Nova Scotia’s endangered species

SYDNEY — The American marten, small in size and a member of the weasel family, is currently one of Nova Scotia's rarest animals.

They live in mature softwood and mixed wood forests and are sometimes called the pine marten. They're also endangered.

According to the Nova Scotia government, there's likely less than 50 animals of this species left in Cape Breton. They have been impacted by extensive loss and degradation of habitat, as a result of such things as clearcutting forests.

On mainland Nova Scotia, they are considered “data deficient,” meaning more research is required to learn the status of their populations. There's no current recovery plan listed for them on the Department of Lands and Forestry's website.

THREATENED AND VULNERABLE

The marten is one of 33 species classified as endangered right now in Nova Scotia, according to the Department of Lands and Forestry, meaning they face imminent extirpation or extinction.

Thirteen species in the province are considered threatened, which means they are likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed, while 17 species have been classified as vulnerable, a species of special concern because of characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.

“Some examples of species at-risk that are primarily or only present on Cape Breton include the American marten, Bicknell's thrush, Canada lynx, Hoary willow, New Jersey rush and yellow lamp mussel,” said Andrea Frydl, spokewoman for Lands and Forestry.

“Each species listed on this website is working towards recovery with a detailed recovery or management plan. Some of the species listed have a published version of their recovery plan.”

Frydl said that for those that don't currently have a published species recovery plan, it means that one is currently in progress and will be published there when it's complete.

CANADA LYNX

The Canada lynx, another species classified as endangered, once existed across the mainland and in Cape Breton. Their current population is small and restricted to current areas of the boreal forest in the Cape Breton Highlands.

“I would hazard to say that a third of that habitat is completely wrecked by forestry operations,” said Adam Malcolm, a former high school science teacher who runs the Nova Scotia Species at Risk Facebook group and @ns.speciesatrisk on Instagram.

Malcolm said he reaches out to Donna Hurlburt, the manager of biodiversity with the forestry department, every few weeks with a raft of questions for his research and receives “very well-articulated answers.”

According to Lands and Forestry, historic and current threats to the Canada lynx include harvesting, habitat loss, competition from bobcats and coyotes, disease and climate change. There is currently no recovery plan listed on the department's website.

BANK SWALLOW

The bank swallow, also classified as endangered, is a small brown bird that feeds almost exclusively on flying insects. It breeds in colonies and nests in high, nearly vertical soft soil faces along rivers and along the coast.

“I'm very worried about the fate of these little beauties,” said Malcolm. “There used to be all kinds around, but in the past 40 years there has been a (large) decline in the Canadian population.”

According to the department, the bird's numbers have declined by about 30 per cent over the past 10 years across Canada, and much more in Nova Scotia.

“It's thought that the widespread of riprap to slow coastal erosion is a big part of the problem. They need/prefer freshly exposed surfaces,” said Malcolm. “They are also insectivores, so widespread pesticide use is another big problem.”

There is a recovery plan for the bank swallow listed on the forestry department website, adopted on Nov. 9, 2020, and listed for expiry or renewal one year later.

BOBOLINK

Bobolinks are a bird of open grasslands and hayfields currently listed as vulnerable. According to Malcolm, they have “the coolest song” and have declined steadily over nearly three decades, threatened by hay mowing that kills the young and destroys nests.

“It's really, really sad. Delaying hayfield mowing for a couple of weeks would be a huge help to this species,” said Malcolm.

For more information and a full list of endangered, threatened and vulnerable species in Nova Scotia, visit the Department of Lands and Forestry species at-risk page online.

From left, the pine marten is one of Nova Scotia’s rarest animals, the Canada lynx and bank swallow are classified as endangered, and the bobolink is listed as vulnerable.