Species at Risk

The term Species at Risk, refers to wild plants and animals that have been assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada and found 
to be at some risk of disappearing from the wild in Canada.  According to COSEWIC, more than 500 wild animal and plant species are considered “at risk” in Canada. 

Nearly 40 percent of these species are found in Ontario, particularly in the Carolinian eco-zone, which is perhaps the most wildlife rich in the country and home to 
one-third of the nation’s species at risk.

The Six Nations of the Grand River community is recognized as having the largest remaining intact Carolinian forest in Canada, representing one-sixth of the total 
Carolinian zone in the country.  Therefore, Six Nations is home to a large number of species, many of which are “at risk”. 

Six Nations Inventory of Species at Risk 2008-2009

In 2008, Kayanase was successful in securing funding from two sources to conduct a new project, an Inventory of Species at Risk at Six Nations. 

This project involved visiting parcels of land in the community and surveying them for the presence and possible presence (based on the discovery of appropriate 
habitat) of various species at risk. 

Our Species at Risk Team visited many landowners, gaining permission to assess their lands, walk around their property and compile a species list of species 
at risk found during this survey.  The data that was recorded was made available to the landowner and kept in a secure database.

This project was extremely successful.  Land owners were extremely receptive to the idea of what we were doing and enthusiastic about acting as stewards to 
protect any species found; which was the ultimate goal of this project!

Species at Risk Found at Six Nations in 2008:

Monarch Butterfly
Jefferson Salamander
Eastern Flowering Dogwood
Butternut
Eastern Ribbonsnake
Northern Map Turtle

Six Nations Breeding Bird Survey of Species at Risk 2009-2010

In 2009, Kayanase was again successful in securing funding to continue species at risk surveys at Six Nations.  The focus of these surveys this year, are on 
species at Risk breeding bird counts.  Last year’s surveys were not able to collect data in time to count the breeding birds for the spring and summer, therefore 
we felt it was important to make them the focus of our surveys for this year.  These surveys will be multi-seasonal, with counts being taken in the fall and winter also.

If you would like to volunteer your land to be assessed for the presence of Breeding Birds that are Species at Risk, please contact the Kayanase 
head office at (519) 770 -0013.