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HI there,
This thread about human disturbances to small animal
movements strikes a chord with me. I often visit the Frog Pond at
Fleming Park in Jollimore, which has a variety of habitats in a small
area and hosts an wide range of species for an urban park. This
spring the gravel shoulders of the Purcell's Cove Road in this area
were paved and designated bicycle lanes, which I thought at first was
a progressive move. Earlier this week I was surprised to find that
the large gravel parking lot adjacent to the pond was also being
paved. In other years I have watched Painted Turtles scraping out
their nests in the gravel of that parking lot. I now realize that a
significant portion of the local nesting habitat of the pond's large
Painted Turtle population has been paved over. I wonder where they
will go now?
Cheers,
Patricia L. Chalmers
Halifax
At 05:59 PM 31/07/2008, Dave Webster wrote:
>Hi Lisa & All, July 31, 2008
> I dare say you are already moving in this direction, but a small
> animal underpass, suitably located (e.g. where you were escorting
> toadlets in this instance) would be less labour-intensive and
> consequently more practicable in the long run.
>
> Why Conservation organizations have not lobbied for and made
> public noises about small animal crossings beats me. Perhaps I have
> not been paying attention but I have noticed that some have been
> installed in the UK. Even modest highways with light traffic can be
> effective barriers to movement of Reptiles and Amphibians, either
> by preventing access to the roadway or by killing some that do make it.
>
> Based on road kills observed while walking, I think snakes must
> sun on gravel roads where they blend in nicely before and after
> being flattened. And a 20-cm high ridge of gravel, thrown up by a
> road grader, can stop a 30-cm snake from crossing. And a highway
> sand cut, at angle of repose after about 25 years, acts as a solid
> wall to a toad (in dry weather; wet might be different).
>
>Yours truly, Dave Webster, Kentville
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