As the snow arrives and the season of hibernation falls upon us, it’s time to transition from data collection in the field to data analysis in the office (preferably with a warm scarf and a mug of tea, thank you). While we miss being outdoors in the long sunny days of summer, there’s something quite satisfying about compiling and reviewing the season’s data. 2024 was our first year of conducting reptile surveys on the flank of Creston Mountain above the CVWMA Administration Office, as part of a habitat restoration project funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada (Community Nominated Priority Places for Species at Risk) through Kootenay Connect (https://kootenayconservation.ca/kootenay-connect-priority-places/). While the eastern flank of Creston Mountain was quite open historically, over the years the vegetation has grown in, and now most of the slope is densely treed. Just look at the comparison photos below – quite the difference, hey?

 

 

Encroaching vegetation decreases habitat quality for reptiles. It also presents a wildfire hazard by acting as ladder fuel. As our summers become hotter and dried, fire risk reduction and management is quickly becoming an area of increasing interest. The goal of the project is twofold: restore reptile habitat, and mitigate wildfire risk. This will be achieved through a combination of several forestry practices: brushing, thinning, and limbing. We are excited to see work commence on this project in the next coming weeks!

 

For all the times that I’ve accidentally stumbled across a snake this summer, it’s a bit of a challenge to find reptiles on purpose! Over a total of 21 surveys conducted weekly from May 10 to October 1, there were 46 total reptile detections, with an average of 1.7 reptiles detected per survey. Four of these detections were suspected to be repeat detections of the same individual, based on location found. Western Skink made up the majority of detections (19), followed by Northern Alligator Lizard (13), Rubber Boa (11), and finally Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (3). Interestingly, we did not come across any Common Garter Snake, though this species is frequently encountered in Corn Creek Marsh and elsewhere in the wetlands. Later in the season, we found two snakeskin sheds – super neat! While we didn’t count these as detections, it was nice to know that we were identifying and checking habitat features that were likely to house reptiles. Everyone likes to feel validated, right?

 

 

For each detection, we recorded whether the reptile was found basking (exposed) or hidden under a cover object (i.e. a rock or a piece of wood). Reptiles were hidden under cover in the vast majority of detections (78%), while basking reptiles totaled 22% of detections. Though it is much safer to be hidden under something rather than out in the open if you’re a small reptile (predators are always watching!), I suspect that some of the snakes and lizards found under cover were likely out basking originally, but then sought out shelter upon sensing my approach. Snakes are particularly sensitive to small vibrations in the ground that help them detect potential threats. In addition to rocks and wood, vegetation such as shrubs and bushes can also provide cover for reptiles. We recorded whether or not each reptile was found in close proximity to a shrub or bush, defined as either under 5 feet from the reptile detection site to the shrub, or over 5 feet. This was a very arbitrary designation, but we wanted to get an idea of the importance of vegetation cover. The results show that 61% of reptile detections occurred in close proximity to a bush or shrub, and this was similar across all species detected except for Western Terrestrial Garter Snake. I wouldn’t assign any kind of statistical significance to this finding, but we will make sure to leave patches of vegetation cover intact in areas that had high detection rates.

 

Other interesting findings during these surveys included:

 

We hope to continue these surveys in future years wherever capacity allows. While it’s unlikely that we will see much of a change next year, it would be interesting to see if any trends emerge over a longer time period. We hope that this project helps give our reptile populations a bit of a boost, especially the two species of Special Concern: the Western Skink and the Rubber Boa. You can help too, by watching carefully for snakes and lizards basking on the road next summer! Road mortality is a big issue for these scaly friends as well as for our Western Painted Turtles, especially since they are small and hard to see. When summer rolls around next year, please feel free to report your reptile sightings from the Balancing Rock trail to our office – we’d love to hear from you!