WPC biologist Choquette addresses town hall to incorporate ecological design upgrades

By: Kenneth Pastushyn, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeshore News Reporter

Jonathan Choquette is the Lead Biologist on the Ojibway Prairie Reptile Recovery program with Wildlife Preservation Canada (WPC), and he is very pleased to see the town propose

LaSalle Woods to be added to the national urban parks study area.

 

“It’s fantastic,” said Dr. Choquette, originally from LaSalle, during the town council meeting to discuss the Howard/Bouffard development plan.

 

But Choquette, who also holds a master’s degree in landscape architecture, thinks “the

current plan misses a critical opportunity to incorporate ecological design” into upgrades

proposed for the east and west of Cahill Drain.

 

Choquette wants the Cahill Drain to essentially function as a wildlife corridor between

LaSalle Woods to the north and River Canard to the south. He also thinks its important to

ensure that these natural features do not become isolated.

 

“Most of us don’t want to sterilize the natural landscape but even when we protect natural

areas, there is an erosion so to speak,” said Choquette. “And actually, we lose plants and

animals over time when they are isolated from natural areas.”

 

This is why Choquette believes “it’s essentially important” that the east and west Cahill

Drains are designed to be functional when physically connecting natural areas to the north

and south as stated in the Howard/Bouffard plan.

 

“So, there is a real opportunity that the town has at this planning stage to design a natural

heritage system – or a corridor system – especially for species at risk and wildlife reptiles

which is my specialty.”

 

Choquette is currently working with WPC on the recovery of the endangered Ojibway Prairie

population of the Massasauga rattlesnake, a species on the brink of local extinction.

Critical habitat for this “shy creature” remains only at the Ojibway Prairie Complex and

LaSalle Woods.

 

In the Howard/Bouffard study plan, the west branch of Cahill Drain is identified as the

primary corridor.

 

“If that system fails, the whole system falls apart,” said Choquette, adding that this branch

is bisected by six roads. “I know quite well that many small animals just can’t cross roads

effectively so the corridor really isn’t a corridor if you have these roads severing it.”

 

Choquette also thinks the east branch of the Cahill Drain should be a part of the primary

corridor in addition to the west branch.

 

And there should be a buffer zone of a minimum 30-metre width for both the east and west

drains for a total corridor width of 60 metres. Currently, the west drain only has that width.

 

“So, I just want to point out that the minimum width is generally sufficient for species-at-

risk reptiles but is at the low end for many larger animals like deer.”

 

According to Choquette, a minimum recommended buffer width for large mammals would

be 50 metres, for a total corridor width of 100 metres.

 

Other recommendations from Choquette include not completely piping the two drains

crossing Bouffard Road. He would also like to see under-road culverts that incorporate the

shoreline to allow movement of small terrestrial animals under roads.

“Otherwise, these corridors won’t function at all,” said Choquette.