Wildlife species at risk need our protection:[Final Edition]
Standard St. Catharines, Ont.:Jun 5, 2001.  p. A7 

Article types:	Editorial
Section:	Viewpoint
Publication title:	Standard. St. Catharines, Ont.: Jun 5, 2001.  pg. A.7
Source Type:	Newspaper
ISSN/ISBN:	08373434
ProQuest document ID:	265682831
Text Word Count	560
Article URL:	http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?RQT=309&VInst=PROD&VName=PQD&VType=PQD&Fmt=3&did=000000265682831&clientId=17280

Abstract (Article Summary)

At a time when southwestern Ontario enjoys the dubious distinction of being Canada's region with the most wildlife species at risk, any effort to track species and improve the ecosystem is essential.

Even more troublesome than the long list of species at risk -- which includes everything from trilliums to trout -- is the knowledge some of the species are going downhill fast.

If our politicians give us laws which will better protect our wildlife -- and some of us are willing to get our feet dirty counting snakes -- we stand a better chance of ditching that dubious distinction of holding Canada's highest number of species at risk.

Full Text (560   words)

(Copyright The Standard (St. Catharines) 2001)

Ask dedicated community volunteers which groups or organizations attract their time and attention and it's unlikely they'll mention rattlesnakes.

Yet those Niagara residents who willingly gave up Saturday mornings last month to don rubber boots and wander through the Wainfleet Bog seeking the secretive -- and threatened -- Eastern Massasauga rattler were performing a vital community deed for which we can all be grateful.

At a time when southwestern Ontario enjoys the dubious distinction of being Canada's region with the most wildlife species at risk, any effort to track species and improve the ecosystem is essential.

But efforts to thwart the threat to wildlife must extend beyond volunteers willing to get their rubber boots wet.

Eighty per cent of the 159 species that have been declared at risk by provincial and federal authorities can be found in southwestern Ontario, an area where subdivisions and intensive farming seem to grow just as well as wildflowers after a rainfall.

Even more troublesome than the long list of species at risk -- which includes everything from trilliums to trout -- is the knowledge some of the species are going downhill fast.

To find the culprit, we need look no further than the mirror. Aggressive hunting and fishing, environmental pollution and destruction of habitats have threatened our wildlife.

Of course, development and urbanization will continue, but surely it can continue in a way that is mindful both of our needs for new homes and the need to preserve and nurture the natural homes of plants and animals.

Municipalities must embrace and encourage development projects sensitive to their surroundings. Reviews of requirements around subdivision developments should be carried out, looking for any opportunity to protect wildlife as projects are developed.

And any new requirements which might flow from such a review don't have to be at the cost of a developer's profit margin or a community's progress. After all, a subdivision with a stand of trees or a well-protected creek appears much more healthy and alluring to a new resident than one which rivals a desert devoid of green.

Municipalities can't do it on their own, though. Right now, the biggest rewards they receive for development come through the increased tax revenue new homes or factories provide. To successfully support and encourage development which is also sensitive to the wildlife around it, the province should develop a legislative framework that rewards municipalities for projects which look kindly on the environment.

And the onus also lies with the federal government to ensure it does all it can to promote legislation offering rigid protection for species at risk.

The threat to our wildlife also calls into question our current hunting and fishing regulations. Perhaps it is time to review them and ask if current provisions are reasonable. Or should there be increased limits on catches to give species a better chance to survive?

If our politicians give us laws which will better protect our wildlife -- and some of us are willing to get our feet dirty counting snakes -- we stand a better chance of ditching that dubious distinction of holding Canada's highest number of species at risk.

After all, in 2020 or 2040, we don't want to be told the Eastern Massasauga has gone the way of the timber rattler -- last seen in Canada in Niagara Glen one muggy August day 60 years ago.