RESTORE COOTES

Reyna Matties (McMaster Biology) took care of visitors to Lot M this week, explaining a brief history of the area, and the current work on the depaved and rehabilitated riparian buffer between McMaster's parking lot "M" and Ancaster Creek. "...around 50 cyclists, a mix of students, professors, and community members, gathered to take part in a bike tour of the city. The bike tour was part of McMaster's Big Ideas Better Cities: Climate Change and Environment week of events. Michael Egan, Associate Professor of History in the Faculty of Humanities, organized and led the event from the Tim Horton's Field in downtown Hamilton through the city to Dundas." http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/article/hamilton-bike-tour-tells-story-of-hamiltons-past-and-future/

Snapping Turtle nesting, photo from DTW With spring just around the corner, turtles will soon be on the move again and Dundas Turtle Watch is looking for some new recruits. Volunteers monitor roads and off road locations and maintain accurate records. Volunteers receive training and are always paired with an experienced Turtle Watcher. Turtle Watchers also collect information about other wildlife killed on the roads. Collecting this information tells us the local hotspots for fatalities so we can improve protection for our wildlife in these areas.  Dundas is home to some species of endangered turtles, snakes and frogs and it is particularly important to record this information for conservation efforts. All data collected by Dundas Turtle Watch will be shared with the Royal Botanical Gardens and Hamilton Conservation Authority and Ontario Nature. In recent years, Turtle Watchers have also been protecting turtle nests.  Nests are covered to protect the eggs from predators.