Schedules to the Proposed Act

• Schedule 1: Species declared to be threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act, R.S.O. 1990
• Schedule 2: Species to be listed as Extirpated Species
• Schedule 3: Species to be listed as Endangered Species
• Schedule 4: Species to be listed as Threatened Species
• Schedule 5: Species to be listed as Special Concern Species

 
Note: Schedules of the proposed Act have been updated to include assessments of species classifications undertaken by the Committee on the Status of Species in Ontario (COSSARO).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Schedules 3, 4, and 5 have been updated to reflect new species assessments made over a two-year period by COSSARO, which adds four Endangered species, three Threatened species and six Special Concern species to the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List:

• Endangered - Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander, American Eel, Aweme Borer Moth, and Cherry Birch;
• Threatened - Houghton's Goldenrod, Mapleleaf Mussel and Rainbow Mussel.
• Special Concern – Beluga, Golden-winged Warbler, Grass Pickerel, Kiyi (Upper Great Lakes subspecies), Lake Sturgeon, and Pygmy Pocket Moss.

Species Descriptions:

• Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus) – Endangered. This newly discovered species to Ontario is only found at one seepage spring location in the Niagara Gorge. This single site is vulnerable to threats which may affect the water quality or quantity. Because the occurrence is so recently documented, little is known about the population size or trends of this amphibian.
• American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) - Endangered. Canadian numbers have decreased significantly, but not to the same extent as in Ontario, where population numbers have decreased by more than 99% since the 1970s. Threats to the species include dams on waterways, habitat alterations, oscillating ocean and river conditions, and pollution from contaminants.
• Aweme Borer Moth (Papaipema aweme) - Endangered. Historically, this moth has been found at only four locations in North America. The last sighting in Ontario was in 1936, until a recent discovery on Manitoulin Island. Further research is necessary to identify its larval host plant, habitat needs and life history to adequately understand and conserve the species.
• Cherry Birch (Betula lenta) - Endangered. Although globally secure, Cherry Birch is restricted to a single site in Canada, near Lake Ontario. There were once as many as 50 trees in 1967, but this single population was reduced to seven trees and two saplings in 2004, and is surrounded by residential development.
• Houghton's Goldenrod (Solidago houghtonii) - Threatened. This is a globally rare plant species that occurs along limestone shorelines and on alvars in the northern Lake Huron and Lake Michigan regions of Ontario and Michigan. The species is threatened by aggregate removal, shoreline development, road widening, recreational activities, ATV use, and invasive exotic species. Few locations are in protected areas.
• Mapleleaf Mussel (Quadrula quadrula) – Threatened. This mussel still occurs in six southwestern Ontario river systems and within Manitoba. The main threats to this species are zebra mussels, agricultural activities, and urban development.
• Rainbow Mussel (Villosa iris) - Threatened. This small freshwater mussel is found in ten southern Ontario river systems. It is more widespread across North America than many other at-risk mussels.
• Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) – Special Concern. This marine mammal occurs in six estuaries in Ontario along the coasts of Hudson Bay and James Bay. Over 4,000 beluga were sighted on the coasts in 2004. There is a potential for beluga to be affected by increased shipping and hydroelectric development. There is no known harvest of beluga in Ontario.
• Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) – Special Concern. This small songbird is threatened by interbreeding with the Blue-winged Warbler, a closely related species. The southern Ontario range is diminishing as the species is replaced by the other species. Although the range is contracting, thousands of individual Golden-winged Warbler are present in Ontario.
• Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) – Special Concern. This warm water fish, which occurs in several southern Ontario watersheds, is affected by changes in water conditions that occur from several threats: loss of aquatic vegetation, lowering of stream temperatures, decreased water transparency and low water levels. 
• Kiyi (Upper Great Lakes subspecies) (Coregonus kiyi kiyi) – Special Concern. This subspecies of cisco occurs only in deep water in Lake Superior, and has been extirpated from lakes Huron and Michigan, primarily due to historic overharvest and the introduction of exotic species.
• Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) - Special Concern. This long-lived, late-maturing fish has declined markedly due to historic overharvest and changes to its lake and river habitats. COSEWIC has identified five separate populations in Ontario and designated them as Special Concern, Threatened or Endangered. Ontario is assigning Special Concern status to the species as a whole at this time. COSSARO will be examining whether individual populations merit recognition and separate status assignments.
• Pygmy Pocket Moss (Fissidens exilis) – Special Concern. This moss species is found on bare clay or disturbed soils and prefers woodlands. In Ontario, populations are threatened by the proximity of heavily populated and developed areas.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Schedules 3, 4, and 5 have also been updated to reflect assessments made over a two-year period by COSSARO, which resulted in:

• Two species were assessed to be at higher risk: American Columbo to Endangered from Special Concern; and False Rue-anemone to Threatened from Special Concern.
• Three species were assessed to be at lower risk: Shortnose Cisco to Endangered from Extirpated; Small-Flowered Lipocarpha to Threatened from Endangered; and Hill's Pondweed to Special Concern from Threatened.
• Six species have been reassessed and were removed from SARO List: Deepwater Sculpin (Great Lakes population) from Threatened; Great Gray Owl from Special Concern; Greenside Darter from Special Concern; Lake Whitefish (Lake Simcoe population) from Threatened; Red-shouldered Hawk from Special Concern; and Southern Flying Squirrel from Special Concern.

Species Descriptions:

• American Columbo (Fasera caroliniensis) – Endangered. This perennial gentian is found in Canada only in the Carolinian Zone of southern Ontario. During the past 50 years the species has declined in North America by as much as 55%. Threats to the species include trampling, ATV use, logging, herbicide use, and invasive species.
• Shortnose Cisco (Coregonus reighardi) - Endangered. Competition and predation from introduced invasive species and commercial overfishing has caused a decline in populations. There is insufficient data to confirm the extinction of this fish species from the Great Lakes at this time. It is possible that this fish species may still be present in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay.
• False Rue-anemone (Enemion biternatum) - Threatened. Invasive exotic plant species as well as habitat loss have caused a deterioration of habitat quality and have limited this buttercup species to a few scattered populations in southern Ontario.
• Small-Flowered Lipocarpha (Lipocarpha micrantha) – Threatened. This small annual sedge was recently discovered at four new locations which doubles the known number of sites. It grows on emergent mudflats where its population fluctuates greatly depending on water levels. Thousands of plants may be present in certain years.
• Hill's Pondweed (Potamogeton hillii) – Special Concern. This aquatic flowering plant occurs at only 20 sites in Canada - five of these sites are in protected areas. In Ontario it is limited to Manitoulin Island and the Bruce Peninsula, where it is threatened by loss and degradation of habitat.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Schedule 2 has been updated to reflect assessments made over a two-year period by COSSARO, which adds one Extirpated species, the Eastern Persius Duskywing.

Species Descriptions:

• Eastern Persius Duskywing (Erynnis persius persius) – Extirpated. There have been no confirmed sightings of this butterfly in 19 years. Its preferred habitat, oak savannah, is very rare, as is the wild lupine which grows there. The duskywing larvae feeds mainly on the lupine and as savannahs degraded through succession and fragmentation so too were the lupine and butterfly populations. The two known duskywing populations in southwestern Ontario declined and disappeared by 1987.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Six species listed on the current SARO List do not appear in the Schedules.

This reflects assessments made over a two-year period by COSSARO that resulted in these species being classified as not at risk.
 

Species Descriptions:

• Deepwater Sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) – not at risk from Threatened. This fish found in cold, deep lake habitats is localized but widespread in three Great Lakes. The populations are generally secure and no imminent threats are known to most populations. COSEWIC also recognizes Ontario populations outside of the GL basin as Not at Risk. Genetic information suggests there is no need to divide the GL and non-GL populations.
  Greenside Darter (Etheostoma blennioides) – not at risk from Special Concern. Since the early 1990’s, there has been an increase in the Greenside Darter’s range and abundance within southwestern Ontario. The species occurs in most of its historical locations, including four river systems and Lake St. Clair, and also seems to be expanding its range in the Ausable and Sydenham rivers. Current stresses in the watersheds where the Greenside Darter lives do not appear to be negatively impacting populations.
• Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) - not at risk from Special Concern. Although forestry and mining in the boreal forest may impact the population locally, there are no immediate threats to the species within Ontario. This owl was observed at over 150 locations during the second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (provisional).
• Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) - not at risk from Special Concern. The population of this forest dwelling hawk has increased over the past 25 years in central Ontario. This hawk was reported from more than 500 locations during the second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas (provisional).
• Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) - not at risk from Special Concern. This flying squirrel is common and widespread in suitable habitat. Recent research has shown, even with the threat of habitat fragmentation in southwestern Ontario, the Southern Flying Squirrel has expanded its range northward in the province.
• Lake Whitefish (Lake Simcoe population) (Coregonus clupeaformis) – not eligible from Threatened. This native whitefish in Lake Simcoe declined considerably since the 1960s due to threats such as accelerated eutrophication and nutrient loading. Since the 1980s is has been stocked in the lake for sport fishing. It is not eligible for at risk listing due to uncertainties in genetic uniqueness, origin and taxonomy.