Pitcher’s Thistle government response statement

Photo: Allen Woodliffe

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 living organisms 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 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 Pitcher’s Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) was completed on May 31, 2013.

The response statement is the government’s policy response to the scientific advice provided in the recovery strategy. All recommendations provided in the recovery strategy were considered and this response statement identifies those that are considered to be appropriate and necessary for the protection and recovery of the species. 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 adapted 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 Pitcher’s Thistle

The Pitcher’s Thistle is listed as a threatened species under the ESA, which protects both the plant and its habitat. The ESA prohibits harm or harassment of the species and damage or destruction of its habitat without authorization. Such authorization would require that conditions established by the Ministry be met.

Pitcher’s Thistle is a globally rare species and is completely restricted to the shores of Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, occurring only in the United States and Canada. There are 30 existing populations of Pitcher’s Thistle in Canada, all located in Ontario, that are estimated to represent approximately 15 percent of the global population. Three populations can be found on southern Lake Huron, two are on Lake Superior in Pukaskwa National Park (one introduced), and the remaining 25 are located in the Manitoulin Region. Of the 30 existing populations, six populations have declined over a multi-year period due to a number of threats. Pitcher’s Thistle grows only on sand dunes and beach ridges that provide open and dry habitat with loose sand and little other vegetation or duff. Due to the specific habitat requirements of Pitcher’s Thistle, the greatest threats to its recovery are those that impact the availability and quality of habitat. Some of these threats include the destruction of dune vegetation by all-terrain vehicles, and pedestrian foot traffic, the construction of recreational structures and other developments along shorelines and in dunes, invasive species, and other causes of an imbalance between vegetative succession and disturbance through dune erosion and blowouts. Pitcher’s Thistle is also significantly impacted at some sites by browsing by White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Canada geese (Branta canadensis) and other abundant herbivores.

Pitcher’s Thistle has been surveyed for at all known sites of occurrence and at many dune sites determined to have suitable habitat. The species has been extirpated from four sites in Ontario, with one of the extirpated populations having been an intentional introduction of the species into a new area. Another population was introduced at Pukaskwa National Park and its size has increased. Pitcher’s Thistle has been successfully restored to or established in Great Lakes dunes in both Canada and the United States. However reintroduction of Pitcher’s Thistle in Ontario is not being considered at this time Recovery efforts are instead focused on maintaining known occurrences by improving habitat conditions and working cooperatively with private landowners to minimize threats to the species and its habitat. Pitcher’s Thistle occurs in many large, self-sustaining populations and has the reproductive capacity to increase over the short time-period of just a few years. Additional survey work and assessments over the past several years have determined that the overall trend has been an increase in numbers, documented at approximately 55,000 individuals. Many threats can feasibly be avoided or mitigated by encouraging landowner stewardship and implementing small changes to dune management, such as reducing trampling of dune habitat.

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 inter-governmental 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 to support its conservation partners to undertake.

Government-supported actions

The government endorses the following actions as being necessary for the protection and recovery of Pitcher’s Thistle. Actions identified as "high" will be given priority consideration for funding under the ESA. Where reasonable, the government will also consider the priority assigned to these actions when reviewing and issuing authorizations under the Endangered Species Act. Other organizations are encouraged to consider these priorities when developing projects or mitigation plans related to species at risk. The government will focus its support on these high-priority actions over the next five years.

Actions:

1. (High) Continue to develop and distribute best management practices (BMPs) for landowners, land managers, and Aboriginal communities to manage dunes in a manner that balances succession and disturbances for the benefit of the Pitcher’s Thistle. Examples of existing practices include:
   • creating designated walkways or access routes, and installing boardwalks and rail-post fencing around dunes to control and reduce the threat of pedestrian trampling and all-terrain vehicles;
   • ensuring that recreational activities and the construction of recreational structures do not occur on dune slopes; and,
   • refraining from adding or removing soil in and around dunes.
2. (High) Implement BMPs, such as the Ministry’s Invasive Phragmites BMPs, to control and reduce the threat of invasive species like European Common Reed in Pitcher’s Thistle habitat.

Actions:

3. Conduct standardized monitoring at all sites of known occurrences to:
   • monitor habitat conditions;
   • determine population dynamics (e.g. trends in population abundance and distribution); and,
   • assess threats to Pitcher’s Thistle and its habitat.

Actions:

4. Collaborate with local partners such as Aboriginal communities and organizations, stewardship councils, fish and game clubs and other interest groups to develop communications that promote public awareness of the protection and conscientious use of dune habitat.

Implementing actions

Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund, Species at Risk Research Fund for Ontario, or the Species at Risk Farm Incentive 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 or other legislation may be required to undertake the project.

Implementation of the actions may be subject to changing priorities across the multitude of species at risk, available 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 towards protecting and recovering a species not later than five years from the publication of this response statement. The review will help identify if adjustments are needed to achieve the protection and recovery of the Pitcher’s Thistle.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank all those who participated in the development of the "Recovery Strategy for Pitcher’s Thistle (Cirsium pitcheri) in Ontario" for their dedication to protecting and recovering species at risk.