Species at Risk Within the Rice Lake Plains an Information Guide Brought to You by the Partners of the Rice Like Plains Joint Initiative

Species at Risk within the Rice Lake Plains An Information Guide brought to you by the partners of the Rice Like Plains Joint Initiative

www.ricelakeplains.ca The Rice Lake Plains is one of the most intriguing areas on the Oak Ridges This guide provides general information about some of the Species at Risk Moraine. It is an area of roughly 100,000 acres (40,469 hectares) located at (SAR) living within the Rice Lake Plains (RLP), an area which includes sandy the eastern end of the moraine, southeast of Peterborough. soils, prairie grasses with deep roots, colourful wildflowers, hardy shrubs Historically, the Rice Lake Plains were dotted with oak savannas, dominated and resilient oak trees. This guide does not include all SAR found within the by massive Black and White Oaks, and tallgrass prairies where grasses like RLP, nor is it a field guide. This publication is aimed at helping to increase Big Bluestem, Indian Grass and Switchgrass grew more than two metres awareness and understanding of some of the plants and animals that have been high. Additionally diverse wildflowers like Wild Blue Lupine, Wild Bergamot, declining in these rare grassland ecosystems called prairie and savanna. Thimbleweed and Round-Headed Bush-Clover blossomed. The Rice Lake Plains Joint Initiative partners invite you to learn more about Today, the oak savanna and tall grass prairie of the Rice Lake Plains are all of the plants and animals, including their habitats, that are in need of fragmented and scattered with non-native species. These species include Dog- protection and conservation throughout the greater Rice Lake Plains area. To strangling Vine, Spotted Knapweed, White Sweet Clover, Common Buckthorn, do this, please visit www.ontario.ca/speciesatrisk. and Scotch Pine. Globally these habitats are rare, and oak savannas are considered among the most endangered ecological communities in North America. Grassland Birds like the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark and other rare species, including the Eastern Hog-nosed Snake, depend on this habitat to survive. Table of Contents Purpose of this Guide...... 3 Species...... 9-20 To learn more about the Rice Lake Plains, please visit www.ricelakeplains.ca. Definitions of Species at Risk...... 4 Reporting SAR Sightings...... 21 Categories for Species at Risk.. 4-5 Volunteer Opportunities...... 21 Protection of Species at Risk...... 4 Assistance for Landowners...... 21 Habitats...... 6-7 Acknowledgements...... 22-23

Species At Risk - Profiles

Plants Least Bittern...... 15 American Ginseng...... 8 Red-headed Woodpecker...... 15 Butternut...... 8 Whip-poor-will...... 16 Yellow Rail...... 16 Birds Bald Eagle...... 9 Amphibians/Reptiles Barn Swallow...... 9 Eastern Hog-nosed Snake...... 17 Black Tern...... 10 Eastern Milksnake...... 17 Eastern Ribbonsnake...... 18 Bobolink...... 10 Blanding’s Turtle...... 18 Canada Warbler...... 11 Northern Map Turtle...... 19 Cerulean Warbler...... 11 Snapping Turtle...... 19 Chimney Swift...... 12 Western Chorus Frog...... 20 Common Nighthawk...... 12 Eastern Loggerhead Shrike...... 13 Insects Eastern Meadowlark...... 13 Monarch Butterfly...... 20 Golden-winged Warbler...... 14 Cover Photo Credit: Alison Clark King Rail...... 14 Definition of Species The Ontario provincial government has also identified species that are at risk in at Risk Ontario and has given them designations that reflect their provincial status. Species at risk (SAR) are plants and Table 2: Status Categories for animals in trouble because their numbers have declined noticeably Species at Risk in Ontario in recent years. They are species at risk of extinction. If they Extirpated = A native species that no longer exists in the wild disappear, they will be gone in Ontario but still exists elsewhere forever, and lost for all future (e.g., Karner Blue Butterfly) generations. There are over 500 Endangered = A native species facing extinction or extirpation SAR in Canada and more than 190 in (e.g., Hog-nosed Snake) Ontario. Depending on the time of year, 40 of these SAR can be found within the Threatened = A native species at risk of becoming endangered Rice Lakes Plains. in Ontario (e.g., Eastern Meadowlark) At the federal government level, experts identify species which are at risk and in Special Concern = A native species that is sensitive to human need of protection and recovery efforts. activities or natural events which may cause it Based on the best available information, to become endangered or threatened (e.g., Red- each species is placed in one of the following headed Woodpecker) six categories: = Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) Table 1: Status Categories for Photo Credit: Ken Towle Species at Risk in Canada Protection of SAR Endangered Species Act Extinct = No longer living anywhere on Earth Species at Risk Act (SARA) In Ontario, this Act applies to all This federal legislation applies to activities that may affect species at all species listed as species at risk Extirpated = No longer living in Canada, but still exists elsewhere risk in Ontario. Endangered and found on lands and waters owned threatened species are protected by or administered by the federal Endangered = Facing imminent extirpation or extinction this provincial law and in many cases government in Canada. Under this their habitat is also protected. Act, all species at risk and their For more information see Threatened = Likely to become endangered if limiting factors are habitats are protected by federal law. not reversed www.ontario.ca/speciesatrisk. For more information see Special Concern = Sensitive to activities that may make it endangered www.sararegistry.gc.ca. or threatened Not at Risk = Not at risk of extinction

= Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC)

Photo: Joe Crowley Bobolink Photos: Jean Iron (adult Boblink), Barbara Frei (fledglings) Rice Lake Plains — A Refuge for Rare Ecosystems Tallgrass Prairie Tallgrass Prarie and Oak Savanna are vegetation communities. Once far Trees are few and far between in a Tallgrass Prairie, and a variety of tall native more widespread in this local region, only small, scattered remnants remain grasses such as Indian Grass and Big Bluestem, and many colourful wild flowers today. Historically, fires maintained these habitats by controlling competing such as Prairie Lily, Prairie Buttercup and Butterfly Milkweed also help to identify vegetation. Today, technicians mimic natural fires by conducting controlled or this ecosystem. Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark and Grasshopper Sparrow can be “prescribed” burns to revitalize and regenerate these habitats. found here. Some of the finest examples of these threatened ecosystems are found on the south side of Rice Lake, at the Alderville First Nation Black Oak Savanna. Visit their website at aldervillesavanna.ca or visit their Ecology Centre (905-352-1008) to see this habitat first-hand. Oak Savanna looks like a grassland with scattered, widely spaced oak and occasional pine trees. Characteristic wildflowers include Woodland Sunflower, Wild Bergamot, and Seneca Snakeroot. Animals to watch for include Eastern Towhee, Red- headed Woodpecker, Eastern Hog-nosed Snake and Red Admiral Butterflies.

Black Oak Savanna Photo: Todd Farrell Tallgrass Prairie Photo: Todd Farrell 9 Rare Species across the RLP Landscape Bald Eagle Barn Swallow The Rice Lake Plains consists of diverse habitats including wetlands, forests, (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) (Hirundo rustica) prairies and savannas; each unique habitat supporting many species. Special Concern Threatened Within this guide a mix of these species are profiled. Description Description • A very large bird of prey • Cinnamon-colored forehead and • Mature birds have a white head and throat, blue black above and tawny American Ginseng Butternut tail below (Panax quinquefolius) (Juglans cinerea) • Dark brown body feathers that appear • Long, deeply forked tail Endangered Endangered Endangered Endangered black Habitat • Long broad wings are held flat when soaring • Open habitats, agricultural fields, Description Description parks, marshes and meadows Habitat • Perennial herb growing 20-70 cm high • Medium-sized tree with leaves divided Interesting Facts • Proximity to large lakes and rivers like • The stem ends in a compound leaf into leaflets Trent River and Rice Lake • Feeds almost exclusively in flight with (usually comprised of 5 leaflets) • Large, lemon-shaped, hard, green nuts flying insects being the majority of its • Centrally located flower is greenish • Young twigs and nuts sticky-downy Interesting Facts diet white in colour • Pith of twigs chocolate brown color • Builds the largest nest of any bird in • Build cup-shaped mud nests on • Red berries when mature North America human-made structures Habitat Habitat • Sometimes chases ospreys to steal food Threats • Dry, rocky to moist, rich sites; often from them (an opportunist, snatches • Rich, moist, mature deciduous forest with maples fish from bills of diver ducks and • Loss of nesting and foraging habitats • Declines in insect populations Interesting Facts Interesting Facts scavenges bear kills) • Long-lived plant that grows slowly • Belongs to walnut family, and produces • A conservation success story, as many Similar Species • Roots are used as a medicinal herb edible nuts in the fall populations appear to be growing in • Cliff Swallow • Leaves, bark, and nuts may secrete areas where they were once threatened Threats toxins that inhibit growth or kill other with local extinction • Illegal harvesting for commercial plants surrounding it Threats market • Poaching, accidental trapping Species Risk at - Profiles • Timber extraction and clearing of land Threats for development • A fungal disease called butternut • Poisoning by pesticides • Hybridization with non-native oriental canker Similar Species ginseng • Deforestation • Immature Bald Eagles resemble Similar Species Similar Species Golden Eagles • Sarsaparilla, Virginia Creeper • Black Walnut

Photo: Corina Brdar Photo: Bob Bowles Photo: Parks Canada Photo: Bill Hubick 11 Black Tern Bobolink Canada Warbler Cerulean Warbler (Chlidonias niger) (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) (Wilsonia canadensis) (Dendroica cerulea) Special Concern Threatened Threatened Special Concern Special Concern Threatened Description Description Description Description • Small, dark tern that flies gracefully • Males black below lighter above • Yellow throat, chest, belly • A small warbler with broad white wing • Black head, neck, and under parts • Females light beige streaked with • Necklace of dark streaks across chest bars brown • Male has vivid blue back with white Habitat • Lacks wing bars • In breeding season, males have yellow throat and under parts • Shallow, freshwater cattail marshes, patch on head Habitat • Female has a green-blue back with pale lake edges, and sewage ponds • Found in moist or wet forests with a yellow throat and under parts Habitat Interesting Facts well-developed understory of shrubs or • Originally nested in tallgrass prairie, young trees (eg. Peter’s Woods) Habitat • A social bird that usually breeds in now in hayfields, meadows and • Shrubby thickets along watercourses • Deciduous or swamp forests dominated loose colonies pastures by tall trees of uneven structure • They build nests on floating reed Interesting Facts • An occasional visitor to Rice Lakes Plains debris, logs or boards, muskrat rafts or Interesting Facts • Like many other warblers, winters in abandoned grebe nests • Travel 20,000 km round trip for mature tropical forests Interesting Facts • Migrate to the north coast of South migration – one of the longest for any • Brown-headed Cowbirds often lay their • Migrates to northeastern South America America North American passerine eggs in Canada Warbler nests • If first nest fails, spider web from this • Snatches insects from the air and • More than 25% of global population • Female often performs “distraction” nest is used in building of the second nest minnows from the water breeds in Canada display when flushed from nest • When female leaves the nest, she drops • Typically distributed on northerly Threats from it, only opening her wings when portion of the Rice Lake Plains Threats well below the structure • Wetland loss, degradation • Loss or reduction of forests with well- Threats • In the US, this warbler’s population is • Fluctuating water levels developed shrub layer declining faster than any other warbler • Incidental mortality from agricultural • Human disturbance at nesting sites • Tropical deforestation species operations Similar Species • Habitat loss and fragmentation Similar Species Threats • Other terns • Pesticides • Could be confused with several • Forest fragmentation and degradation, warblers such as the Magnolia Warbler loss of winter habitat Similar Species • Nest parasitism by the Brown-headed • Male plumage outside of breeding Cowbird season is similar to female. Could be confused with several sparrow species Similar Species • Black-throated Blue Warbler

Photo: Parks Canada Photo: Jean Iron Photo: Parks Canada Photo: Parks Canada 13 Chimney Swift Common Nighthawk Eastern Loggerhead Shrike Eastern Meadowlark (Chaetura pelagica) (Chordeiles minor) (Lanius ludovicianus) (Sturnella magna) Threatened Threatened Threatened Special Concern Endangered Endangered Threatened Description Description Description Description • Small dark bird, with long narrow, • Mottled, brown-black feathers and • Robin-sized, grey, black and white bird • Medium-sized songbird with short tail. pointed wings and squared tail barred under parts with a hooked bill • Throat, chest, and belly yellow • In flight, rapid wing beats and often a • Large, flattened head • Black facemask and black wings with a • Black “V” across chest chittering call • Large eyes and mouth, small bill and a prominent white patch seen when bird • Quick, jerky flight; most likely seen notched tail flies Habitat flying, usually at dusk and dawn • Wings are long, slender and come to a • Head appears large • Open habitats, grasslands, pastures, and hayfields Habitat point, with a white patch near the tip Habitat • Forages over towns, cities, pasture and Habitat • Prefers habitat with thorny trees and Interesting Facts forest • Forest openings, grasslands, bogs and shrubs such as hawthorns • Not a lark, rather a member of • Roosts and nests in chimneys, or in gravel rooftops • Grazed pastures and abandoned Icteridae (i.e. blackbirds and orioles) large tree cavities farmland Interesting Facts Threats Interesting Facts • Potential pockets of habitat in Rice • Habitat loss, farming practices • Nests on bare ground or on gravel Lakes Plains • Eats, drinks, bathes while flying rooftops; eggs are well-camouflaged • Succession of grasslands to shrubland • Nest is half saucer-shaped, made of • In breeding season, males perform Interesting Facts and forest twigs and saliva and is attached to a a “booming” dive, turning abruptly • Lacking talons, this bird impales larger Similar Species wall (inside a chimney or deep shaft) upward at about 2 m above the ground prey on thorns or barbed wire, to help • Western Meadowlark it tear up its victims • Birds can’t take off from the ground Threats • Average air speed 46.5 km/hr • Has excellent vision • Decline in food source (flying insects) • Eats a wide variety of organisms Threats • Loss of suitable habitat including insects, amphibians, small • Decline in its food sources (flying Similar Species reptiles, birds and mammals insects) • continues to decline throughout range • Habitat destruction (old chimneys), • Could be confused with Whip-poor- very few natural nesting areas will Threats (large hollow trees) • Farming practices, pesticides • Light pollution • Loss of habitat, road mortality Similar Species Similar Species • Cliff Swallow, Bank Swallow, • Northern Mockingbird, Northern Barn Swallow Shrike

Photo: Ken McFarlandr Photo: USDA, NRCS Photo: Parks Canada Photo: Jean Iron 15 Golden-winged Warbler King Rail Least Bittern Red-headed Woodpecker (Vermivora chrysoptera) (Rallus elegans) (Ixobrychus exilis) (Melanerpes erythrocephalus) Threatened Special Concern Endangered Endangered Threatened Threatened Threatened Special Concern Description Description Description Description • Small bird (12 cm in length) with a • A large marsh bird with a long, slightly • Very small heron (28-37 cm in length) • Bright red head, chin, throat, and bib black throat and eye mask down-curved bill and long legs and toes • Buff-coloured feathers • Black back and wings, white • Bright yellow patch on crown of head • Black and white stripes on its flanks • White streaking on the breast, dark underparts and wing patch and wing • Reddish chest, neck, and back brown head and back • Medium-sized woodpecker • Bluish grey underparts and flanks • More likely to be heard than seen • Large chestnut patches on wings when Habitat seen flying Habitat Habitat • More likely to be heard than seen • Open deciduous forest and oak • Shrubby fields and woodland edges, • Shallow, densely vegetated freshwater savanna, orchards, groves of dead or wooded swamps, alder bogs, recently marshes Habitat dying trees, parks abandoned farm fields, clearcuts • Sightings near Warkworth • Freshwater marshes with dense cattail Interesting Facts • Recent observations in Alderville area stands and other tall vegetation Interesting Facts • Omnivorous woodpecker, eating nuts, Interesting Facts • Largest rail species in North America; Interesting Facts seeds, berries, fruit, insects • Builds nest of grass on the ground, about the size of a chicken • Smallest of the North American herons • During breeding season may also eat hidden by vegetation • Call is a series of fewer than 10 • Prefers larger wetlands with quiet, young birds, eggs, small rodents and dead fish Threats “kek-kek-keks” undisturbed areas • After nesting, adult King Rails are • Secretive behaviour and solitary • Stores food, hiding it in cracks in wood • Loss of breeding habitat flightless for almost a month lifestyle and under bark • Hybridization with Blue-winged • Hard to see; its soft, low “coos” from • Aggressively defends its territory by Warbler Threats within heavy cover can reveal its attacking other birds, destroying their Similar Species • Draining and conversion of wetlands location nests and removing their eggs • Changes in water levels, introduction • Could be confused with the hybrid • Its small size and ability to straddle Threats of non-native plants “Lawrence’s Warbler” and climb reeds allows it to feed in • Habitat loss and road mortality • Pesticide poisoning, accidental waters too deep for wading herons trapping on wintering grounds • Competition with other species for Threats available nest sites Similar Species • Wetland loss and degradation, urban Similar Species • Could be confused with the smaller development Virginia Rail • Immature birds could be confused Similar Species with some other woodpeckers • Could be confused with the much larger American Bittern

Photo: Larry Kirtley Photo: Jim Rathert, USFWS Photo: John Schwarz, www.birdspix.com Photo: Dave Menke, USFWS 17 Whip-poor-will Yellow Rail Eastern Hog-nosed Snake Eastern Milksnake (Caprimulgus vociferus) (Coturnicops noveboracensis) (Heterodon platirhinos) (Lampropeltis triangulum) Threatened Threatened Special Concern Special Concern Threatened Threatened Special Concern Special Concern Description Description Description Description • Mottled, brown-grey feathers • A small marsh bird with a very short tail • Stout body with wide neck and • Head and neck has a light-coloured Y • Black throat and long rounded tail with and dark stripe through the eyes upturned nose or V-shaped blotch white outer tail feathers • Buffy yellow face and chest • Dark blotch behind each eye • Long and slender, with rusty coloured patches outlined in black on its back Habitat • Yellow and black-streaked back Habitat • Hard to see, secretive species that Habitat • Open deciduous and pine woodlands freezes or slips away easily through • Sandy shorelines, wet areas such as thick vegetation swamps and pine or oak woodlands • Forests, fields, edges of farms, water Interesting Facts bodies, rocky areas • Lays eggs on ground, no nest built Habitat Interesting Facts Interesting Facts • Young hide on ground until they can fly • Marshes with shallow or little standing • These snakes eat mainly toads about 20 days after hatching water • When threatened, snake flattens neck • Name derived from old belief that these snakes entered barns at night to • Occasionally wet meadows like a cobra and hisses, then may turn Threats belly-up with tongue out to play dead, drink milk from cows • Decline in food source (flying insects) Interesting Facts but very rarely bites • Eats small rodents, birds, other snakes • Reduction of habitat availability and insects • Its “clicking” call sounds like the Threats Similar Species striking together of two small stones; • Active at night given mostly during hours of dusk and • Development and agricultural • Common Nighthawk Threats night practices • Birds moult and are flightless for two • Road mortality and human • Human persecution and road mortality persecution weeks before their migration in early fall Similar Species • Among the most infrequently Similar Species • Eastern Foxsnake, Eastern Massasauga encountered of all birds known to breed • Could be confused with Northern Rattlesnake in Ontario Water Snake • Migrates through Rice Lake Plains, found on two recent bird counts Threats • Drainage and conversion of wetlands • Alterations in water levels and flows Similar Species • Could be confused with the slightly larger Sora Rail Photo: Jean Iron Photo: Dominic Sherony Photo: Joe Crowley Photo: Joe Crowley 19 Eastern Ribbonsnake Blanding’s Turtle Northern Map Turtle Snapping Turtle (Thamnophis sauritus) (Emydoidea blandingii) (Graptemys geographica) (Chelydra serpentina) Special Concern Special Concern Threatened Threatened Special Concern Special Concern Special Concern Special Concern Description Description Description Description • Small, slender snake with black body • High-domed upper shell, long neck with a • Irregular yellow or light brown • Largest turtle in Canada, weighing up and 3 yellow stripes bright yellow chin markings on upper shell can resemble to 16 kg • Has a vertical white bar in front of Habitat contour lines on a map • Carapace (upper shell) with 3 ridges each eye • Upper shell somewhat flattened with a • Plastron (lower shell) is very small and • Wetlands and exposed sandy/gravel areas low keel running down the center cross-shaped Habitat for nesting in late May-June • Yellowish-green stripes on skin, yellow Habitat • Wetlands and shorelines; rarely found • Secluded bays, wetlands and shallow spot behind eye more than 30 m from water’s edge parts of lakes and creeks with soft • Lakes, rivers, streams and ponds with bottoms Habitat Interesting Facts slow moving water and a soft bottom • Large, soft-bottomed lakes and rivers • They eat mostly small fish and Interesting Facts Interesting Facts amphibians • May wander several hundred meters from Interesting Facts • Can be aggressive on land since it • Females are bigger than males and wetlands • Great swimmers and will swim long cannot withdraw itself into its shell give birth to live young • Don’t mature until at least 15-20 years of distances over the summer • Poor swimmers, preferring to walk on • In winter, hibernate together in age and they can live longer than 80 years • Will bask in the sun together, often in the bottom burrows or rock crevices known as • They can survive the winter under water, large numbers, sometimes on top of • Females will lay up to 40 eggs shaped hibernacula by absorbing oxygen through their skin each other like ping-pong balls Threats • Females often return to nest in the same • Their shyness and excellent eyesight • Temperature of nest determines sex of place each year can make them hard to approach baby turtles • Shoreline development, wetland loss or • Females are much larger than males, degradation, road mortality Threats Threats with powerful jaws that can break open Similar Species • Habitat loss and degradation threatens all clam shells • Road mortality, persecution by life stages; road mortality humans, trapping (for food) • Eastern Garter Snake • Predators (primarily raccoons, skunks, Threats • Habitat loss, especially nesting areas red fox, coyote) eat eggs, hatchlings and • Habitat loss and degradation • Nest predation by raccoons, skunks, young juveniles • Road mortality, mortality from foxes and stray pets • Collection for illegal pet trade outboard motors Similar Species Similar Species • Nest predation by raccoons, skunks, foxes and stray pets • Small Snapping Turtles can be • Painted Turtle, Wood Turtle confused with Musk Turtles Similar Species • Painted Turtle

Photo: Joe Crowley Photo: Parks Canada Photo: Parks Canada Photo: Parks Canada Western Chorus Frog Monarch Butterfly Reporting SAR Sightings (Pseudacris triseriata) (Danaus plexippus) • The Ontario Ministry of Natural Threatened Special Concern Special Concern Resources (OMNR) tracks species at risk. You can use an online form to Description Description report your sightings to the Natural • Most striking visual characteristic is 3 • Orange-red in colour, outlined in black Heritage Information Centre long, dark lines running the length of with white spots (NHIC). Photographs with specific the body • Wingspan is approximately 95 mm locations (mapping coordinates) are • Grow up to 37 mm long; females larger very helpful. Contact ht t p://n h ic. than males Habitat mnr.gov.on.ca for more information. • Body is long and pear-shaped with a • Fields, roadsides, meadows with milkweed • If possible, and with minimal narrow, pointed head disturbance, photograph the species, • Colour varies from brown to grey to • Overwinters in the central mountains of Mexico and record brief notes concerning the olive sighting details (e.g., whether seen or Habitat Interesting Facts heard; living or dead; single or group; • Both aquatic and terrestrial habitats in • The orange colour warns predators description of habitat; time of day, proximity to each other that it will taste bad date). • Usually humid prairie, wetlands or • The Viceroy Butterfly mimics this meadows, moist woods, ditches colour pattern to protect itself Volunteer Opportunities Interesting Facts Threats • The RLPJI offers many volunteer • Call of this frog is similar to the sound • Habitat loss in Mexico opportunities and educational made by sliding a fingernail along the • Use of herbicides and pesticides in programs to learn more about teeth of a comb Ontario species at risk and the habitats that • Poor swimmers and climbers Similar Species are in need of conservation. Join us for a day of combating invasive • Viceroy Butterfly Threats species, collecting native seeds, • Habitat loss, degradation and touring restoration sites, conducting a fragmentation butterfly count, or enjoying our annual • Wetland drainage and alteration Prairie Day celebration. Please visit Similar Species us at www.ricelakeplains.ca for specific programs and dates. • Spring Peeper, Wood Frog Assistance for Landowners

Photo: James Harding Photo: Parks Canada • If you find a SAR on your property, you may be eligible for stewardship funding programs that support the protection and recovery of species at risk and their habitats. For more information contact the Ontario Stewardship Program at www.ontariostewardship.org Also visit www.ricelakeplains.ca to learn more about supporting species at risk in the Rice Lake Plains. Hiking in the Rice Lake Plains Photo: RLP This booklet has been developed by the Rice Lake Plains Joint Intitiative. Rice Lakes Plains Joint Initiative Members Assistance for this project was provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Natural Resources Species at Risk Stewardship Fund. This fund provides money for a wide variety of activities that increase awareness or knowledge about SAR, or encourage good land stewardship, habitat protection and/or improvement. For more information see: www.ontario.ca/speciesatrisk. The inspiration for this booklet came from release of Species at Risk Along the Trent-Severn Waterway, a publication of Parks Canada that was the produced with contributions of many people and partners. We thank Parks Canada for permission to adapt the design and content to the Rice Lake Plains landscape, and we thank all of those who contributed to that publication. Please contact Parks Canada at 1-888-773-8888 for copies. We thank the following organizations and people for specific contributions to the Species at Risk in the Rice Lake Plains:

Contributor; Organization • Todd Farrell; Nature Conservancy • Janine McLeod; Alderville First of Canada Nation Black Oak Savanna • Mark Stabb; Nature Conservancy of • Joan Chamberlain; Parks Canada Canada

Photographers Thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation and • Bob Bowles; • James Harding the Ministry of Natural Resources for funding this publication Kids 4 Turtles • Jean Iron • Dan Kaiser • Jim Rathert; USFWS (public domain) • Barbara Frei • Joe Crowley; OMNR • Bill Hubick • John Schwarz; • Alison Clark www.birdspix.com • Dave Menke; USFWS • Larry Kirtley • Dominic Sherony; • Ken Towle; Ganaraska Conservation Flickr - (permission to use) • Todd Farrell; Nature Conservancy of Canada • Ken McFarland; Special thanks are offered to Parks Canada for allowing the Flickr - (permission to use) Rice Lakes Plains Joint Initiative to draw upon ideas from the • Corina Brdar; Ontario Parks Species at Risk Along the Trent-Severn Waterway publication. Rice Lakes Plains Joint Initiative c/o Nature Conservancy of Canada Central Ontario Peterborough Office 106 Murray Street Peterborough, Ontario K9H 2S4 Phone (905) 352-1184 © 2012 Rice Lakes Plains Initiative