I have concerns regarding…

I have concerns regarding the proposal to transfer administration and control of Nancy Island from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming. In particular, I am concerned about the removal of legal protections for the vital piping plover habitat that is included in the proposed land transfer. Wasaga Beach constitutes the Easternmost confirmed nesting site of the Great Lakes population of piping plover according to the 2013 action plan for piping plovers in Ontario (https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/ec/CW69-21-3-201…). This location is critical for the migratory piping plover, which is known to travel from the Great Lakes region to the Canadian East Coast, before flying South towards the Florida region for the winter (https://explorer.audubon.org/).

The piping plover is currently listed as Endangered in Ontario, where it is particularly vulnerable to the grooming and raking of beaches, which can be detrimental to their nesting sites on Canadian Lake beaches such as Wasaga Beach. While the population of piping plover have shown promising signs of recovery in recent years, the loss of legal protection could put this recovery at risk. The Town of Wasaga Beach’s objectives to increase tourism and attract investment, including the removal of all of Beach Areas 1, 2, New Wasaga and Allenwood Beach will put additional stress on the piping plovers, through the removal and/or alteration of key nesting areas. Beach Area 1 is listed as supporting "resident piping plovers" (https://explorewasagabeach.com/beaches/#beach1). Without proper legal protection, it is reasonable to expect that these beaches will revert to grooming and raking practices which support a more aesthetic beachfront, but damage or destroy the habitat the piping plover depends on.

Wasaga Beach was listed as Critical Habitat for the piping plover, according to the 2013 action plan for piping plovers in Ontario, with the piping plover known to use up to 1 km of shoreline to nest, feed, and raise their brood. How many known breeding pairs nested within 500 m of the proposed land transfer, during the previous breeding season? Consider critically what fraction of the known breeding pairs this constitutes. The reallocation of this land, stripping it of crucial protections to the endangered piping plover will have impacts on far more than just the birds with nests directly on the site. Where will the displaced birds go? Can the rest of the Great Lakes nesting areas support the resultant increase in population density? Wasaga Beach Provincial Park was a known leader in implementing changes to protect the piping plover habitat. If the previous practices are reintroduced, this progress will be lost.

It was originally proposed that wildlife tourism should be emphasized in regions where human beach use is restricted due to nesting piping plovers. Despite this, the unique wildlife that Wasaga Beach supports are not well highlighted on the beach tourism page (https://explorewasagabeach.com./home), with minor mentions of the piping plover, Eastern Hog-nosed snake, and monarch butterfly over halfway down the page for summer activities on Wasaga Beach. The concerns regarding revenue due to reductions in tourism are valid, but Wasaga Beach has not done its due diligence in attempting to recover revenue loss by emphasizing the wildlife opportunities it supports. All reasonable attempts to recover revenue without disrupting the essential piping plover nesting habitat have not been exhausted.

I urge for this land transfer to be reconsidered, and for alternatives to this proposal to be explored. Thank you for your time and consideration.