Annual Report 2018

2018 ANNUAL REPORT Western painted turtle Endangered on the Pacific Coast of Canada Saving species from extinction across Canada by providing wildlifepreservation.ca direct, hands-on care. 2 WILDLIFE PRESERVATION CANADA Wildlife Preservation Canada exists to save species from extinction through hands-on action. Since 1985, we’ve been saving critically endangered species – species whose numbers in the wild are so low that hands-on conservation is required to save them from extinction. Animal conservation requires a multi- faceted approach that includes habitat protection, threat reduction, community engagement, and public education. In addition to all those critical elements, we provide a unique role by taking direct action to prevent at-risk species from being lost forever. Wildlife Preservation Canada specializes in science-based techniques like conservation breeding, headstarting, and translocation. Our work is a team effort with government, educational institutions, landowners, and concerned individuals. We are increasingly aware of the magnitude of our impact on nature. Humans have fundamentally altered the earth, and extinction rates are increasing. A growing number of species require hands-on interventions to recover, and many of these will require continued intensive management to keep them from sliding back towards extinction. This is the reality of the world we live in today. But the other reality, and cause for hope, is that the techniques and tools do exist to preserve species. We can halt the disappearance of our precious wildlife. Wildlife Preservation Canada is at the forefront of this movement – working on the front lines to maintain our national biodiversity for future generations. From the 4 mm long Hungerford’s crawling water beetle, to Ontario’s only venomous snake, no species is too small, too scaly, too slimy or unknown to be unworthy of our attention. They are all worth protecting. - Jessica Steiner, Conservation Programs Director 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 3 from the forest, a barn swallow chattering as it burst out from under the bridge, and bobolinks chortling as they MESSAGE skim over the meadow. These were common birds when I FROM THE was young, but they are all now species at risk in Canada. As bad as things may seem, there is good reason for hope and optimism. The world is awakening to the strong PRESIDENT connection between human well-being and Mother Nature’s well-being. We have international agreements It was ten years ago that I joined the Board of Directors of on climate change, habitat protection, pollution control, Wildlife Preservation Canada, eager to help on the front and biodiversity protection because we understand that lines of saving endangered species. It’s truly amazing to we need to protect our world for generations to come. see how the organization has grown over the years, adding Wildlife Preservation Canada plays a crucial role in new programs, staff, and partners as we work with more fending off extinction, buying time for species in peril, and more species at risk of extinction. It is discouraging and working to restore their numbers year-by-year to the that so many species in Canada need our ‘emergency point that they are no longer threatened. These long-term room’ help, but I am buoyed by the public’s commitment projects take innovation, dedication and passion. to saving biodiversity and the passion and dedication of our own staff and board members. My deepest thanks go out to everyone who supports and works with Wildlife Preservation Canada. This Just this afternoon, on a glorious sunny weekday, I took includes our full-time and seasonal staff, volunteers, board my old black lab for a walk along the Humber River Trail members, conservation partners, and our loyal donors in Vaughan. The small parking lot was nearly full, the from across Canada who make our work possible. nature trail was being enjoyed by dog walkers, bike riders, parents with kids in strollers, and couples were soaking up the sun and natural beauty. I suspect the bird song was background music to most, but my ears could pick out the rose-breasted grosbeak, scarlet tanager, great-crested flycatcher, pine warbler, red-eyed vireo, and more. I also Dr. Bridget Stutchbury noticed the silence where species were missing. There Professor of Biology, York University should have been a wood thrush echoing its vibrant song President, Wildlife Preservation Canada Yellow-banded4 bumble bee WILDLIFE PRESERVATION CANADA Photo: Genevieve Rowe OUR IMPACT When you're trying to save a native bumble bee species that's never been raised in captivity before, you must be prepared for as many steps backward as forward. 5,229 150 We may be racing against the clock to save native pollinators, but community support bumble bee records Taylor's checkerspot has never felt so strong. from Ontario surveys caterpillars reared - Genevieve Rowe, Lead Biologist and outreach. and released in B.C. 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 5 Yellow-banded bumble bee NATIVE (Bombus terricola) Status: Special Concern POLLINATOR Taylor's checkerspot INITIATIVE butterfly (Euphydryas editha taylori) The yellow-banded bumble bee is declining at a rapid pace. Status: Endangered in The Taylor's checkerspot butterfly is already down to its last Canada population in Canada, found only in British Columbia. To combat the decline of both these native pollinators, Ninety percent of flowering plants rely on conservation breeding programs are required to release new help from animals like insect pollinators individuals into the wild to bolster the existing populations. for reproduction. And those plants support thousands of other species. Insect pollinators To build a breeding program for the yellow-banded bumble such as butterflies, flies, and bees are a bee, we must collect queens from the field in the spring and cornerstone of natural ecosystems. encourage them to build colonies in our laboratory. We started the year off on a high as three survey teams across the province A bumble bee’s ability to perform buzz brought 51 wild-caught yellow-banded queens to the lab. This pollination sets them apart from many other was our highest number yet. insect pollinators. By vibrating their large flight muscles when they land on a flower, Several queens successfully produced worker bees but none they can access trapped pollen. Some plants, of them established thriving colonies or produced second including Canada’s native blueberries, can generation queens, which is a crucial step for a breeding colony. only be pollinated using this technique. Next year we will be adapting our rearing techniques to The Native Pollinator Initiative is a further encourage queens to lay eggs and incubate. Successfully nationwide multi-species effort to save breeding a bee species that has never been bred in captivity important insect pollinators from extinction before takes time and patience. through hands-on action. The conservation breeding program for the Taylor's Program Partners checkerspot butterfly is in its sixth year. In the fall of 2017, we saw 250 caterpillars go into diapause for the winter, waking African Lion Safari Toronto Zoo B.C. Ministry of University of Guelph in early spring. They were released on to a protected property Environment and Climate University of Toronto within the Garry oak ecosystem they need to survive. From Change Strategy Scarborough the 250, we held back almost 100 adults to breed. However, Greater Vancouver Zoo Xerces Society Ontario Parks none of them produced eggs to raise and release in 2019 to York University continue the conservation breeding life cycle. We are working Science North Taylor’s Checkerspot with colleagues at the Oregon Zoo to solve the checkerspot Butterfly RIG mating mystery in order to resume our breeding program next year. Field surveys are another important component of our bumble bee work because they help us better understand the distribution and trends of native pollinators in Canada. We carried out annual surveys at 103 sites across Ontario, the largest survey of its kind in the province. A total of 109 yellow-banded bumble bee individuals were observed, including observations at 23 new sites! In total, 5,229 sightings were submitted to the North American Bumble Bee Watch database, which is publicly available for researchers and policy decision makers. Western6 painted turtle WILDLIFE PRESERVATION CANADA Photo: Rob Hamm Knowing that we've played a role in OUR IMPACT bringing back a population of Oregon spotted frogs that had disappeared from Canada makes all the long hours and hard work worth it. Each tadpole and turtle that 2,300 254 we release is hope for the future of the Oregon spotted frog western painted Fraser Valley wetlands. tadpoles released turtle hatchlings - Maja Hampson, Lead Biologist back into the wild. being headstarted. 2018 ANNUAL REPORT 7 Western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta belli) Status: Endangered FRASER on the Pacific Coast of VALLEY Canada WETLANDS Oregon spotted frog (Rana pretiosa) For many reptiles and amphibians parental care ends when the Status: Endangered in eggs are laid. This leaves the defenseless eggs at high risk for Canada predation. Our Fraser Valley team in British Columbia steps in to protect the eggs of locally endangered species like the western painted turtle and Oregon spotted frog. Decades of intensive development in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia has had In 2018 we continued the Oregon spotted frog conservation a devastating impact on natural ecosystems. program with both captive-bred and wild-collected eggs. Among the hardest hit are wetland and Approximately 2,300 eggs grew into healthy tadpoles that were freshwater ecosystems that are now on to be released into the wild. We had also been keeping 369 the verge of collapse. The Oregon spotted frogs born in 2017 for further headstarting over the winter and frog and western painted turtle use these they were finally big enough to be released with the tadpoles.

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