Endangered snakes take over Windsor park

Grass left uncut at Seven Sisters to protect Butler’s garter snake

Visitors to a south Windsor park will likely find themselves playing next to an unsuspecting slithering sidekick.

The City of Windsor has been forced to take extra precaution with the grounds at Seven Sisters Park after the endangered Butler’s garter snake — which had resided in the park for years — was added to the list of species at risk in Ontario in 2008.

“We had those snakes there beforehand but they weren’t endangered,” said Ward 1 Coun. Fred Francis, whose ward encompasses the park.

“Now you have an area that can’t be cut to the level it was before because you’re dealing with a species with an endangered habitat.”

Francis said the province’s Endangered Species Act dictates an endangered species and its general habitat be automatically protected.

The park, which runs along the Grand Marais drain west of Huron Church Road, contains a basketball court and play equipment.

Before 2008, all the grass in the park would be cut. But now, Francis said only the grass around the equipment and court is maintained. “It actually is costing the city more to do what they’re doing now,” Francis explained.

“They need to have a naturalist in front of the mower essentially making sure there are no snakes.

“What took the city 30 to 45 minutes to cut, now takes hours.”

Lisa Baggio, whose property backs onto the park, said she worries the waist-high grass has become a health and safety issue for those who use the park.

“Kids play baseball there, they run through the grass ... and the onus is on the city to keep these kids safe,” Baggio said. “They are inviting them into a park which could potentially be a health hazard with ticks and snakes.”

Two public meetings have already been hosted by the city to discuss the issue with residents.

The two solutions presented so far would be to move the existing equipment to another area in the neighbourhood or to apply for a provincial permit to cut the grass.

Francis said he has requested a feasibility report from administration about relocating the park and he has encouraged them to be creative. The city applied for an Endangered Species Act permit for its new firehall on Daytona Avenue and it was eventually approved after two years of negotiations.

“We could potentially get a permit that allows us to cut around in the park but it’s a very expensive and very lengthy process,” he said.

Baggio, who is admittedly fearful of snakes, said she hopes the park can be returned to its former beauty. “I’ve been here for 24 years so I’m kind of used to it,” she said. “But I really loved it when the grass was short and you could see out across those acres. It was so expansive and beautiful.”

Now you have an area that can’t be cut to the level it was before because you’re dealing with a species with an endangered habitat.