[NatureNS] A shout-out for Road Ecology

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From: bev wigney <bkwigney@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2016 10:28:05 -0400
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All,
This morning, I wrote a post to my naturalist friends on Facebook =
concerning road ecology.  Gale 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 <https://www.facebook.com/bckcdb> and Aleta Karstad =
<https://www.facebook.com/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


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<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 style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); =
font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: =
19px;" class=3D"">All,</p><p style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: =
rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: =
14px; line-height: 19px;" class=3D"">This morning, I wrote a post to my =
naturalist friends on Facebook concerning road ecology. &nbsp;Gale =
MacLean suggested that members of NatureNS might find this of interest =
too, so I=E2=80=99m reposting here. &nbsp;Read on:</p><p style=3D"margin: =
0px 0px 6px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, =
sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" class=3D"">----</p><p =
style=3D"margin: 0px 0px 6px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: =
helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" =
class=3D"">I=E2=80=99m posting this link to a document written by =
friends,&nbsp;<a class=3D"profileLink" =
href=3D"https://www.facebook.com/bckcdb" =
data-hovercard=3D"/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=3D738032208" style=3D"color:=
 rgb(59, 89, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">Fred =
Schueler</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class=3D"profileLink" =
href=3D"https://www.facebook.com/aleta.karstad" =
data-hovercard=3D"/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=3D100000416346925" =
style=3D"color: rgb(59, 89, 152); cursor: pointer; text-decoration: =
none;">Aleta Karstad</a>, 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&nbsp;</p><p style=3D"margin: 0px =
0px 6px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, =
sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" class=3D""><a =
href=3D"http://pinicola.ca/wasted_lives.pdf" =
class=3D"">http://pinicola.ca/wasted_lives.pdf</a></p><p style=3D"margin: =
0px 0px 6px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, =
sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" class=3D"">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.&nbsp;</p><p style=3D"margin: 6px 0px; color: =
rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: =
14px; line-height: 19px;" class=3D"">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 style=3D"margin: 6px 0px; color: rgb(20, 24, =
35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; =
line-height: 19px;" class=3D"">=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 style=3D"margin: 6px =
0px; color: rgb(20, 24, 35); font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; =
font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" class=3D"">[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 style=3D"margin: 6px 0px; color: rgb(20, =
24, 35); font-family: helvetica, ari