By Thomas Smith
There needs to be action taken to cease the spread of invasive species in Haliburton County.
Meagan Shier and Vidhushi Hatwal, students from Trent University have recently completed a project in Algonquin Highlands doing precisely that.
Over the course of many months, Shier and Hatwal compiled and consolidated existing records of aquatic invasive species, identifying current and emerging risks to local lakes, and created a map to support awareness, monitoring, and prevention efforts.
The project was supported by the U-Links Centre for Community-Based Research. Shier attended AH council on Thursday, July 16 to present on the project’s findings and future steps.
“One of the concerns that we received from members of the public and from council was the lack of our overall understanding and awareness of the sorts of invasive species that are in our water systems,” said Deputy Mayor Jennifer Dailloux. “The intention was to try and create a map of that.”
The area of study included cold water lakes such as Oxtongue, Maple, and Boshkung and three connected watersheds of Muskoka, Lake Simcoe, and Gull River.
Past observation records were found using iNaturalist and EDDMapS. The abundance of the invasive species was calculated and mapped using ArcGIS.
Vegetation, fish, and invertebrates were considered during the study. Overall, no prohibited species under Ontario’s Invasive Species Act were recorded. Some restricted species indicated were purple loosestrife, zebra mussels, spiny waterflea, and Chinese mystery snails.
Shier noted that the majority of invasive invertebrates are found in the south end of Algonquin Highlands.
One outcome of the project was the creation of a pamphlet for the public to encourage species reporting and information on how to stop the spreading of aquatic invasive species.
“Algonquin Highlands is a headwater region and that means species introduced here have a very large potential to spread downstream,” said Shier.
Hotspots included Boshklung Lake and Beech Lake.
“Prevention and early detection remains the most effective of these management strategies,” said Shier. “Controlling established species is often really expensive and difficult.”
Shier indicated that the next steps for Algonquin Highlands could include offering public education and outreach, prioritizing early detection at hotspots lakes, and continuing to grow the database from citizen science resources.
Councillor Julia Shortreed encouraged AH council to distribute the brochure to lake associations.
“I think the biggest threat is tourism in this area,” said Councillor Sabrina Richards. She noted that many people with boats keep them on the same lake throughout the year. While encouraging tourists to dump and wash their vessels, AH lacks pump stations for them to do so.
Mayor Liz Danielsen says that communication needs to flow between the various lake associations and the municipality. However, she is unsure how to direct this work.
“What this project helps to establish is a baseline,” said Dailloux.
Parks, Recreation, and Trails Manager Chris Card said that the Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners Association already has put up signs encouraging people to stop the prevention of aquatic invasive species at all boat launches and landings.
Looking forward, AH council hopes to increase its communications to assist with ceasing the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Shier and Hatwal’s publication and other U-Links projects can be viewed at database.ulinks.ca.
