Parks Canada is continuing a conservation project at Bruce Peninsula National Park to help protect and improve reptile and amphibian populations.
Project Coordinator Katherine Welch says the On The Road Again project, which will be running for another year, contributes to recovering species in national parks including Georgian Bay Islands National Park and Thousand Islands National Park, in additional to Bruce Peninsula National Park.
“Together with partners and local volunteers, we are developing a better understanding of the changing environmental conditions, environmental impacts, and taking action to protect and improve reptile and amphibian populations. Some of these actions include installation of eco-passages, exclusion fencing, turtle hatchling incubation, creation of artificial nesting sites, turtle nest protection measures and other such things,” says Welch.
At the Bruce Peninsula National Park, Welch says the project has been ongoing for several years since 2018. At the site, she says they have installed eco-passages along local roads for the animals to safely pass without interrupting traffic.
The species being protected in Northern Bruce Peninsula include snapping turtles and Midland painted turtles, which are both deemed at risk.
She says March, 2024 is the end of the full project, but they do have one more year of funding to work with partners and try to ensure their efforts carry on.
“We are hoping in that last year to do some more work with our partners and local communities to ensure this work continues,” says Welch.
Welch says if people find an injured turtle, they can call the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre at 705-741-5000 or visit the website here to find out more on how to assist the animal.