Rideau Valley Field Naturalists
Press Release
Information contact: Judy Buehler – (613) 326-0106;
e-mail: goodlife@rideau.net
RVFN presents a look at Amphibians and Reptiles of Eastern Ontario
By Judy Buehler
Rideau Valley Field Naturalists
Since 1984, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has been collecting data on the location and species of the reptilies and amphibians of Ontario. Like the ‘canary in the coal mine’, our herpetology friends are an indicator of the health of our environment. And, as we all know, they’ve not been telling us good news.
On Sunday, March 1, the Rideau Valley Field Naturalists present a lecture with Oliver Reichl, who will tell us about the status of our frogs, toads, turtles, salamanders, snakes, and newts in Eastern Ontario. Oliver is currently outreach co-ordinator for the Eastern Ontario Model Forest’s Herpetofaunal Atlas project and has worked as a naturalist, ecologist and consulting arborist. He will tell us about the current status of amphibian and reptile data in Eastern Ontario, how all this broad data is collected, a look at the 34 species in our area, with a brief focus on those that may be visually confusing, and conclude with a discussion on what we can do to help preserve these very important fauna.
The RVFN meeting takes place at 2 p.m., Sun. March 1, in the All-Purpose Room at the Perth and District Indoor Swimming Pool on Wilson Street at Sunset Boulevard. There is a small admission fee of $5.00 for non-RVFN members.
For more information about the RVFN, contact Judy Buehler at 326-0106.