Spanning 3,000 acres of wetlands and forest, Wye Marsh is a Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) located on the south shore of Georgian Bay that provides habitat for many of Ontario’s most vulnerable species. This includes 11 of Ontario’s 15 snake species many of which are declining due to habitat loss, road mortality, and persecution.
The Friends of Wye Marsh joined Ontario Nature’s Long Term Monitoring Protocol (LTMP) for Ontario’s snakes in 2023. They set up a site at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, which served as the perfect location for a community science training event this spring. The event also marked a strategic step in our effort to expand the LTMP into under-surveyed areas where there are critical data gaps.
Participants flipping pre-placed coverboards to look for snakes © Ethan Owen
Researchers applied knowledge learned from the Ontario Reptile and Amphibian Atlas to develop occupancy models which can point us to priority locations for future snake surveys in Ontario. These regions include parts of Simcoe, Muskoka, Parry Sound, and Haliburton County and are important for several reasons:
They feature diverse habitats such as wetlands, rocky outcrops, and forests that are home to a variety of snake species.
They are under pressure from ongoing human developments, road expansion, and increased recreational use.
They are less represented in existing reptile data, making it harder to assess species’ conservation status in these zones.
By training local volunteers and naturalists in these regions, we hope to build a stronger, community-driven monitoring network that can help us answer key questions about Ontario’s snakes.
A participant photographs a juvenile eastern milksnake observed under a coverboard © Ethan Owen
Training Community Scientists
On May 11, 2025, we welcomed nature lovers, students, and local stewards to Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre for a half-day event focused on monitoring and collecting data on Ontario’s native snake species. Led by our conservation science coordinator, Teagan Netten, the training focused on Ontario Nature’s LTMP, a standardized approach for monitoring snake populations across the province.
Working in small groups, participants practiced safely flipping pre-placed Artificial Cover Objects (ACOs) while watching for signs of movement, inspecting habitat features, and carefully returning each board to its original position. It was exciting to see young naturalists and seasoned volunteers alike spotting insects, fungi, and eventually snakes! With some good fortune, the group observed a young eastern gartersnake under the very first board followed by two young eastern milksnakes. Participants learned how to approach a snake calmly, support its full body without squeezing, and recognize signs of stress or defensive behavior. For many, this was their first time touching or holding a snake, a transformative experience that offered a unique chance to connect with the animal and dispel common misconceptions.
Close-up of eastern milksnake being gently handled by a participant © Ethan Owen
Why It Matters
Snakes play essential ecological roles, from controlling rodent populations to serving as both predator and prey in food webs. Yet, they remain among some of the most elusive and often underreported, which makes gathering long-term, repeatable data on their distribution and abundance especially challenging. Some species, such as the eastern hog-nosed snake and eastern foxsnake, are listed as threatened or endangered and urgently need support to ensure their survival. That is where Ontario Nature’s LTMP comes into play. By training community scientists to survey in consistent ways over time, we can build a stronger, province-wide dataset that helps biologists and researchers identify changes in population trends, inform recovery plans, and prioritize habitats for protection.
Interested in getting involved? Contact our Conservation Science Coordinator, Teagan Netten, at teagann@ontarionature.org.
Ontario Nature gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Hodgson Family Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, Huronia Community Foundation, a public foundation serving the people of North Simcoe, and the Heart of Georgian Bay Community Forward Fund.
Resources
The post Discovering Snakes and Stewardship at Wye Marsh: Putting Community Science into Practice appeared first on Ontario Nature.