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RSS Likes → 3 years ago The Long Point Causeway Improvement Project What are the key aims of your organization? The Long Point Causeway Improvement Project is a community-based effort to reduce the negative ecological impacts of the 3.5 kilometre-long causeway that links the Long Point Peninsula on Lake Erie with mainland southern Ontario. These include high levels of wildlife road mortality, particularly of Species At Risk turtles and snakes, and disruption of the natural hydrological functions of the Big Creek Marsh, one of the largest remaining coastal wetlands on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes. What are the challenges you face? When we first started our mitigation work in 2008, we quickly found out that there were few, if any, projects dealing with reptile road mortality anywhere in North America. As a consequence, we’ve had to do some pioneering, often experimental work to get the job done. We’re also working in a United Nations World Biosphere Reserve and adjacent to a protected National Wildlife Area in the most biodiverse region of Canada. Wading our way through the complex, overlapping web of environmental regulations, permits, approvals, and processes has sometimes been much more difficult than installing exclusion fencing and wildlife culverts in a dynamic coastal wetland. We’ve also had to invest a fair bit of effort in public awareness and education. Believe it or not, we encountered some resistance to our plans to preserve Long Point’s turtle and snake populations, including several Species at Risk. Some people saw our work as a waste of time and money and unlikely to succeed. Well, we’ve reduced reptile road mortality on the Causeway by nearly 80 per cent, so even the skeptics now seem to appreciate our work. How has Animex helped you? Finding exclusion fencing that could stand up to the wild and windy wetland conditions at Long Point was a real problem. Most of the fencing systems available were improvised from existing materials not ideally suited for the task. At one point, we even started installing aquaculture netting as our fencing material. We were thrilled to find that someone had purpose-designed an exclusion fencing solution that met most of our requirements. We also liked the fact that the Animex fencing was made of recycled plastics. We’ve tested Animex fencing in some of our most difficult locations and have been pleased the results. So much so that we are finishing off the final stretch of the Causeway by installing more than 1500 meters of Animex fencing this fall. How can other people help? Our work is just about done. It will be completed this year with the installation of the fencing and three more wildlife culverts. In total, we will have installed more than six kilometers of exclusion fencing and 12 wildlife culverts including three large aquatic ones that reconnect the Marsh with Long Point Bay. Our group of citizen volunteers who started and have steered this project came together in 2006. After a decade in the trenches, I think we’ll be taking a well-deserved rest. Reptile road mortality is a problem wherever a road runs through or adjacent to a wetland. But we are never going to be able to fence off every wetland on the planet. That’s where public awareness and education can play a very crucial role in preserving our rarest species of reptiles and other wetland wildlife. People can help by simply recognizing that these creatures deserve to be protected. So watch out for wildlife on the road, avoiding hitting them if possible and perhaps help them across the road when it’s safe for you to do so. www.longpointcauseway.com 3 years ago #reducingroadkill September is always a really exciting month and this year was no exception! We have spent a lot of this month soaking up the stories, taking in the theories and revelling at the innovative research that is being conducted across the world in aid of enhancing habitat connectivity. Every conference we attend always fills us with excitement as we get the opportunity to share the work we are doing whilst learning from others. In the last few weeks we have been lucky enough to be a part of the following events: IENE: http://iene2016.iene.info/ NETWC: http://www.netwc.org/ National Dormouse Conference: http://www.cieem.net/events/1258/national-dormouse-conference-2016 Canadian Herpetological Society Annual Conference: http://www.canadianherpetology.ca/conf/ We recommend keeping an eye on these events and organisations so you can put the next ones in your diary! 3 years ago Problems with mesh fencing…. As part of ongoing research and development tests during this year in Canada alongside Scales Nature Park we have been carrying out observational studies of reptile and amphibian behaviour and interactions with different fencing materials. Although it is still early days in the study the results and observations have been, well see for yourself…….. The pictures and video that have been collated reflect the suspected theory that reptiles and amphibians continually test a mesh fence that they are able to see through and some individuals will even climb and escape! All the individuals in the photos managed to escape either through or over the mesh fence but were not observed to do so when encountered with Animex . More findings and the complete results from this study lead by Carlos Milburn will be published and presented later this year. 3 years ago View high resolution The 2nd edition of our standard specification and installation guide is available to download now! http://animexfencing.com/assets/images/PDFS/Animex-Fencing-Specifications-Version-2.0.pdf 3 years ago Watch out for turtles → Long Point World Biosphere Reserve You can now find Animex animal exclusion fencing along the Long Point Causeway, Lake Erie, Canada. Together with Rick Levick and the rest of the fantastic team there our fencing is now helping to reduce road mortality of snapping turtles as well as other herpetofauna. The Long Point Causeway has been found to be one of the most significant stretches of road-way for animal casualties in the world! 3 years ago On the EEK of extinction! We’re very pleased to be part of the Pacific Pocket Mouse reintroduction project organised by US Fisheries and Wildlife , San Diego Zoo Conservation Research Centre , OC Parks and Cal Fish and Wildlife . We set up a temporary Animex enclosure for a number of captive bred Pacific Pocket Mice to enable them to settle into their new wild surroundings before being set free. What makes this project so special is that during the 90′s this unique species was previously thought to be extinct. Now only a handful of populations are known to exist in the wild so this programme will help to boost these dangerously low numbers. 3 years ago Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada We have been busy installing some discreet snowplow resistant turtle fencing and nesting mounds for The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority . Installing this fencing will help to significantly reduce the road mortality of turtles and other critters around various locations of the Lake Simcoe region. The nesting mounds created on the inside of the fencing will also provide pregnant females a safe place to lay their eggs in their preferred locations along the otherwise dangerous roadside. 3 years ago The ultimate exclusion solution! We have been working with one of our installation teams in California to provide the ultimate multi-species exclusion fencing around a large farm. This fencing combines the best parts of large mammal wire fencing with the solid permanent Animex barrier to prevent unwanted and dangerous animals from entering crop and livestock areas. This specification will be added to the 2nd edition of our standard specification documents due to be published later this summer. 3 years ago The Wildlife Society - Western Section We had a great time at The Wild Life Society’s Western Section annual meeting this week! Loads of fantastic work and research...