Just 15 minutes south of Parliament Hill, in the nation's capital you can find the Ottawa Greenbelt. A place where the federal and municipal governments have managed to preserve local biodiversity and habitat integrity, their contribution to the future.
- Medeola Woods (Ottawa’s largest, stand of old growth trees)
- Monarch Waystation (City of Ottawa, owned)
- SAR Turtles found in wetland areas (Map, Painted and now Snapping)
Eight species of turtles live in the Province of Ontario. Four of these species live in the Leitrim wetlands. This habitat contains: Blanding’s Turtles (THR), Northern Map Turtles (SC), Painted Turtles and Snapping Turtles. While all four of these species are special, 2 of them are on the Province and Federal Species at Risk list.
With the help of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, the Blanding’s Turtle wetlands (Sawmill creek Tributaries 8, 9, 10) was added as part of the overall Sawmill Creek clean up crusade.
(Above map of area in between Hunt Club and Leitrim - Uplands to Bank - shows turtle sightings, etc. )
Taken from Ottawa Urban Turtle Sanctuary Presentation: Finding and fighting for road-free refuges in the National Capital Region (2008 or 2009 presentation?)
This is part of the larger Leitrim Wetland south of Ottawa - where they are building the Findlay Creek development.
Here also is some details about the difficulties for the turtles in this greenspaee:
ReplyDeletehttp://saveourgreenspace.ca/index.shtml
July 2007 - Ottawa, like other cities, is using pellets of larvicide to combat West Nile virus-spreading mosquitoes.
The activist group Save Our Greenspace says the pellets endanger animals, including rare Blandings turtles, which live in marshland near the Ottawa Airport.
A Save Our Greenspace biologist spotted turtles and squirrels snapping up the sweet-smelling pesticide.
"We're shocked they decided to put these pellets in an area where they acknowledge there is a species at risk," said protest organizer Madonna Limoges, 26.
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May 2007
The City mounted 2 Turtle Crossing signs on Lester Road that are ineffective as cars travel 80+ km/hr on a 1.5 km road and use the soft-shoulder for U-Turns.
So, to protect the turtles, we approached the city of Ottawa to mount protective fences along Lester Road. We outlined that Species at Risk Blanding's Turtles live in those wetlands. On May 4th, the city of Ottawa replied as follows:
"No funding is available in our Department to undertake the installation of turtle fences along any of the roads in the City at this time. We are also unaware of any funding being available in any other Departments for this type of project at this time. Accordingly, there is really no action we can undertake to assist in building turtle fence along this section of Lester Road at this time."
Not the environmentally concerned response one would expect from the capital of Canada!
As the unfenced Lester Road problem persists, the turtles continue to remain under threat from motorists.
As plans continue to be made to fragment their habitat and nesting area by 50% with the extension of the LRT through the centre of their habitat, concern about respecting the new Ontario Endangered Species Act appears of little concern to city staff and the Mayor's Transit Task Force.
There is a solution! A positive ecopassage along the Airport Parkway using an existing transportation corridor. This solution would serve Ottawa International Airport and Riverside South, while protecting biodiversity, Species at Risk habitat, in what is known as the most environmentally sensitive area in Ottawa.(North-South LRT Environmental Assessment, 31km)