I write in support of many…

I write in support of many aspects of the proposed response statement for the five wildlife species (WS). In general, demographic and genetic augmentation (e.g., via captive breeding or translocation) is an 11th hour, expensive effort that is not guaranteed, and it is a shame that this is what is on the table. However, for several of these Southern Ontario WS (the Ash, the cuckoo bumblebee, the Kentucky coffee-tree and the Carolinian Massasauga), such measures seem appropriate and timely, and there is compelling evidence from other jurisdictions and for other taxa that such interventions can be successful if sustained and accompanied by habitat protection, restoration and active management. I would therefore encourage the Ministry to do more than to explore, monitor and educate, i.e. to actively acquire and manage more habitat in (Southern) Ontario suitable to protect and recover all 5 WS. I would also urge the Ministry to actively consider landscape and watershed multi-species recovery plans, specifically for the highly imperilled Carolinian ecosystem; this might profitably be done in a Systematic Conservation Planning framework.