Skip to main content

Fencing in the natural world in a biodiversity hotspot is a band aid, not a solution

This article appeared in the Hamilton Spectator today (April 10, 2014) - from our own headline (above) I want to ensure it is clear we support the RBG fence as a temporary fix for a long-term problem. We need to protect vulnerable species from extirpation, due in large part to road kill. But a better solution is to be found at the core of  Restore Cootes' vision. More on that soon.  - rk

RBG wants permanent fence to protect trekking turtles

The Royal Botanical Gardens and the Hamilton Conservation Authority Foundation are ramping up efforts to prevent a fragile population of turtles and other wildlife from getting run over by vehicles on Cootes Drive.
The RBG wants to build a permanent fence, three-quarters of a kilometre long, that is expected to cost more than $30,000, on the east side of the road near the edge of McMaster University property and swinging west towards Olympic Drive. The fence would direct spring migrating turtles along the roadside to a safe crossover point under a bridge.
For years, the turtles have been crossing the road in search of sandy terrain to lay eggs. For the past two years the RBG has experimented with temporary silt fences, but decided recently to go ahead with a permanent structure.
Meanwhile, the HCA Foundation — which owns nearby property on the west side of Cootes Drive — just finished a fundraising campaign that quickly raised $1,100 for a temporary silt fence on that site. That fence is aimed at preventing turtles from going on the road when they try to return to the RBG property after laying eggs.
Tys Theysmeyer, head of conservation for the RBG, said the location near the McMaster property "is a key crossing point for wildlife" between Cootes Paradise and the Dundas Valley, which are the two big natural areas.
"The grand plan is to get the wildlife, turtles or animals safe passage that forces them to go under a bridge that goes over a creek instead of going on the road," explained Theysmeyer.
He hopes the bridge will some day be modified to better encourage wildlife to go underneath it and provide some public access to observe the animals.
Theysmeyer said he plans to approach the city to help pay for the fence because wildlife are being killed on a city-owned road.
RBG researchers have been studying turtles on its Cootes Paradise property for several years using radio transmitters attached to the animals' backs. The studies have given the researchers a better idea of where in the marsh the turtles are spending different seasons.
Theysmeyer says the bitter winter has meant the turtles are a couple of weeks behind schedule coming out of hibernation. They are just starting to appear now.
Normally, in late fall turtles will dig into the ground beside creek beds, below the usual frost line, and spend the winter there. But this winter, the frost went deeper into the ground than usual and some turtles might have frozen to death because they didn't go deep enough. But it's too early to say for sure, he says.
905-526-4687 | @Markatthespec

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

a vision for nature in Cootes

View the Eco-Park Document here Make Cootes national park, group urges TheSpec.com - Local - Make Cootes national park, group urges Create eco-park in urbanized area Eric McGuinness , The Hamilton Spectator (Jan 28, 2009) The idea of a Cootes Paradise National Park is being revived by local conservationists. But they say it is jeopardized by plans for a self-storage warehouse beside the Desjardins Canal at the east entrance to Dundas. They point to a new vision of an urban eco-park -- maybe a national park -- incorporating the Cootes marsh, drafted by Urban Strategies Inc., the firm responsible for McMaster University's campus master plan among other Hamilton projects. Joe Berridge, a partner who has helped reshape waterfronts in Toronto, New York and London, produced the concept document at the invitation of Ben Vanderbrug, retired general manager of the Hamilton Conservati

McMaster's Parking Problem: Next Level

I'm sharing a recent article published in the Dundas Star News about McMaster's plan to build a - get this - $17-million dollar parking structure. Seventeen million. Yes, $17,000,000.00 That's a lot of money to provide temporary shelter for vehicles of people who choose to drive to campus. We will be following this closely. Here's the article.  Cootes Drive six-storey McMaster University parking garage under review Variances or amendment to zoning bylaw expected to permit parking structure Craig Campbell, Dundas Star News, Friday, March 5, 2021 Zoning bylaw variances, or amendments, could be required for a planned six-storey, 567-space McMaster University parking garage west of Cootes Drive, and north of Thorndale Crescent. University spokesperson Michelle Donavon said the $17-million structure on parking lot K at Westaway Road will help ongoing efforts to re-naturalize parts of the west campus, by moving some surface parking into the structure. “These plans will increa

Where did the water go? Art action in Lot M Parking

West Campus Eco-Art Project  A walking activity and site activation on McMaster’s West Campus.  West Campus Eco-Art Project is a project that incorporates creative walking activities and an artistic site activation connected with the West Campus Redesign Initiative at McMaster University. The initiative provides opportunities for connecting with nature through an on-line informational video, walking excursions and creative activities that deepen knowledge and experience with place in all its complexities (social history, citizen science, ecology and diversity).  Focusing on the Coldwater creek valley on McMaster’s West Campus, participants will learn about the history and unique features of the area and will be invited to then engage with the site through observation, sketching and stencil-making. Stencils will be used to paint text and image on the parking lot asphalt to delineate a blue line that marks an historic water route.  The project is supported by the McMaster Museum of Art (