“When it comes to turtles, we can all be Hall of Famers”

In the spirit of the season, this article was submitted by Dr. Dave Ankney with the note that Mike Berardino of Baseball America wrote this wonderful piece in 1994:

Ah yes, the turtle.

Pat Gillick came upon a turtle trying to cross the road, it was holding up traffic on one of those godforsaken two-lane roads in central Florida, and somebody had to do something.

So Gillick, one of the most powerful and successful sports executives in recent memory, got out of his rental car, walked past several equally perplexed motorists to the source of trouble, picked up the turtle and, dodging traffic from the opposite lane, carried it to safety.

This was sometime in the late 1980s, and Gillick had his wife Doris and daughter Kim in the car with him. Upon returning to the driver’s seat, Gillick had a big smile on his face, the kind of self-satisfied, all-is-right-with-the-world grin you might have after slipping a five-spot to the old woman in front of you in the grocery line.

No sooner had Gillick slid back behind the wheel than his wife spoke up with a shake of her head.

“Patrick, you have to re-do it,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, the turtle was trying to get to the other side. You brought him back where he came from.”

Now traffic was moving again. It wouldn’t be very convenient to stop the car, create another backup (not to mention a new symphony of honking), get out, grab the turtle.

That’s exactly what the GM of the Blue Jays did.

Little did that turtle know he was being carried to his eventual destination by a Hall of Famer.

Causeway Project receives funding for tree planting

Port Rowan, Nov. 23, 2010 – Nearly 1,000 new Carolinian trees and more than 1,500 native shrubs will be planted along the Long Point Causeway next year thanks to $9,965 in funding from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. The tree and shrub planting will be carried out by the Long Point Causeway Improvement Project (LPCIP) in cooperation with Norfolk County’s Forestry Department.

“These will be the first new trees and shrubs to be planted along the Causeway in many, many years,” said Paula Jongerden, chair of the LPCIP’s steering committee. “While we’re committed to preserving the existing trees, it’s essential that we begin planting trees now to enhance the Causeway’s natural environment for the future.”

The existing willows and poplars are all that remains of an avenue of trees that lined the entire length of the Causeway back in the 1940s and 1950s. Windstorms, floods and old age have taken their toll and many of the remaining trees are approaching the end of their natural lives. A survey last fall by the County forestry staff found that at least 18 trees will have to be cut down because they are dead, damaged or pose a public safety risk.

“We consulted with the St. Williams Nursery and Ecology Centre about what species of native Carolinian trees and shrubs would thrive in the Causeway environment,” said Jongerden. Among the suggested tree species are Bur Oak, Paper Birch, White Cedar, Eastern Cottonwood, Hackberry, Swamp Maple, and Peach-leaved Willow. The native shrubs could include Silky Dogwood, Pussy Willow, Chokecherry and Ninebark.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF), a national organization formed by TD Bank Financial Group that funds local projects dedicated to preserving the environment. TD FEF has provided more than $53 million in support to more than 19,000 grassroots environmental projects like the Long Point Causeway Tree Planting Project.

The Long Point Causeway Improvement Project is managed by Steering Committee comprised of representatives from 16 government agencies and local organizations and several individuals well-known in the community. The LPCIP receives financial and administrative support from the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation, which promotes research, monitoring, education and projects that support the goals of conservation and sustainable use in the Biosphere Reserve.

Causeway Project seeking donations for Wildlife Barrier Fencing

Port Rowan, July 08, 2010 – The Long Point Causeway Improvement Project (LPCIP) has launched a fundraising campaign to install and maintain heavy-duty barrier fencing to reduce wildlife road mortality along the Long Point Causeway. The work will complement the installation of three ecopassages under the roadway that the LPCIP has proposed for next year.

The LPCIP’s monitoring program over the past two years has shown that barrier fencing is an effective way to reduce road kill of turtles, snakes and frogs along the Causeway. However, it has also found that the low-cost black silt fencing that was initially installed to study this issue simply isn’t durable enough for the weather conditions at Long Point.

“This fundraising effort allows people in the community to make a tangible contribution to protecting the Species at Risk turtles and snakes and other wildlife that are killed on the Causeway,” said Paula Jongerden, chair of the LPCIP steering committee. “Through their donation, they can cast a vote in favor of making long overdue improvements to this natural gateway to the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve.”

The LPCIP is planning to replace about 3,500 metres of the black silt fencing with the much heavier green fencing that it has installed on the east side of the Causeway north of the first marina and at the viewing area parking lot. This fencing meets Ontario Ministry of Transportation specifications and was installed using MTO guidelines. The fencing is expected to last six to 10 years in most areas along the Causeway.

“While this fencing is much more durable and long lasting, it is also considerably more expensive to purchase, install and maintain,” said Jongerden. “So we’re asking people in the community to help us with donations and, in return, receive charitable donation receipt from the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation and an attractive decal for their vehicle.

A donation of $30 will install two metres of fencing; $60 will install four metres; $90 will install six metres and $120 will install eight metres of fencing. The donated funds will also help to maintain the fencing in years to come.

Individuals wishing to contribute to this effort should make out a cheque to the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation with the notation “Wildlife fencing”. Please mail it to the LPWBRF, P.O. Box 338, Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0. Do not mail cash.

Long Point Causeway Road Kill Numbers Way Down

Monday, April 19 2010

Efforts to reduce road kill of turtles and snakes, including species at risk, on the Long Point Causeway are having a notable impact according to monitoring studies conducted by the Long Point Causeway Improvement Project (LPCIP) Committee over the past two years.

The annual road kill count of turtles dropped from highs of 202 in 1979 and 190 in 1993 to only 85 in 2009. The studies also noted significant declines in the numbers of amphibians (frogs and toads) and small mammals killed on the 3.6 kilometer-long roadway.

The LPCIP Committee has installed about 4,000 metres of temporary barrier fencing along the Causeway to prevent animals from venturing onto the road. Sixteen artificial nest mounds were also created on the marsh side of the fencing to provide turtles with alternative locations for laying their eggs. As well, the LPCIP Committee has set up an electronic message sign and turtles crossing signs along the Causeway during the spring and summer months to alert drivers to watch for animals on the road.

This work was carried out with financial support totaling $147,000 from Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program and Ontario’s Species at Risk Stewardship Fund.

“Our monitoring work confirms that the annual death toll of wildlife on the Causeway can be reduced by making physical changes to the environment and, equally important, increasing people’s awareness about the road kill problem,” said Brian Craig, chair of the LPCIP Science Committee.

However, Craig noted that the sharp decline in roadkill in 2009 among all animal species, especially amphibians, may have been caused by the cool, wet weather last summer. “For example, we had very few warm, humid evenings in August when hundreds, sometimes thousands, of frogs are usually killed on the road annually.”

In 2009, only 85 amphibians were found dead on the road, compared to 815 in 2008 and more than 7,800 in 1993. “We hope this trend is not an indication of serious declines in the frog populations, but rather a result of changing weather conditions and our mitigation efforts.”

The Long Point Causeway Improvement Project is managed by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from 17 government agencies and local organizations and several individuals well-known in the community. The Committee receives administrative and management support from the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation, which promotes research, monitoring, education and projects that support the goals of conservation and sustainable use in the Biosphere Reserve.

Volunteers repair fencing to protect wildlife

Monday, April 19, 2010

With the early warm weather, turtles, snakes and frogs are starting to move across the Long Point Causeway where they risk being hit by passing vehicles. On April 17, a dozen volunteers, including Scott Gillingwater and Crystal Robertson (in photo), helped repair and reinstall the temporary barrier fencing that keeps these reptiles off the roadway. Norfolk County has also set up turtle crossing signs and the electronic message sign altering drivers to watch for wildlife on the Causeway.

The Long Point Causeway Improvement Project Committee is encouraging drivers to watch out for animals on the road when they drive across the Causeway.