The eastern foxsnake and…

The eastern foxsnake and Butler's gartersnake have very geographically limited distributions in both Canada and the USA. They are imperiled throughout their Ontario range and in much of their USA range as well. Habitat loss is a significant threat to both species, and likely the most significant threat by far for the Butler's gartersnake.

This island represents an excellent site for both species, with some degree of protection from other threats such as road mortality. As such, maintaining the integrity of the habitat, or improving it, should be the highest concern. In my opinion, this development should not proceed in any of the ways identified in the proposal. More limited development, occurring only north of the boat dock at 42.094157, -83.118728, would be a better option if any development proceeds. South of that point, the existing 'built' environment is minimal and habitat maintenance/enhancement opportunities are excellent.

Any development that does proceed should adhere to the stipulations in the proposal, as a minimum. However, additional stewardship requirements should be included for individual properties. These may take the form of restrictive covenants on titles. These should include: prohibition on free-ranging cats, requirements to maintain hedgerows to facilitate connectivity, lawn maintenance/mowing best practices to minimize snake mortality, and mandatory landowner training related to minimizing snake mortality (including road mortality) and persecution. Optional education programming is great but insufficient.