Endangered by Inaction

King Road area subject to annual temporary closure

Burlington, Ontario has taken action to protect the Jefferson Salamander population for the past few years.

King Road will be blocked off with portable barricades and concrete barricades from the escarpment to Mountain Brow Road between March 18 to April 8, 2013.

This is a city initiative to ensure the survival of this endangered species, since their breeding habitat is divided by the road. Road kill is a significant threat to the survival of the estimated 100 Jefferson Salamanders, according to Conservation Halton.

Cootes Drive, built on a marsh

The cost to close the road is marginal - estimated at $1500.00.

Now might be a good time to talk about the threatened species in Cootes Paradise, and ways to protect them from the road-kill fate on Cootes Drive between McMaster and Dundas.

[source: Hamilton Spectator, March 12, 2013)

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