Recently, I had the pleasure of joining Nicolas Bousquet from COGESAF (Conseil de gouvernance des bassins versants de la rivière Saint-François) who came to our property for his annual salamander inspection. COGESAF monitors 2 sites on our property. They alternate their visits, making only one site per year to reduce pressure on sensitive habitat! Nicolas was accompanied by Charles and Félix, who came along with their nets and good energy. The day’s work was donated by COGESAF to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). The COGESAF team, along with other regional partners, all participate in the annual inspection of the 18 sites in the Eastern Townships. They share their findings with the CNC’s core research team, which is funding the 10-year project.
Salamandre a deux lignes
They observe the Northern Dusky salamander, the Spring salamander and the two-lined salamander, even if the last one has no status. They come every two years to check the habitat and count the salamander population in a specific 200-metre section of a stream on Massawippi Conservation Trust land.
The Trust’s property was chosen not only because of its habitat, but also because it was considered the control site against which the other results were to be judged. The site is rated 4 stars because it is on conserved or protected land, with little or no human interference, pollution or other man-made disturbance.
Salamandre pourpre or Spring Salamander
The salamanders (of which we have seen many varieties) are in an ideal location, living in and alongside a stream, which together with its surroundings is untouched, with cool, well-oxygenated water. In fact, the trees above the creek and in the riparian strip create top-quality habitat! There are only natural predators, including large purple salamanders that feed on smaller salamanders.
Salamandre pourpre or Spring Salamander
Don’t forget that salamanders are an indicator of a healthy habitat. These small creatures cannot survive in polluted or warm waters. The team found many salamanders on the trust’s land. Their numbers were good.
Charles, Félix, Nicolas from COGESAF / I love the fact that they have a competition among themselves to see who can identify the greatest number of species. They keep their lists in iNaturalist.
Our streams continue to be fresh and clean and flow with cool water to the lake, which is good for all of us, whether we’re four-legged or two-legged!
To find out more about salamanders, read Nicolas’ article. LINK
H. Hamel
