By Cecilia Nasmith
Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Kim Rudd this week announced $224,669 over three years for Alderville First Nation in support of the Black Oak Savanna stewardship of Pamaitaashkodeyong for Species At Risk.
This funding will use a collaborative approach to protect and improve important grassland and savanna habitat within the Rice Lake Plains.
The project pursues diversified restoration, stewardship and monitoring activities that target 28 Federally listed species including the Level 1-priority species Monarch (designated as Special Concern), Western Chorus Frog (Threatened) and the Endangered Little Brown Myotis, Northern Myotis and Tri-coloured Bat – as well as other avian, bat, herptile and pollinator species designated At Risk.
Additionally, up to 15 acres per year of tall-grass ecosystem will be restored through high-complexity prescribed burns by professional consultants, with refugia protected from fire.
The project will work collaboratively with the Rice Lake Plains Partnership and other stakeholders to undertake landscape and ecosystem-based planning focused on common species-at-risk habitat protection goals.
Plans call for outreach and volunteer events, workshops and other engagement opportunities, including hands-on workshops on applied restoration methods, as well as educational tours targeting schools, community members, naturalist groups and other parties.
“The Aboriginal Funds for Species At Risk provide critical funding to protect both flora and fauna within the Alderville Black Oak Savanna,” Rudd said in the press release - “itself a crucial, interconnected web of life that stands as a living, breathing example of the best of Canada's natural heritage.”
