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Parks for all | Easier access | Saving species at risk | Parks timeline | CG Archives

Saving species at risk
Rare plants and animals benefit from habitat protected by our national parks

Canada’s national parks may be renowned for their postcard-quality beauty and the amazing recreational opportunities they afford, but these special places also serve another significant purpose: the protection of species at risk. Though some of these species may be as small as a dime, their value to the ecosystem is immeasurable. And while hard work lies at current conservation efforts, some lucky choices in the past are also responsible for Parks Canada’s successful species at risk programs.

Besides conserving all flora and fauna found within our protected areas, Parks Canada has officially recognized eight species of particular concern that are found either exclusively or predominantly within our parks. One of these, the Banff springs snail, is a fascinating little creature found nowhere else in the world, and just a decade ago it was on its way to being lost forever.

Having evolved characteristics to fit a somewhat extreme environment, the Banff springs snail inhabits the Lower Middle Spring and four thermal springs at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site on Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. The snails congregate where the springs’ warm waters reach 30 to 36 degrees Celsius and are abundant in dissolved minerals. Only in these thermal springs does the right mix of biological, chemical and geological qualities come together to form the habitat that supports this snail. But even a protected hot spring can come under threat.

“We had an issue develop in the mid-1990s with lots of members of the public gaining access to the Middle Springs area,” said Charles Pacas, an aquatics specialist with Parks Canada. “The concern developed around fecal pollution in the thermal springs, and as a result some people damned up the water supply in the area. Following this, we compared data to information from the 1920s, when the snail was first discovered, and we realized snails that used to inhabit the area were gone.”

Parks Canada researchers, led by Dwayne Lepitzki, discovered that populations of the snail in the Upper Hot, Upper Middle, Cool and Kidney springs had been extirpated. But since this initial finding, the Parks scientists have identified a number of factors that threaten the snails and have made strides towards the species’ protection and recovery.

“We’ve tried to find ways to minimize the modification of the snail’s habitat, and make people aware they exist, and where they’re found,” Pacas said. This is because human activity can easily disturb the mollusks without a person’s knowledge. Even dipping your hands in the water of a hot spring can kill snails or their eggs. Chemicals such as deodorants and insect repellent on people’s skin can also harm the snails. As a result, some parts of the hot springs have been completely closed to the public.

But beyond protecting the snails, the Parks biologists have also embarked on a recovery program for the unique species. “In November of 2002 we reintroduced snails to one of the areas they were extirpated from – the Middle Springs area,” Pacas said. “The population is flourishing now.”
The researchers are continuing to study the snails to better understand their life cycles and to ensure the species’ survival.

Of course, the Banff springs snail is just one of the hundreds of species protected by our parks, and one of the eight priority species recognized by Parks Canada. The other priority species include: the Blanding’s turtle in Kejimkujik National Park (Nova Scotia), the Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake in Bruce Peninsula and Georgian Bay Islands National Parks (Ontario), the eastern prickly pear cactus in Point Pelee National Park (Ontario), and the seaside centipede lichen in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve (British Columbia).

These species are priorities for Parks Canada not only because they are rare, but also because they are found within park boundaries, which means the agency can contribute much toward their recovery, said Daniel Rosset, a Parks Canada heritage presentation specialist. But he also noted this reflects a larger commitment.

“Working toward the restoration of habitat and of species at risk is something we feel very deeply about,” Rosset said. “We are trying to make sure the habitat is there for species to thrive, in a way that ensures their continued presence in the park.”

Through public education programs, Rosset works with park visitors, schools and stakeholders in the local communities to encourage stewardship and continuing protection of species at risk. Rosset is proud to work at something of a high value to Canadians, but does admit that there is a bit of serendipity to Parks being in a position to protect species at risk.

“One of the key elements that was behind the selection of parks, at least early in the last century, was the ‘vista value’ or recreational value. And out of that aesthetic selection, and perhaps we could say the vision of these people who saw these places of beauty as also important to wildlife, we are now reaping the benefits. The knowledge of Canada’s flora and fauna then was very limited compared to what we know today. The wisdom of selecting those places and setting them aside and preventing major impact has helped us today to recognize the fact that there’s a need to protect the particular habitats and species that we didn’t know then.”

You can learn more about Canada’s priority species at risk at www.parkscanada.gc.ca/SAR/english/priority_species_e.html.