Invasive species experts weigh in at Elbow Lake seminar

Julie Druker | Sep 16, 2015

Close to 40 participants attended a Frontenac County invasive species community seminar that took place at the Elbow Lake Environmental Education Centre (ELEEC) on August 29. The seminar, which was aimed at landowners and land managers, was sponsored by the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area and was jointly hosted by the Frontenac Stewardship Foundation and Queen's University Biological Station. ELEEC manager Carolyn Bonta introduced the speakers and stated that the issue of invasive species is impacting the environment, human health and economy at both a local and global level. She explained that the seminar was set up to give people an idea of what is currently being done to address the issues and how people individually can help.

Numerous experts on the subject spoke at length, including Francine MacDonald, a senior invasive species biologist with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. MacDonald opened with a definition of the term “invasive species”, which she defined as “non-native species whose introduction or spread can pose a threat to the environment, economy, society at large, and human health”.

She said that globally these species represent only 0.1% of all non-native introduced species that can become invasive. While the percentage is low, MacDonald said that the impact can be huge on a number of different levels, especially in Ontario, which has the highest number of invasive species in the country. Invasive species can have a dramatic impact on biodiversity and MacDonald said that next only to habitat loss, invasive species pose the second greatest threat to species becoming at risk of extinction. She cited the economic impact of just 16 invasive species in Canada as ranging anywhere from between $13 and $34 million. She explained that these species can arrive either through trade (by hitchhiking on goods or packaging), through the trade of alien species, through transportation (arriving on planes, boats, vehicles or trains) or through tourism and recreation (from the movement of firewood, live bait, and garden escapes).

MacDonald said that some specific legislation has been developed to address certain specific issues. In 2006 the federal government introduced ballast regulations on ships passing through the Great Lakes, which had been the major pathway for invasive aquatic species into the Great Lakes. She also cited the provincial government's decision in 2005 to ban the possession of all live Asian carp species and further how the MNR (Ministry of Natural Resources), DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans) and Canadian Border Patrol have developed their own plans and enforcements to prevent invasive species from gaining a foothold in the Canadian Great Lakes as well as other international efforts that include the Canadian and Ontario governments' participation.

On the bad news side of the issue, MacDonald said that the threat of invasive species continues to grow both globally and more specifically in Ontario as a result of the ongoing demand for trade, travel, and transport, as well as climate change, reduced ecosystem resilience and habitat degradation. She spoke of how the provincial and federal approaches have been challenged to keep pace with the ongoing threat.

Along with Asian carp, she cited new threats such as the Mountain Pine Beetle, the aquatic plant Water Soldier and the fish species known as Northern Snakehead as serious future threats that need to be addressed.

Next, she outlined Ontario's 2012 Invasive Species Strategic Plan, which aims to prevent future invaders from arriving and surviving in Ontario, and to slow/reverse the spread of and reduce the harmful impacts of already existing invasive species. She called for additional action, which she said is urgently needed, and stated that Ontario's approach of “using a patch work of provincial and federal legislation to address invasive species is not enough and was not designed for this singular purpose”.

Currently the provincial government has introduced Bill 37: Invasive Species Act, 2014 which is now in its second reading and which MacDonald said would provide “strong legislation to better prevent, detect, rapidly respond to and, where feasible, could eradicate invasive species by using a risk-based approach that would consider the full range of risks, cost and benefits to the environment, economy, and society.” Its provisions include a wide range of restrictions on the possession, deposit, release, sell, lease, and trade of various species, as well as giving the MNR and governments the power to respond and address the issue of threats in a timely fashion. MacDonald ended by citing the importance of partnerships in addressing the issue of invasive species and she listed a number of groups and organizations that provide detailed information about how individuals can identify and deal with invasive species. These included The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH, at www.invadingspecies.com), the Ontario Invasive Plant Council (OIPC at www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca), Invasive Species Centre( www.invasivespeciescentre.ca), Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (www.caisn.ca), and lastly, Ducks Unlimited Canada (www.ducks.ca).

MacDonald was followed by a number of other experts in the field, including Sophie Monfette, an invading species awareness program coordinator with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, who highlighted how EDD Maps can greatly assist in further research by encouraging property owners to use the app to locate and map their own findings. Dr. Shelly Arnott, professor at Queen's University spoke about the use of research to “guide policy and best practices” and she focused her talk on research into three invasive aquatic species: zebra mussels, the bloody red shrimp, and the spiny water flea. Following a lunch break Justin White of Ducks Unlimited Canada spoke about the rapid response to the new provincial threat of European Water chestnut, and gave an overview of eradication efforts that have taken place on Wolfe Island in 2014 and 2015.

Ali Giroux, a conservation biologist in Eastern Ontario with the Nature Conservancy of Canada spoke about invasive management in the Frontenac Arch and lastly Ali Giroux and Amanda Tracey, the latter a PH.D candidate at Queen's University Department of Biology spoke about how to report, recognize and manage invasive species on your own personal property. Elbow Lake was the place to be for those wanting the latest news on invasive species and those who attended no doubt left more knowledgeable and armed with the ways to help fight the threats.