A Lesson In Ecological Humility

I saw the following last night on Global. It impressed me so much that we took a drive today to Long Point, an area I hadn't visited for over 45 years. The story is a singular illustration of can be accomplished at the local level.

A new research paper, published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin, details the community of Long Point’s construction of roadway fencing and culverts – tunnels used for animal travel – to decrease the numbers of turtles and snakes dying on the Long Point Causeway in a southwestern part of the province.

The road connecting the Long Point Peninsula on Lake Erie and mainland Ontario was ranked as North America’s fourth deadliest site for turtle road mortality in 2003. Researchers also estimated that since 1979, as many as 10,000 animals per year were killed by traffic on the two-lane stretch, representing close to 100 species.

The study found, however, that the community’s work to protect the reptiles living in wetlands surrounding the causeway has reduced the number of turtles venturing onto the road by close to 90 per cent over 10 years, while the number of snakes going on to the road dropped by close to 50 per cent.