In its fourth field season, the Long-term Eastern Georgian Bay Reptile Monitoring Program in eastern Georgian Bay has successfully achieved many of its project goals. These objectives included establishing a long-term monitoring study of the impacts of wind energy and forest fires on reptile SAR, contributing to the survival and recovery of target species, enhancing the management of target SAR and their habitats to increase biodiversity in the EGB region, building capacity at Henvey Inlet First Nation for continued program implementation, and collaborating with reptile researchers regionally and beyond to draw conclusions about population trends and potential effects of large-scale impacts like climate change and diseases.

The accomplishment of these goals was facilitated through a mark-recapture program assessing habitat variability across three selected areas, evaluating ecohydrological functions among four overwintering sites, examining overwintering habitat use, and assessing community ecology variations across four selected areas. The results of the project were significant, as new individuals were discovered during mark-recapture surveys, long-term vegetation monitoring plots were surveyed to track changes over time, and the conditions of overwintering habitats were assessed through the monitoring of hydrological variables. Reptile diversity, health, and abundance were also thoroughly assessed across treatment areas, with survey results mapped and size estimates calculated for each target species.

HIFN community members played a pivotal role in the project, being hired to conduct surveys and remaining involved through training and skill development, which will contribute to the sustained success of the initiative. The next steps involve assessing impacts on target species, establishing a regional reptile monitoring program, and preparing for the long-term continuation of monitoring efforts. Additional funding benefits allowed for the inclusion of more team members, new mark-recapture surveys, and improved habitat and threat monitoring. Furthermore, the project expanded its scope to include bird acoustic data collection, determining differences in bird abundance and biodiversity between treatment areas to understand potential impacts on avian species. Notably, partnerships with McMaster University and the University of Waterloo were established, enriching the collaborative network for ongoing and future research endeavours.