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natural areas inventory - Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

natural areas inventory - Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

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consists of 12 <strong>Niagara</strong> Regional Municipality townships and a part of the City of Hamilton (portions ofthe former townships of Ancaster, Glanbrook and Stoney Creek) and north and west portion of theCounty of Haldimand (formerly the municipalities of Dunnville and Haldimand) (Figure 1).Figure1: <strong>Niagara</strong> Region Natural Areas lnventory Study Area (NOTL = <strong>Niagara</strong>‐on‐the Lake)3.0 Results3.1 Correction to Historic DataSeveral reptile and amphibian species have been misidentified or inadvertently added to historic recordsfor particular <strong>natural</strong> <strong>areas</strong>. For example, the Eastern Fox Snake (Elaphe gloydi) was recorded as presentin the Jordan Valley ANSI (Schaefer et al, 1992) and <strong>Niagara</strong> Section Escarpment ANSI (Varga et. al.,1992). The source of Jordan Valley report was credible and based upon a description of a very large “kingsnake”. Given the habitat of where it was observed it is more likely a Gray ratsnake (Elaphe spiloides) orMilksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum) observation. The <strong>Niagara</strong> Escarpment report is an OntarioHerpetofaunal Summary (OHS) record (Weller and Oldham, 1986; Plourde et al, 1989; Riley et al., 1992)which was later identified as a milksnake. The furthest east records of the Fox snake are from Rock PointProvincial Park and Port Maitland (MNR files). However, since released captives can show up anywhere,any observational record of this species in <strong>Niagara</strong> should be recorded and investigated.The Gray ratsnake’s (a.k.a Black ratsnake) <strong>Niagara</strong> range includes the Fonthill Kame Moraine of centraland North Pelham and along the escarpment and valleys of Twelve Mile Creek, Fifteen and Sixteen MileNatural Heritage Areas Inventory, 2010 12-3

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