[All] Fw: Salamanders: one cause of the decline

[Lanteigne]

 Hi folks.
The Ombudsman's office shut down my review of concerns of the MNR testing methods used for Jefferson Salamanders. They did so without notifying me so I sent this off to the Prime Minister, various Federal Ministers and Guelph MNR staff. 
These poor creatures have helped me protect primary recharge areas of municipal water wells. The least I can do is to try to save some of them for the long term.
Lulu 

   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Lanteigne <water.lulu at yahoo.ca>To: Prime Minister/Premier Ministre <pm at pm.gc.ca>; Elizabeth May <elizabeth.may at parl.gc.ca>; Bardish Chagger <bardish.chagger at parl.gc.ca>; Jagmeet Singh <jagmeet.singh at ontariondp.emailnb.com>; MOE Minister Catherine McKenna <catherine.mckenna at parl.gc.ca>; jim.carr at parl.gc.ca <jim.carr at parl.gc.ca>; Ken Cornelisse <ken.cornelisse at mnr.gov.on.ca>; ian.thornton at ontario.ca <ian.thornton at ontario.ca>Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2018, 2:00:20 p.m. EDTSubject: Salamanders: one cause of the decline
 Dear Hon. Prime Minister and ministers
90% of Endangered Jefferson Salamanders and their hybrid's are gone over the last 33 years. https://www.ontario.ca/page/jefferson-salamander-and-jefferson-dependent-unisexual-ambystoma-recovery-strategy

I filed a complaint with the Ontario Ombudsman about thi issue because I believe the Ontario MNR contributed to the decline of these animals. 
Attachment 1: COSSARO Candidate Species at Risk Evaluation Form for Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario (COSSARO) Assessed by COSARRO as Endangered February 2011 Final Report states:  
Repeat surveys over a 15-year timeframe (1990-2005) revealed that most populations were declining and somewere extirpated. For example, surveys of 18 historically known breeding sites along theNiagara Escarpment that were documented in 1990-91 revealed only 3 sites that wereconfirmed to still be supporting A. jeffersonianum populations in 2003-04 (COSEWIC2010, in press), an apparent decline of 83%

For well over a decade,  I've been raising concerns about the way the MNR were testing for these animals. They used wildlife collectors permits to destroyed eggs to simply determine if Jefferson Salamanders or Hybrid Jeffersons existed at a site. I will use Hidden Valley's Jefferson Salamanders as an example of why this is. 
Attachment 2: is a wildlife collectors permit bound to the Hidden Valley area in Kitchener. They HARVESTED the eggs, and killed specimens to conduct the DNA testing.

Attachment 3: confirms that after they harvested these egg masses, they were deemed non-viable. They studied rotten eggs basically and Dr. Jim Bogart of the Jefferson Salamander Recovery team came to the conclusion there were no Jefferson Salamanders at this site as a result of the study of rotten eggs which is highly questionable. 
Attachment 4: is the summery of what took place at Hidden Valley written by Award Winning Field Naturalists Neil Taylor. He and I lobbied to have the Jefferson Salamander tests redone using non lethal methods of drop pit traps and toe and tail clips to do the DNA. They not only found a couple of salamanders, they found over 500 of them. 
Attachment 5: shows the Jefferson Salamander had cost a road project quite a bit of money to work around. To this day the road is not built but the primary recharge feeding the Manheim wells in Kitchener, is being protected by this animal. I used the Jefferson Salamander as a means to protect the Waterloo Moraine and the economic systems dependent on this vital primary recharge area. To this day this road isn't built. It never should be. The water gathered here is gold in perpetuity if we protect that animal. 
Attachment 7:  is a basic cost analysis of how much Waterloo Region stands to lose for each 1% of primary recharge they destroy.
For many years I have used Jefferson Salamanders as a means to protect primary recharge area. I used them in the West Side Lands in Waterloo Ontario with Ontario Municipal Board appeal #PL071044.  If I didn't have the salamanders to protect the water supply, three housing projects could have resulted in the closure of the Greenbrook Wells in Kitchener due to contamination of the wells by road salt. There was a zero threshold to exceed the salt limit with this project. My appeal protected those wells for the long term. They removed housing from the most vulnerable areas and created larger buffer zones to protect the Primary Recharge and Clair Creek.  
The location of the salamanders is in the wellfield but located too far away to qualify under the protection of Ontario's Source Water Protection Act. These are animals that save wells and water supplies. They are indicator species for excellent water quality. 
We are down to only 10%. Perhaps it is time to prohibit the MNR Ontario from killing these animals to simply test for their existence. 
I would like to formally request an emergency order be placed to protect it. 
The Hidden Valley lands are currently for sale for $2 million. The real estate guy who owns it is hedging bets someone will buy him out and he's still got plans for structures to be built around it. The Grand River Environmental Network and Friends of Hidden Valley have tried for many years to get the city to buy him out but they won't. They are still trying to find ways to build the River Road Extension, even planning on diverting the LRT to this forested area simply to afford to build it and it's wrong to do. The salt alone could destroy this habitat. I used a Part II order to secure salt studies.
The Manheim wells are at significant risk if we don't take measures to protect the habitat of these animals for the long term. 
We must do better than this to protect the water of generations to come.

Over a year ago I filed my complaint about the MNR testing methods with the Ombudsman's office. I tried to send them an update and the email bounced back twice. I had a case open with an employee named John Cook.
So this morning, May 31, 2018 I called the Ombudsman's office for an update. They told me the case was closed because I mentioned how Enbridge Line 10 crossed through known Jefferson Salamander habitats in the description of the issues I observed. Using his own discretionary power, without my knowledge, he closed the case saying the NEB decisions were deemed outside the scope of the Ombudsman of Ontario. I told him my complaint wasn't about the pipe or the NEB. I'm trying to simply protect the salamander, the water and economic systems dependent on that. 
The latest email from the NEB showing the most recent Environmental Assessment dated August 2017 confirmed that Line 10 does cross amphibian breeding habitats and Jefferson Salamander Habitats. I have yet to see any applications for kill permits or habitat disturbances on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry. With only 10% of animals left, I'm worried about the damage this project could do. 
Hidden Valley needs a hero. Can you speak with Enbridge about that for me?  That way of there is a spill along Line 10, we at least have one population located well away from the line to keep these animals going. 
Thank you
Louisette Lanteigne700 Star Flower Ave.Waterloo OntN2V 2L2 
  
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