April 2024 |
UPCOMING PUBLIC CONSULTATION FOR HIGHWAY 401 INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES |
A major infrastructure decision is on the horizon—one that will shape the future of wildlife and landscape connectivity in the A2A region.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has retained Stantec Consulting Ltd. to conduct a Planning, Preliminary Design, and Class Environmental Assessment on Highway 401 between Brockville and Mallorytown, right through the eastern section of the Frontenac Arch—a crucial part of the A2A region. This study includes the replacement and rehabilitation of bridges and culverts, interchange modifications, and most notably, a proposed expansion of Highway 401 to an interim six lanes and ultimately eight lanes.
The decisions made through this process will influence the landscape for the next 75 years— the typical lifespan of this infrastructure.
Highways are major barriers to wildlife movement. It is critical that we plan infrastructure in a way that maintains and/or restores connectivity. Failing to do so increases the risk of habitat fragmentation and wildlife mortality.
The A2A Collaborative has been actively engaging with MTO to ensure that nature is at the forefront of decision-making. Drawing on findings from our Right to Roam Report, we've provided recommendations to facilitate safe wildlife movement, including several for the Jones Creek area—a critical wildlife movement pathway—that is a key area of focus within the study corridor.
The project team is wrapping up field investigations and is seeking input from the public. Now, it's your turn to speak up!
Upcoming Public Consultation
Date: April 23, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: The Royal Canadian Legion – 13 Quabbin Road, Mallorytown, Ontario
Learn more: View the official project notice and event details
Send in a comment: View the sample comment
This Public Information Centre (PIC) is a critical opportunity to show your support for infrastructure that works with nature—not against it. Attendees will be able to provide feedback during the session and in the 30-day public comment period that follows. To help you advocate effectively, we’ve created a sample comment focused on wildlife-friendly infrastructure and responsible land use planning.
Let’s make sure the voices of nature and community are heard in this process!
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has retained Stantec Consulting Ltd. to conduct a Planning, Preliminary Design, and Class Environmental Assessment on Highway 401 between Brockville and Mallorytown, right through the eastern section of the Frontenac Arch—a crucial part of the A2A region. This study includes the replacement and rehabilitation of bridges and culverts, interchange modifications, and most notably, a proposed expansion of Highway 401 to an interim six lanes and ultimately eight lanes.
The decisions made through this process will influence the landscape for the next 75 years— the typical lifespan of this infrastructure.
Highways are major barriers to wildlife movement. It is critical that we plan infrastructure in a way that maintains and/or restores connectivity. Failing to do so increases the risk of habitat fragmentation and wildlife mortality.
The A2A Collaborative has been actively engaging with MTO to ensure that nature is at the forefront of decision-making. Drawing on findings from our Right to Roam Report, we've provided recommendations to facilitate safe wildlife movement, including several for the Jones Creek area—a critical wildlife movement pathway—that is a key area of focus within the study corridor.
The project team is wrapping up field investigations and is seeking input from the public. Now, it's your turn to speak up!
Upcoming Public Consultation
Date: April 23, 2025
Time: 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: The Royal Canadian Legion – 13 Quabbin Road, Mallorytown, Ontario
Learn more: View the official project notice and event details
Send in a comment: View the sample comment
This Public Information Centre (PIC) is a critical opportunity to show your support for infrastructure that works with nature—not against it. Attendees will be able to provide feedback during the session and in the 30-day public comment period that follows. To help you advocate effectively, we’ve created a sample comment focused on wildlife-friendly infrastructure and responsible land use planning.
Let’s make sure the voices of nature and community are heard in this process!
Oct. 2024 |
FALL 2024 NEWS |
July 2024 |
Latest updates in a2a connectivity mapping |
Over the past year, A2A has been working with the Northeast Conservation Services (thanks to a generous grant from the U.S National Parks Service) and Community Geographics to refine the A2A linkage area and identify suitable wildlife corridors throughout the A2A region— updating and expanding our initial connectivity mapping from 2014.
Focusing on existing conserved lands and intact forests/wetland areas, we have more clearly identified the broad A2A linkage. This provides an area of focus for the more detailed GIS (geographic information systems) analysis of wildlife corridors within the linkage area. It also helps identify how the A2A region ties in with other landscape connectivity projects in Canada (National Program for Ecological Corridors) and the Northeastern US (Staying Connected Initiative).
Four representative focal species groups were used to identify wildlife corridors. These include the forest generalist group, representing species such as black bears, bobcats, and fishers; the northern boreal group representing species like the Canada lynx, snowshoe hare, and American marten; the turtle group representing species such as the Blanding’s turtle, wood turtle, and spotted turtle; and the riparian-dependent mammals group, representing species such as mink, otter, and long-tailed weasel.
Each of these groups, both individually and collectively, represents the diverse dispersal needs of wildlife in the A2A region. The protected wildlife corridors identified for these groups will also support other species such as moose, white-tailed deer, canids, and smaller mammals.
Focusing on existing conserved lands and intact forests/wetland areas, we have more clearly identified the broad A2A linkage. This provides an area of focus for the more detailed GIS (geographic information systems) analysis of wildlife corridors within the linkage area. It also helps identify how the A2A region ties in with other landscape connectivity projects in Canada (National Program for Ecological Corridors) and the Northeastern US (Staying Connected Initiative).
Four representative focal species groups were used to identify wildlife corridors. These include the forest generalist group, representing species such as black bears, bobcats, and fishers; the northern boreal group representing species like the Canada lynx, snowshoe hare, and American marten; the turtle group representing species such as the Blanding’s turtle, wood turtle, and spotted turtle; and the riparian-dependent mammals group, representing species such as mink, otter, and long-tailed weasel.
Each of these groups, both individually and collectively, represents the diverse dispersal needs of wildlife in the A2A region. The protected wildlife corridors identified for these groups will also support other species such as moose, white-tailed deer, canids, and smaller mammals.
Map of the linkage between Algonquin and Adirondack Parks, where A2A focused our Wildlife Corridor Mapping Project. The map also shows the Frontenac Arch— the bedrock of granite and gneiss over 1 billion years old, connecting the Canadian Shield and Adirondack Mountains.
Using the Linkage Mapper tool, corridors for each species group were combined and prioritized to maximize the probability of utilization by all focal species groups. The goal was to identify the essential network of corridors necessary to maintain connectivity among the habitat nodes that facilitate passage for the representative species groups.
In terms of progress, the initial corridor analysis is complete, and an arc view site has been created to allow access to the various data layers and corridor identification, to enable partners to incorporate the landscape scale connectivity analysis into their work.
As part of the mapping project, and with assistance from The Nature Conservancy in NY, we also looked at ways these individual wildlife corridors can benefit human communities, for example mitigating riverine flood damage, providing space for recreation such as hiking, boating and fishing, and storing carbon within forests to address climate change.
Thanks to a generous grant from The Nature Conservancy, we will be conducting a second stage of this mapping for further analysis and refinement of the corridors identified in the Frontenac Arch Biosphere region (Canadian side) and the Thousand Islands region (US side), collaborating with partners to apply A2A connectivity and mapping data at a local scale.
On July 10, the A2A Collaborative held a workshop to share the results of the GIS-modeled wildlife corridor mapping and solicit input from individuals and organizations familiar with the area to help ground-truth and improve the maps on the US side between the Thousand Islands and Adirondack Park. During the workshop, held at the Thousand Islands Land Trust office in Clayton, participants provided insights on important habitat areas and species information not shown on the maps, validated the GIS-modeled corridors, identified significant cores of conserved or unprotected habitat, and discussed barriers to habitat connection, including proposed future developments.
The goal of this collaborative effort is to create maps that better depict the ecological corridors linking protected and conserved areas, as well as unprotected natural habitat cores. These refined maps will guide future conservation actions and help integrate A2A connectivity with other landscape connectivity projects in Canada and the Northeastern US, thus expanding awareness and understanding of linkages within the A2A region. To this end, we are also developing two new web-based tools: A StoryMap using graphics and images to tell the story of the A2A linkage and its importance for climate resiliency and connectivity, and an Online Mapping Tool for the A2A linkage (including GIS layers such as land cover, protected areas, hydrology, roads, wildlife corridors, etc), to be made publicly available.
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July 2024 |
How animals can safely cross highways |
Get ready for another exciting season of road ecology in New York! Last year, Kate Cleary spearheaded the inaugural field season of road ecology studies in New York State along NY Routes 12 and 37, strategically located just south of our Canadian studies— a critical bottleneck for wildlife movement through the Thousand Islands region.
Funded by a generous grant from The Nature Conservancy in NY, Kate and Clarkson engineering students teamed up to collect crucial wildlife mortality data, using bike crews to conduct surveys and applying North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) protocols to assess bridges and culverts for wildlife passability. The crew completed 15 surveys of 25 miles each, and documented more than 700 wildlife mortality events (through counting roadkill carcasses).
In 2024, The Nature Conservancy will fund a second year of this essential study, along with the U.S National Parks Service. Kate has brought together the same collaborators from the NY Department of Transportation and Clarkson University, and in June they began a second round of wildlife mortality surveys along routes 12 and 37.
The team will also continue their NAACC surveys of bridges and culverts, evaluating them for wildlife passability. In addition, they plan to install camera traps to monitor wildlife activity at these structures, gaining insights into how wildlife utilize existing infrastructure.
The data gathered from these road surveys are critical for assessing wildlife connectivity in the region, helping guide recommendations for our partners on land protection and transportation infrastructure modifications to enhance connectivity.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress via Instagram and Facebook!
Funded by a generous grant from The Nature Conservancy in NY, Kate and Clarkson engineering students teamed up to collect crucial wildlife mortality data, using bike crews to conduct surveys and applying North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC) protocols to assess bridges and culverts for wildlife passability. The crew completed 15 surveys of 25 miles each, and documented more than 700 wildlife mortality events (through counting roadkill carcasses).
In 2024, The Nature Conservancy will fund a second year of this essential study, along with the U.S National Parks Service. Kate has brought together the same collaborators from the NY Department of Transportation and Clarkson University, and in June they began a second round of wildlife mortality surveys along routes 12 and 37.
The team will also continue their NAACC surveys of bridges and culverts, evaluating them for wildlife passability. In addition, they plan to install camera traps to monitor wildlife activity at these structures, gaining insights into how wildlife utilize existing infrastructure.
The data gathered from these road surveys are critical for assessing wildlife connectivity in the region, helping guide recommendations for our partners on land protection and transportation infrastructure modifications to enhance connectivity.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress via Instagram and Facebook!
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From left to right: Evan Barid, Kate Cleary, Emily Yousey, Malvern Dongo.
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April 2024 |
Thank you for joining OUR 2024 annual GENERAL MEETING! |
On April 14, 2024, we hosted our Annual General Meeting at the Mallorytown Community Centre. Board members, collaborative members and other stakeholders came together to reflect on our achievements, discuss upcoming initiatives, and vote on our next roster of board members.
We had a wonderful time together celebrating the achievements of A2A, connecting with old friends, and making new ones. We want to thank everyone who came to our AGM, in person and virtually. Your support and engagement are invaluable as we continue our mission to conserve and enhance landscapes within the Algonquin to Adirondacks region for ecological integrity and resilience in eastern North America.
Thank you to our guest speakers, John Davis from The Adirondack Council and Caroline Katona from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, who gave us updates on conservation progress and initiatives on both sides of the border in the A2A region. We trust that these presentations were informative and empowered you to continue advocating for the protection of this unique eco-region.
We had a wonderful time together celebrating the achievements of A2A, connecting with old friends, and making new ones. We want to thank everyone who came to our AGM, in person and virtually. Your support and engagement are invaluable as we continue our mission to conserve and enhance landscapes within the Algonquin to Adirondacks region for ecological integrity and resilience in eastern North America.
Thank you to our guest speakers, John Davis from The Adirondack Council and Caroline Katona from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, who gave us updates on conservation progress and initiatives on both sides of the border in the A2A region. We trust that these presentations were informative and empowered you to continue advocating for the protection of this unique eco-region.
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October 2023 |
Thank you to all who came out to celebrate with us at our 2023 gala! |
A huge thank you to all of our supporters, familiar and new, who came out to our annual gala to celebrate the "Pilgrimage for Nature Trail" and Jamie Findlay who is now the first person to thru-hike the entire ~650 km trail! Your support means that we can continue to connect spaces, people and wildlife to create an ecologically resilient corridor for generations to come.
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September 2023 |
The 2023 pilgrimage for nature trek is SUCCESSFULLY complete! |
After 36 adventurous days, Jamie Findlay has finished his thru-hike of the entire 640 km "Pilgrimage for Nature Trail," arriving at Algonquin Park on Saturday, September 16. We want to congratulate Jamie, and his friends Bill Barkley and Lisa who joined him along the way, on this amazing accomplishment— becoming the first person to have completed a thru-hike of the A2A trail! Thank you to everyone who has supported and followed their journey.
