[NatureNS] a shout-out for Road Ecology

DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed;
From: bev wigney <bkwigney@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2016 17:28:03 -0400
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Precedence: bulk
Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

next message in archive
next message in thread
previous message in archive
Index of Subjects



--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. &nbsp;Gayle =
MacLean suggested that members of NatureNS might find this of interest =
too, so I=E2=80=99m reposting here. &nbsp;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&nbsp;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 =
&nbsp;&nbsp;</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.&nbsp;</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