The Elgin Natural Heritage Inventory is meant to be a community effort to update and enhance Species at Risk information for the County. A top priority is to increase the number of rare species reports to the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC), the provincial repository for conservation data (see Table 3). However, all species observations – rare or common – can be included in the inventory.
Most reporting nowadays is done electronically through online submission forms or by email. However, for those who do not have internet access, you can complete a Rare Species Reporting Form and mail it to Carolinian Canada or to your local Area Coordinator who will then submit the data on your behalf; forms can be found in Appendix 7. Completed General Field Data Forms (Appendix 7) can also be used to submit species lists, which will be compiled and submitted electronically as resources become available. Several Area Coordinators are distributed across Elgin County and are available to help you make your species reports. Please contact ElginNHI@carolinian.org, leave a message at 519-433-7077 , or get in touch with one of the local Nature Clubs (see page 8) to be connected to your closest Area Coordinator. It’s best to report your observations soon after they are made, so that any necessary follow-up can happen in a timely manner. The annual reporting deadline is November 1.
The location of Species at Risk is considered sensitive information, and should never be shared publically; doing so could cause serious harm to vulnerable species and ecosystem. Many species have sensitive lifecycles, others are at risk of poaching. Sharing the precise location of a rare species can put them at even greater risk, from for example over-zealous naturalists or photographers who may trespass and damage fragile micro-habitat. Detailed location information for Species at Risk should only be reported to the Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre (part of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources), Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas, Carolinian Canada, or other recognized conservation programs. Where a rare species is found during a survey on a privately-owned property, the landowner must also receive this information. This ensures they can practice due diligence to avoid harming the species when using and managing their lands.
Many additional citizen science programs exist which collect observations for various groups of species, or specific significant species. More information on these programs can be found in Appendix 3.
Table 3 provides information on where to report your species sightings, both rare and common:
Species Group
- Species at Risk & Significant Species
- Amphibians & Reptiles
- Birds
- Trees, Plants, Mosses & Fungi
- Insects
- Freshwater Fish & Mussels
- Bats
- Invasive Species
- Roadkill