The Eastern Georgian Bay landscape is comprised of a unique combination of ecological features and functions that make it a hotspot for numerous species at risk (SAR) reptiles including: Massasauga rattlesnake, Eastern foxsnake, Eastern hog-nosed snake, Blanding’s turtle, and Eastern musk turtle. The majority of SAR reptiles in this region are living along the northern limit of their ranges, meaning they have a lower tolerance for any degree of environmental change or disturbance.

In 2017, the McMaster Ecohydrology Lab kicked off a five-year funding agreement with Ganawenim Meshkiki’s Eastern Georgian Bay Initiative (EGBI), to examine the ecological and hydrological conditions that interact to create ideal SAR reptile habitat in the eastern Georgian Bay region, to inform current SAR conservation approaches. One aspect of the project’s work has been to assess the possible cumulative impacts of the Henvey Inlet Wind Energy Center (HIWEC) on SAR reptile habitat hydrology, vegetation, water chemistry, and thermal conditions. The HIWEC is a new wind farm constructed on Henvey Inlet First Nation land along the northeastern Georgian Bay coastline just south of the French River. It consists of numerous new roads and 87 wind turbine generators on land adjacent to critical reptile SAR habitat, and therefore has the potential to create environmental change or disturbance(s).

Along with this research objective, the project funding has been used to pursue three other research objectives including intentions to:

1. Determine the dominant ecohydrological processes and characteristics in undisturbed reptile SAR habitat,
2. Assess the success of a new reptile SAR habitat creation design for a turtle nesting habitat, and
3. Assess the success of a new reptile SAR habitat creation design for reptile peatland overwintering habitat.

In 2021, the project team continued field visits, data analysis and evaluations, and reporting in support of summarizing research findings for each of the project objectives. Preliminary findings have been established and final results for each of the four research objectives, as well as implications for eastern Georgian Bay herptile SAR, are anticipated in 2022.