Local rattlesnake among species to receive help to survive | 24CA News

New funding from the provincial authorities is aimed toward defending the endangered Massasauga rattlesnake, the one venomous snake in Ontario.

In entrance of a crowd on the Ojibway Nature Centre, David Piccini, minister of setting, conservation and parks, introduced Wednesday $423,580 in funding to Wildlife Preservation Canada (WPC).

“The key word today is partnership,” Piccini stated. “That’s why the team is doing a fantastic job. We’re about to sit down here at the table with Three Fires Group, and others to look at building on partnerships and working together to protect biodiversity here.”

Jonathan Choquette, lead biologist with WPC, could not be happier.

“It’s part of our history,” Choquette stated. “The people of Essex County have shared the land with these animals ever since there’s been people here. It’s a symbol in our community. The LaSalle Vipers have it as a mascot. It’s a symbol of wilderness. It’s a symbol of a natural environment.”

Piccini and Choquette stated all of us be taught from the Massasauga rattlesnake.

“It’s an animal that teaches us how to co-exist with something that not all of us are in love with,” Piccini stated. “It’s not everyone’s favourite animal. It teaches us how to share the land with all creatures.”

Ontario’s Species at Risk Stewardship Program offers funding to help tasks aimed toward defending, recovering or researching species in danger.

The work of the WPC, which is main the undertaking at Ojibway Prairie, will contain defending habitat and evaluating strategies to handle the inhabitants of the species.

“Among the most striking aspects of the Ojibway Prairie Complex is its tremendous diversity of vegetation and animal life. That’s why protecting species at risk through community stewardship is essential, as we continue to ensure that the Ojibway Prairie Complex remains a cornerstone of our community for generations to come.” Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie stated in a press launch.