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--Apple-Mail=_44533D63-9568-48B3-9738-2015D1E255AF Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 All, Yesterday, I wrote a post to my naturalist friends on Facebook = concerning road ecology. Gayle MacLean suggested that members of = NatureNS might find this of interest too, so I=E2=80=99m reposting here. = Read on: ---- I=E2=80=99m posting this link to a document written by friends, Fred = Schueler and Aleta Karstad, as I think it may be of interest to some of = you. It is entitled, "Reckoning Wasted Lives: Thirty Years of Road = Ecology in North Grenville.=E2=80=9D =20 http://pinicola.ca/wasted_lives.pdf = <http://pinicola.ca/wasted_lives.pdf> Now, before you think, "Well, where's North Grenville and what does it = have to do with me?" - let me just say that it is what Fred and Aleta = have been doing that should be of interest to you. For more than thirty = years - actually, it's getting closer to forty years - they have been = "doing the roads" in their area - studying what is happening on them, in = what is now known as 'road ecology'. That involves keeping records of = the movement of creatures that are crossing roads - both successfully, = but very often unsuccessfully.=20 To give you some idea of just what may be seen by surveying a small = section of road, let me quote from the document (page 18): =46rom 2004 - 2006, Fred was out 572 times on 392 days. Each survey took = 4 - 10 minutes. This produced 990 species records, of 3,342 individuals = of 48 taxa; 3.9 individuals per meter in 2004, 5.8 per meter in 2005, = 3.9 per meter in 2006. There was a range of mortality rates, and in the = middle of the range, about 87% of each species of frogs and toads was = killed. [My note: Yes, you read that right. 87% of the frogs and toads seen on = the road were DOR (dead on the road). Argh!! Kind of points to why = studying road ecology is relevant, doesn't it?!] I like the final statement in the document: "We recommend this exercise to anyone who lives near a road." Well, that's just about all of us, isn't it? Just think of what we might = learn by studying the roads around our own homes. I have done a little = of this around my own area, but not in any methodical way. I mean to = rectify that situation this season while at my place at Round Hill.=20 By the way, if you go to check out Fred and Aleta's document - it's a = quick read with many photos and graphs - you'll find quite a number of = my photos of frogs and turtles interspersed with the text. I'd sort of = forgotten about that. Nice to see them included in such a useful = document. Please do read it if you have a few minutes. ** Note: Fred Schueler is a member of NatureNS, so if you have = questions about road ecology study, I=E2=80=99m sure he would be = available to reply. =20 Bev Wigney Round Hill, Nova Scotia= --Apple-Mail=_44533D63-9568-48B3-9738-2015D1E255AF Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 <html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html = charset=3Dutf-8"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; = -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" = class=3D""><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: rgb(20, = 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; = line-height: 19px;">All,</p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; = color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; = font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Yesterday, I wrote a post to my = naturalist friends on Facebook concerning road ecology. Gayle = MacLean suggested that members of NatureNS might find this of interest = too, so I=E2=80=99m reposting here. Read on:</p><p class=3D"" = style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: = helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: = 19px;">----</p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: = rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: = 14px; line-height: 19px;">I=E2=80=99m posting this link to a document = written by friends, Fred Schueler and Aleta Karstad, as I think it = may be of interest to some of you. It is entitled, "Reckoning Wasted = Lives: Thirty Years of Road Ecology in North Grenville.=E2=80=9D = </p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: = rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: = 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href=3D"http://pinicola.ca/wasted_lives.pdf" = class=3D"">http://pinicola.ca/wasted_lives.pdf</a></p><p class=3D"" = style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: = helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Now, = before you think, "Well, where's North Grenville and what does it have = to do with me?" - let me just say that it is what Fred and Aleta have = been doing that should be of interest to you. For more than thirty years = - actually, it's getting closer to forty years - they have been "doing = the roads" in their area - studying what is happening on them, in what = is now known as 'road ecology'. That involves keeping records of the = movement of creatures that are crossing roads - both successfully, but = very often unsuccessfully. </p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 6px = 0px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; = font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">To give you some idea of just what = may be seen by surveying a small section of road, let me quote from the = document (page 18):</p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 6px 0px; color: = rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: = 14px; line-height: 19px;">=46rom 2004 - 2006, Fred was out 572 times on = 392 days. Each survey took 4 - 10 minutes. This produced 990 species = records, of 3,342 individuals of 48 taxa; 3.9 individuals per meter in = 2004, 5.8 per meter in 2005, 3.9 per meter in 2006. There was a range of = mortality rates, and in the middle of the range, about 87% of each = species of frogs and toads was killed.</p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: = 6px 0px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, = sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">[My note: Yes, you read = that right. 87% of the frogs and toads seen on the road were DOR (dead = on the road). Argh!! Kind of points to why studying road ecology is = relevant, doesn't it?!]</p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 6px 0px; = color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; = font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I like the final statement in the = document:</p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 6px 0px; color: rgb(20, 24, = 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; = line-height: 19px;">"We recommend this exercise to anyone who lives near = a road."</p><p class=3D"" style=3D"margin: 6px 0px; color: rgb(20, 24, = 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; = line-height: 19px;">Well, that's just about all of us, isn't it? Just = th