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(Graptemys Geographica) in Canada Northern Map Turtle

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(Graptemys Geographica) in Canada Northern Map Turtle PROPOSED Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series Management Plan for the Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) in Canada Northern Map Turtle 2016 Recommended citation: Environment Canada. 2016. Management Plan for the Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) in Canada [Proposed]. Species at Risk Act Management Plan Series. Environment Canada, Ottawa. iv + 45 pp. For copies of the management plan, or for additional information on species at risk, including the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) Status Reports, residence descriptions, action plans, and other related recovery documents, please visit the Species at Risk (SAR) Public Registry1. Cover illustration: © Parks Canada Agency Également disponible en français sous le titre « Plan de gestion de la tortue géographique (Graptemys geographica) au Canada [Proposition] » © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of the Environment, 2016. All rights reserved. ISBN Catalogue no. Content (excluding the illustrations) may be used without permission, with appropriate credit to the source. 1 http://sararegistry.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=24F7211B-1 Management Plan for the Northern Map Turtle 2016 Preface The federal, provincial, and territorial government signatories under the Accord for the Protection of Species at Risk (1996)2 agreed to establish complementary legislation and programs that provide for effective protection of species at risk throughout Canada. Under the Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c.29) (SARA), the federal competent ministers are responsible for the preparation of management plans for listed species of special concern and are required to report on progress within five years after the publication of the final document on the SAR Public Registry. The Minister of the Environment and Minister responsible for the Parks Canada Agency is the competent minister under SARA for the Northern Map Turtle and has prepared this management plan, as per section 65 of SARA. To the extent possible, it has been prepared in cooperation with the Province of Ontario (Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry3) and the Province of Quebec (Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs). Success in the conservation of this species depends on the commitment and cooperation of many different constituencies that will be involved in implementing the directions set out in this plan and will not be achieved by Environment Canada, the Parks Canada Agency, or any other jurisdiction alone. All Canadians are invited to join in supporting and implementing this plan for the benefit of the Northern Map Turtle and Canadian society as a whole. Implementation of this management plan is subject to appropriations, priorities, and budgetary constraints of the participating jurisdictions and organizations. 2 http://registrelep-sararegistry.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=en&n=6B319869-1#2 3 On June 26, 2014, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources became the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. i Management Plan for the Northern Map Turtle 2016 Acknowledgments This document was developed by Rachel deCatanzaro, Krista Holmes, Kari Van Allen, Angela McConnell, Lee Voisin and Bruna Peloso (Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Ontario Region); and Barbara Slezak, Carollynne Smith , and Louis Gagnon (formerly Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Ontario Region). The management plan benefited from input, review and suggestions from the following individuals: Madeline Austen, Elizabeth Rezek, Lesley Dunn (Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Ontario Region); Paul Johanson (Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – National Capital Region); Gabrielle Fortin, Sylvain Giguère (Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Quebec Region); Gary Allen and Joanne Tuckwell (Parks Canada Agency); Amelia Argue, Joe Crowley, Vivian Brownell, Gillianne Marshall, Aileen Wheeldon, Sandy Dobbyn, Corina Brdar, Graham Cameron, Megan Rasmussen, Valerie Vaillancourt, Eric Cobb, Nicki Boucher, Gillian Ferguson-Martin, Jay Fitzsimmons, Dana Kinsman, Jim Saunders, Dr. Brian Naylor and Rhonda Donley (Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry); and staff from the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs. Many other individuals contributed to an earlier version of the draft Recovery Strategy and Management Plan for Five Species of Freshwater Turtles in Canada which contained information on Northern Map Turtle, including Patrick Galois (Amphibia-Nature), Sylvain Giguère and Gabrielle Fortin (Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service – Quebec Region), David Seburn (Seburn Ecological Services), and Scott Gillingwater (Upper Thames River Conservation Authority). Contributions from staff at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry; Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs; Canadian Wildlife Service; and various universities and other organizations are also gratefully acknowledged. This management plan also benefitted from earlier draft recovery documents developed by the Équipe de rétablissement des tortues du Québec, and the Ontario Multi-Species Turtles at Risk Recovery Team. Acknowledgment and thanks are given to all other parties that provided advice and input used to help inform the development of this management plan including various Aboriginal organizations and individual citizens, and stakeholders who provided input and/or participated in consultation meetings. ii Management Plan for the Northern Map Turtle 2016 Executive Summary The Northern Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) is listed as Special Concern on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). It is a highly aquatic species that ventures onto land only to nest and bask. The species has a relatively rounded carapace4 which is olive to brownish in colour with a pattern of light yellow lines. During the active season (spring to fall), the Northern Map Turtle is generally found in well oxygenated, large bodies of water such as rivers and lakes. The species occurs throughout the northeastern United States and into southern Ontario and southern Quebec. Approximately 10% of the global range of Northern Map Turtle occurs in Canada. The Canadian adult population of Northern Map Turtle is estimated to be over 10,000 individuals. Although a range contraction of the Northern Map Turtle in Canada has not been documented, an analysis of recent data indicates a lack of species’ observations since 1985 at 53% of sites containing historical occurrences. Some local populations show a trend toward an older age distribution, which may foreshadow a population decline. The main threats to the Canadian population of Northern Map Turtle are shoreline development, boating mortality and fishing bycatch. Other threats identified include road networks, water control structures, illegal collection, human- subsidized predators5, disturbance from human activities, exotic and invasive species, contamination and nutrient loading, and climate change. The Northern Map Turtle is highly vulnerable to any increases in rates of mortality of adults or older juveniles because individuals of this species have delayed sexual maturity and slow reproductive rates. The distribution and abundance of the Canadian population of Northern Map Turtle is not currently known but it is suspected to be in decline. Therefore, the management objective for the Northern Map Turtle is to stabilize population levels and thereafter maintain the distribution and abundance of the Canadian population of Northern Map Turtle through threat reduction and mitigation as well as habitat management. 4 Carapace is the upper part of the turtle’s shell. It is formed from dermal bones fused to ribs and vertebrae (Harding 1997). 5 Human-subsidized predators: Predators whose populations increase in response to low densities or absence of top predators and increased food availability from human sources (e.g., food handouts, garbage, crops). iii Management Plan for the Northern Map Turtle 2016 Table of Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................ii Executive Summary ........................................................................................................ iii 1. COSEWIC Species Assessment Information ........................................................... 1 2. Species Status Information ...................................................................................... 1 3. Species Information ................................................................................................. 2 3.1. Species Description ........................................................................................... 2 3.2. Population and Distribution ................................................................................ 2 3.3. Needs of the Northern Map Turtle ...................................................................... 5 3.4 Biological Limiting Factors ................................................................................. 9 3.5 Species Cultural Significance ........................................................................... 10 4. Threats ................................................................................................................... 11 4.1. Threat Assessment .........................................................................................
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