The imminent extinction of…

The imminent extinction of the Ojibway sub-population of the Massasauga rattlesnake is a great concern for members and supporters of the Citizens Environment Alliance (CEA). For over twenty years the CEA has worked to expand the Ojibway Prairie complex including additions from Spring Garden ANSI and the preservation of Ojibway Shores. Expanding and enhancing habitat within the complex has been a major environmental issue for the residents of Windsor and Essex County, as well. Emergency measures should be initiated quickly through this species recovery plan to eliminate the extinction threat to the Ojibway sub-population including the actions proposed by the MECP. The CEA recognizes that there has been a two-year delay between the publication of the recovery strategy and the government’s draft response which has undermined the urgency required for recovery and the species actual recovery. It is incumbent upon the MECP to move without any more unreasonable delay and initiate its proposed actions. Given that climate change has been noted in the recovery strategy and the government’s response as an obvious threat to all Massasauga populations, the Government of Ontario must also quickly develop and implement a climate mitigation plan for the province to, at least, protect the credibility and viability of its own species recovery actions under the ESA.

Derek Coronado
Coordinator, Citizens Environment Alliance of Southwestern Ontario