Living Roads
Lilli Gaston, MSc Student
One component of my fieldwork, in partnership with the NCC, is road mortality surveys, which we conduct via bike. Over the summer, there are various traffic restrictions throughout Gatineau Park: some roads are always accessible by car, some parkways are only accessible by car 3 days a week (all day Wednesday and weekend afternoons), and some are permanently reserved for active use, like hiking and biking (closed to private motor vehicles). Given these varied restrictions, we’re curious about whether or not less traffic means less roadkill.
Although biking through the park all summer is a total dream, searching for road-killed animals can be pretty devastating. Instead of going into the gory details of road mortality surveys, this blog will be entirely dedicated to documenting all the animals we find alive and well along the road!
We found this beautiful mama snapping turtle lingering roadside, so we encouraged her to move somewhere a little safer. The next day, lo and behold, she was back on the roadside laying her eggs (snapping turtles love laying their eggs in sandy, gravely substrates, so roadsides make an enticing nesting spot)! A nest box was put in place by park staff to protect her eggs, which should hatch by the end of August.
We also came across some hatchlings from a recently hatched turtle nest that were bravely crossing Meech Lake Road to reach a wetland. We were able to stop traffic and scoop these little guys up and carry them safely to the other side! *Note: we have a scientific land access permit to conduct this research in the park, and we take all necessary safety precautions (i.e. we follow the https://carapace.ca/en/ instructions). If you notice an issue with an animal on the road, please call the Gatineau Park Visitor Centre at (819) 827-2020 to report your sighting.
Early this summer the newts were on the move, travelling from their overwintering grounds in the forest to their spring breeding ponds. We were able to ferry many of these little guys across the road to safety! A huge thank you to the NCC for their generous contributions and for allowing us to conduct this research in Gatineau Park!