2024 at a glance
APRIL
During most of the spring months we primarily focus on reptile emergence as the weather warms up. We survey local wetlands to locate and collect data on at-risk species in our community. We will collect morphometrics (body measurements) of the turtles we find, as well as habitat, behaviour, location, and give each turtle a unique identifier. Our team is eager to get into wetlands after the cold winter months!
MAY
As the weather began to warm up, we worked alongside IPCA coordinator Andrew Byrne to host Shawanaga’s first ever Bioblitz on Shawanaga Island on May 23rd and 24th. We extended an open invite to community members and invited several key partner organizations out for a two-day event to survey and record the island’s biodiversity. We recorded over 600 observations from 200 different species including some of the first official records of Blanding’s turtles and eastern foxsnakes on the island.
We also hosted our annual community bat night at the end of May with bat specialist Derek Morningstar. We set out several Nets at the old Shawanaga church, and community members were able to come out and help with the process of capturing bats and recording their data!
JUNE
During June our team was hard at work excavating and nest caging turtle nests around the community. This year we incubated over 1000 turtle eggs and put out 41 nest cages! We worked long hours day and night driving roads and saving as many eggs as we could!
JULY
During July our team travelled to Manitoulin Island to help with bat netting at several different First Nation communities. This was an exciting trip and we netted several different species of bats and tracked a select few over the course of two weeks.
We also started Massasauga rattlesnake gestation surveys in July. This is when female rattlesnakes would stay in one location waiting to give birth to their babies. This was an exciting year for our team as we identified several new gestation locations at Naiscout.
AUGUST
This is an exciting month as our baby turtles begin hatching out in our incubators. We record the information and wait for their yolk sacs to fully absorb before releasing them to a wetland closest to their nest location.
We continue our gestation surveys for massasauga rattlesnakes and even begin seeing baby rattlesnakes with their mothers at these sites.
In August we also travelled to Collingwood for another bat trip. On this trip, we netted at several locations close to Nottawasaga near caves. We even set a record with the number of bats netted during one of these nights!
SEPTEMBER
During this month our team took a trip to Sudbury with our bat consultant to study tunnels under the Canadian Pacific Railway. This trip was part of The Tunnels project which includes investigating man-made culverts under the railways from Shawanaga through Sudbury. During this trip, we set up several nets at the openings to these “tunnels” and recorded bats that were swamring at these locations.
OCTOBER
As the weather begins cooling down we start our massasauga hibernation surveys. As these snakes get ready to overwinter, they travel to wetlands where they can hunker down under the frost layer where they will stay until the following spring.
This year we have focused our efforts on locating hibernation sites in Naiscout. We were able to confirm two new locations where young massasaugas were hibernating.
NOVEMBER
Because of a climate change grant we received, we were able to plant oak, maple, apple, spruce, and birch trees at the Landing. Chii-miigwetch to the Shawanaga School children for your help! We also installed a new foxsnake nest box designed to help provide a safe refuge for our local snakes to lay their eggs. Construction on a new community greenhouse behind the healing centre also started, and is expected to be ready for the spring time.
The SAR team was honoured to assist with the Shawanaga community harvest once again. The harvest this year was great, and it is always a pleasure to see the community come together to eat, hunt, and celebrate with friends and family.
DECEMBER
This year at the Killbear community harvest, there was good weather and great vibes, as the Great Lakes Culture Camp ran a hide tanning workshop at the sugar shack.
Seeing everyone working as a team and learning together every day was really special.
We also enjoyed handing out hot chocolate and cookies at the Holiday train!
