was established in 2007, Ontario has provided funding for 1,137 projects that have supported the protection and recovery of the province’s species at risk. Collectively, these projects have implemented on-the-ground recovery actions for nearly 200 species at risk. Ontario’s stewardship partners reported that the government’s support has helped them to involve 35,340 individuals who volunteered 824,694 hours of their time for the projects. Provincially-funded projects have contributed to the restoration of approximately 39,002 hectares of habitat for species at risk. Stewardship partners identified that millions of people have received species at risk information through their education and outreach activities.

The online Stewardship Portfolio Solution

The Stewardship Portfolio Solution (SPS) is an online system that enables Ontarians to apply for government grants and incentives, including the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund. Applicants that submitted proposals for 2018 - 2019 funding experienced a new and modernized SPS portal designed to improve overall user experience. Users required an account to enable access to the online portal to apply for the various granting and incentive programs.

SPS also includes an important internal component: a back-end database administered by government staff. The database enables standardized information collection and management including queries and analyses. The system also facilitates reporting, tracking and reviewing of funding applications.

Species at Risk Stewardship Program strategic agreements – 2018-2019

The government is supporting funding grants through strategic agreements with three stewardship partners in the 2018 - 2019 funding year: the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA). Activities implemented through these three agreements have resulted in the restoration of 617 hectares of species at risk habitat with the assistance of 124 volunteers. Also, species at risk information was delivered to more than 32,000 people through the partners’ education and outreach programs.

  • NCC implemented key landscape-level actions set out in the Western Lake Erie Islands Natural Area guided by management plans, the Natural Area Conservation Plan and provincial government recovery direction. Project objectives included restoring and enhancing species at risk habitats, conducting targeted public outreach and developing management plans for control of the invasive European Common Reed (Phragmites australis australis).
  • ALUS worked in collaboration with farmers and local conservation partners to create, enhance, conserve and manage on-the-ground species at risk habitat conservation projects, including returning ecologically significant lands into natural ecosystems that benefit species at risk.
  • OSCIA delivered the Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program (SARFIP). Through this cost-share program, funding is provided to agricultural landowners interested in undertaking best management practices on their lands to help restore or enhance habitat for species at risk.

Species at risk resources update

In October 2017, a supplementary policy bulletin Guidance on Using Scientific Studies as part of an Overall Benefit Permit was finalized that provides guidance on the use of scientific studies as part of an overall benefit permit. The intent is to ensure the studies are relevant, scientifically credible, and results made available to inform and improve species protection and recovery efforts. The bulletin builds upon the policy principles provided in the Endangered Species Act Submission Standards for Activity Review and 17(2)(c) Overall Benefit Permits, which explains the term ‘overall benefit’ and provides guiding principles.

Survey protocols

Effective protection and recovery of species at risk and their habitat requires comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of species occurrences and distribution. Many species at risk are inherently rare, occur at low densities and are difficult to detect. Also, the probability of finding some species can vary considerably with time of year, weather and search method. In response to the need for reliable, science-based survey methods for mussels in Ontario, the Survey Protocol for Species at Risk Unionid Mussels in Wetlands in Ontario was finalized in 2018. This protocol will help standardize surveys across projects and throughout Ontario, and promote surveys that are adequate to determine, with a reasonable likelihood, the presence or absence of species at risk mussel populations at wetland sites.

Online Species at Risk Guides and Resources

The Species at Risk Guides and Resources webpage has been redesigned to provide a more streamlined online user experience. Documents are now grouped together into categories to facilitate searching and downloading specific resources:

  • Policies under the ESA
  • Permits and agreements
  • Guidance documents
  • Best Management Practices

Users can now view selected documents and resources on this single webpage. The redesign complements the updated Ontario.ca Species at Risk webpage.

Feature: Caribou (Boreal population)

Lake Superior Coast Range

On March 19, 2018, a discussion paper entitled Seeking Advice on the Future of Caribou in the Lake Superior Coast Range was posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario for a 45 day comment period to obtain input on a management approach for caribou in the Lake Superior Coast Range. The paper presents Ontario’s current goals for caribou conservation (as outlined in the Caribou Conservation Plan) and discusses whether they should be maintained or different goals should be adopted for this unique area. Feedback and input will inform future direction for the Range and Discontinuous Distribution.

Translocation of Caribou

In early 2018, MNRF staff, along with a broad range of partners including Michipicoten First Nation and supportive foundations, successfully translocated a total of 15 caribou from Michipicoten Island, with 9 caribou placed in Slate Islands Provincial Park and 6 others on Caribou Island. This action was taken to protect the caribou after wolves used an ice bridge to reach Michipicoten Island Provincial Park in the winters of 2014 and 2015. Of the translocated caribou, the 12 females were collared to monitor their survival and reproduction rates. Trail cameras will also be maintained on Slate Islands to monitor population numbers. This effort secured the Lake Superior Coast Range population in the medium term (i.e., 5-10 years) while providing the ministry additional time to develop a management approach for the range.

Caribou monitoring

In March 2018, MNRF staff conducted a two-stage aerial survey of boreal caribou in the Ozhiski Range in Ontario’s Far North. During the first stage of the survey, caribou observations were recorded during flights along pre-determined transect lines in a fixed-wing aircraft. Observations of moose, wolf, and wolverine were also recorded. During the second stage of the survey, ministry staff returned by helicopter to locations where caribou were observed during the first stage to record the number of animals and the composition of the group (e.g., adult males, females, calves). Data collected will be used to estimate the population size and recruitment rate as well as to map winter distribution of boreal caribou in the Ozhiski Range. This effort continues to deliver on the commitments made under the Caribou Conservation Plan to monitor local populations at the range level to support implementation of Ontario’s Range Management Plan.