Projects
A New Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas for Ontario
Many naturalists will be familiar with the Atlas of Breeding Birds of
Ontario. But did you also know that there is an Atlas of Ontario's
Reptiles and Amphibians?
The Ontario Herpetofaunal Atlas project began in 1984 as an attempt to consolidate existing information and gather new data on Ontario's 48 species of amphibians & reptiles. The primary purpose of the OHS project was to produce detailed distribution maps of the province's amphibians and reptiles. Volunteers from all over the province submitted observations, and historic information was compiled from a variety of sources such as museum specimens, published literature, and natural history surveys.
Ontario Nature is now leading an update to this original atlas. Once again the public is being encouraged to take part in this effort to catalogue the distribution of amphibians and reptiles. The project will also amalgamate data from other monitoring programs such as Frogwatch, the Ontario Turtle Tally, and the Marsh Monitoring Program.
Ontario's reptiles and amphibians are becoming increasingly rare, and many are listed as species at risk. One of the most important things you can do for these species is to contribute to citizen science efforts like the Ontario Reptiles and Amphibian Atlas. The data gathered from the atlas will be used to establish baseline data to monitor populations over time, and may even uncover new populations of rare species.
The Peterborough Field Naturalists encourage our members and others in the Peterborough Area to get involved in the project. We will be holding a field day on June 13, 2010. The event is free and open to everyone.
Useful Websites:
Ontario's Amphibians & Reptile Atlas
http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/species/herpetofaunal_atlas.php
Please visit the atlas project's page on Ontario Nature's Website for
more information on the atlas and tips for searching for amphibians & repties.
Get involved by registering as an atlas participant,
subscribing to the atlas newsletter, and submitting your sightings using
one of three methods:
1. Online Observation Form
http://oraa.ca/observationform.asp
2. Excel reporting spreadsheet
http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/docs/Ontario_Herpetofaunal_Atlas_R
eporting_Sheet.xls
3. Printable card http://www.ontarionature.org/protect/docs/Ontario_herp_atlas_card_1.doc
Ontario Herpetofaunal Summary Atlas:
http://nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/herps/ohs.html
The maps from the original OHS are available on the Natural Heritage Information Centre's website. Consulting the maps will help you determine what species you are most likely to see in certain parts of the province.
Frogwatch:
http://www.naturewatch.ca/english/frogwatch/
The Frogwatch program is part of Environment Canada's Naturewatch program. The website contains useful species identification information, including photos and recorded frog calls to help you learn to id frogs by sight and sound.
Adopt-a-Pond:
http://www.torontozoo.com/AdoptAPond/
The Adopt-A-Pond Wetland Conservation Programme provides teachers, students and community groups with information resources and educational opportunities to conserve, restore and create wetland habitats. Species Guides are easy to use and includes photos and distribution maps for all reptiles and amphibians in Ontario. Adopt-a-Pond also hosts Ontario Frogwatch and the Ontario Turtle Tally monitoring programs.
Eastern Ontario Model Forest Herpetofaunal Atlas:
The EOMF atlas project covers the counties of Leeds & Grenville; Lanark; Prescott & Russell; Ottawa; and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry. However, the species ID keys developed could be useful to those atlassing elsewhere.