GRS Development (External) - Butler's Gartersnake

GRS Development (External) - Butler's Gartersnake

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks is developing a government response statement (GRS) for Butler's Gartersnake. The GRS is legislatively required within 9 months now that the species' recovery strategy has been completed.
 
A GRS is a species-specific policy that establishes the government's provincial recovery direction and identifies and prioritizes associated protection and recovery actions. The GRS responds to the external scientific advice proposed in the recovery strategy and includes consideration of socioeconomic factors, and input from stakeholders, other jurisdictions, members of the public, and Indigenous communities and organizations.

We value your knowledge of and experience working with species at risk. We are looking for early input to support GRS development and ensure a consistent and comprehensive government policy to support the species' protection and recovery. Please complete this survey by Wednesday, August 21, 2019.

GRS surveys are also open for:
-American Ginseng;
-Eastern Banded Tigersnail;
-Golden-eye Lichen;
-Gray Fox;
-Purple Twayblade;
-Small-flowered Lipocarpha; and,
-Transverse Lady Beetle.

If you have any additional documents (e.g., peer-reviewed literature not included in the recovery strategy, best management practices) you wish to submit to inform the development of the Butler's Gartersnake GRS, please reference them in this survey and send to recovery.planning@ontario.ca.
1.Which sector(s) or organizations(s) do you belong to? Please check all that apply.
2.Where are you or your organization (if you are representing an organization) located?
3.What experience with and knowledge of Butler's Gartersnake do you have?
4.Are there any specific activities you are involved with (personal, professional or recreational) that intersect with Butler's Gartersnake protection and recovery? Please provide associated information.
5.Do you support the proposed recovery goal identified by the external recovery strategy authors? What would you add or change and why? Please focus on suggested population targets, distribution, and any specific mechanisms and provide rationale.
6.Do you support conservation translocations for Butler's Gartersnake in Ontario (e.g., augmentation, reintroduction)? Does your response link to specific geographic areas? Please provide rationale to support your position.
7.What are the current or anticipated effects of species' protection related to activities you are involved with (personal, professional or recreational)? What socioeconomic factors should be considered?
8.Please provide your thoughts on the recommended recovery actions for Butler's Gartersnake proposed by the external recovery strategy authors:
Highly Important
Important
Neutral
Not Important
Potential Negative Effects
1.1 Identify priority sites for securement (e.g., purchase, donation, easement, agreement), such as suitable habitat adjacent to and connecting existing occupied sites.
1.2 Identify and prioritize sites for new habitat creation, enhancement or restoration and, if feasible, restore former habitat at extant and historic sites, adjacent tracts and connecting corridors.
1.3 Identify new areas and update mapping of existing occupied habitat.
1.4 Determine locations and site-specific characteristics and extent of hibernacula.
1.5 Increase municipalities’, businesses’ and landowners’ awareness of habitat protection legislation related to Butler’s Gartersnakes.
1.6 Encourage landowner stewardship to protect or restore habitat.
1.7 Develop and encourage alternatives to chemical use (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides) on agricultural lands that may impact grassland communities (i.e., upslope and upstream agricultural lands bordering riverine, wetland or prairie areas).
1.8 Develop and apply (where possible) best management practices (e.g., for livestock grazing, vegetation management) for maintaining or enhancing Butler’s Gartersnake habitat.
2.1 Develop and implement best management practices for mitigating road mortality of Butler’s Gartersnake.
2.2 Develop and implement threat mitigation techniques for other key threats to this species, including subsidized predation, illegal collection and intentional persecution.
2.3 Implement restoration practices in a strategic manner, including site-specific monitoring.
3.1 Survey historic, and potential sites using a standard survey protocol and solicit data on occurrences of this species to improve our knowledge of Butler’s Gartersnake distribution in Ontario.
3.2 Implement targeted and/or mark recapture surveys to evaluate habitat use within mitigation areas, including restoration areas associated with the DRIC Plaza site and HGP and evaluate critical habitat.
3.3 Develop and implement a long-term population monitoring program at known sites across Ontario to assess the natural level of variability in population dynamics from year to year and to determine status and effects of recovery efforts. Also include a focus on hibernation site monitoring at regular intervals (e.g., every three years).
3.4 Monitor the species for Snake Fungal Disease and determine and implement appropriate mitigation techniques if present.
4.1 Develop and implement best management practices and provide guidance to private and public landowners, and managers and First Nations on minimizing impacts of activities that threaten the species (e.g., timing of prescribed burns, wetland drainage, pollution), property maintenance (e.g., mowing) and recreational activities.
4.2 Educate the public about the threats to Butler’s Gartersnake and how they can contribute to protection and recovery efforts for this species.
4.3 Coordinate public outreach with respect to consistent messaging with other conservation groups (e.g., Tallgrass Ontario, Carolinian Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, World Wildlife Fund, etc.).
4.4 Encourage the transfer and archiving of Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
5.1 Undertake research (e.g., radio-tracking, mark-recapture) to further determine the habitat necessary for various life stages of Butler’s Gartersnake in Ontario (e.g., hibernation, foraging, etc.) in both natural and restoration areas, particularly in areas with heavily fragmented habitat i.e. Windsor.
5.2 Investigate the effects of road networks on Butler’s Gartersnake mortality and restriction of movement due to road aversion.
5.3 Research into effective techniques that can be used to mitigate threats for Butler’s Gartersnakes in Ontario, especially road mortality.
5.4 Investigate the mortality rates from domestic and feral pets and other subsidized predators, and determine the potential impact of illegal collection for the pet trade and direct persecution on Butler’s Gartersnake.
5.5 Undertake genetic work to determine if inbreeding depression and/or hybridization is occurring at any populations or if low genetic diversity may result in local extirpation of any of the populations.
5.6 Conduct a Population Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) for extant subpopulations of Butler’s Gartersnake in both rural and urban settings in order to refine recovery targets, further refine critical habitat and determine extinction risk.
9.Are there recovery actions missing from the list above that you think should be included in the GRS? Please provide rationale and any other thoughts on the suite of recommended recovery actions from the recovery strategy.
10.What are the current or anticipated effects of habitat protection related to activities you are involved with (personal, professional or recreational)? What socioeconomic factors should be considered?
11.Do you support the habitat recommendation proposed by the external recovery strategy authors? Do you agree with the distances and areas they have included (if applicable)? Do you think they are well rationalized? What would you add or change and why?
12.Is there any new scientific information, community knowledge or Traditional Ecological Knowledge you are aware of that is not included in the recovery strategy? If you are providing additional documents, please reference them here and send to recovery.planning@ontario.ca.