RECOVERY PLANNING identifies what can be done to rehabilitate and protect threatened and endangered species or ecosystems. Recovery Plans are documents that lay out the steps to be taken towards recovery. Successful recovery may result in a species being taken off the endangered or threatened list, or in an ecosystem, being adequately protected. Recovery planning has been undertaken for dozens of species including the Perigrine Falcon and the Massasauga Rattlesnake. Ecosystems like the Sydenham River and Alvars of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Regions (among others) have also been undergone recovery planning. Recovery planning involves preparing a recovery strategy which broadly outlines the approaches to be taken, and then preparing recovery action plans which detail how the steps will be taken.

THE PITCHERS THISTLE - LAKE HURON DUNE GRASSLANDS RECOVERY STRATEGY lays out the steps and activities needed to protect and maintain Lake Huron dune grassland ecosystems, Pitcher's thistle and other species-at-risk. The Recovery Strategy examines the threats to dunes and then discusses many types of actions to help dunes. These types of action include talking with landowners, working with municipalities and First Nations, educating the public, looking at land-use planning, as well as working on management of dunes in protected areas (such as provincial and national parks). Monitoring and research strategies are also included .

THE PITCHER'S THISTLE - LAKE HURON DUNE GRASSLANDS RECOVERY TEAM is the group of people who produced the Recovery Strategy and are putting it into action. The team includes representatives from Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Parks Canada, Ontario Parks, Canadian Wildlife Service, Trent University, University of Guelph, University of Western Ontario, University of Waterloo, University of Manitoba, as well as three independent biological consultants. Please contact us! See links below.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE RECOVERY TEAM TO DATE

2001

• Priorities and goals set for recovery of Pitcher's thistle (endangered) and Lake Huron dune grassland ecosystems.
• 19 dune sites in the Manitoulin region surveyed and populations of species-at-risk (including Pitcher's thistle) assessed and documented.

2002

• First draft of the Recovery Strategy prepared
• Goals, objectives and approaches to recovery refined.
• 15 dune sites on Southern Lake Huron surveyed and populations of species-at-risk assessed and documented
• Definition of critical habitat proposed.

2003

• Steps planned toward regulation of Pitcher's thistle, including landowner contact process.
• Names and addresses of Manitoulin dune landowners assembled.
• Preparation of outreach and contact materials started - FAQ sheet, Landowners Q & A sheet, Fact Sheet, Open House Meeting Agenda.
• 11 dune sites in the Manitoulin region and on Southern Lake Huron surveyed and populations of species-at-risk (including Pitcher's thistle) assessed and documented.

2004

• Final version of the Recovery Strategy submitted.
• Monitoring protocol developed for Pitcher's thistle and dune grassland ecosystems.
• Genetic sampling completed and analysis started for Manitoulin Pitcher's thistle populations.
• Monitoring completed for 23 dune sites in the Manitoulin region

2005

• Web design started for Pitcher's thistle and dune grasslands

WHAT'S GOING ON?

In the spring of 2005 the Bruce Resource Stewardship Network and the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation, in partnership with the Recovery Team, received funding under the federal Habitat Stewardship Program. This grant will enable important stewardship work on several Lake Huron dunes.

• Preparation of management plans for municipally managed dunes.
• Development of a manual to guide municipal beach maintenance activites.
• Installation of interpretive signage at high profile public beaches.
• Training of volunteers to monitor dunes and dune species at risk.
• Construction of access control structures to limit trampling on public dunes.
• Presentation of interpretive nature walks for the public

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

Pitcher's thistle - Dune Grasslands Recovery Strategy

RECOVERY GOALS

To conserve and restore Pitcher's thistle and Lake Huron dune grassland sites and maintain genetic population structure by:

1. Reducing impacts on Manitoulin Island, Cockburn Island, and Duck Island sites
2. Continuing the recovery and long term monitoring operations at Pukaskwa National Park.
3. Recovery sites in suitable protected areas on the mainland.

RECOVERY OBJECTIVES

The Pitcher's thistle and Lake Huron coastal dune grassland recovery objectives include:

1. Complete inventory and initiate monitoring
   1. Identify and evaluate all Pitcher's thistle and Lake Huron coastal dune sites, and implement a monitoring program for selected sites;
   2. Determine the genetic population structure for Pitcher's thistle;
   3. Maintain, regularly update and analyze the data in an accessible database.
2. Initiate and continue research on Pitcher's thistle and other priority coastal dune species to address identified knowledge gaps
3. Conserve Pitcher's thistle and Lake Huron dune grasslands
   1. On Manitoulin, control or eliminate threats to Pitcher's thistle through stewardship practices and reducing activities that comprise dune habitat;
   2. At Pukaskwa, continue the intensive long term monitoring of the Pitcher's thistle population at Middle Beach as a source of rescue material and evaluate the need for additional rescue efforts.
   3. On the mainland, recover Pitcher's thistle and dune grasslands by identifying all degraded sites and those with a history of Pitcher's thistle. Also, ensuring that threats are mitigated, determining genetically suitable populations of Pitcher's thistle at selected sites, and evaluating success with regular monitoring.
4. Provide specific input to the development of policies and for the conservation and recovery of Pitcher's thistle and dune grasslands
5. Engage local communities in the conservation of Pitcher's thistle and dune grasslands through consultation, stewardship and outreach programs.

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RECOVERY TEAM MEMBERS

Wasyl Bakowsky

Holly Bickerton   

Dr. Jane Bowles

Martha Coleman

Dr. Robin Davidson-Arnott

Danny Galarneau

Talena Kraus

Alistair MacKenzie

Angela McConnell

Dr. John Morton

Rafael Otfinowski

Norah Toth

Technical Advisors to Team (non-voting)

Marlin Bowles

Jarmo Jalava

Cathy Keddy

Dr. Steve Marshall

Mike Oldham

Geoff Peach

Mike Penskar

Don Sutherland

Administrative Support to Team

Gary Allen

Bob Gray

Karen Hartley

Chris Risley

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Author of www.pitchersthistle.ca: Jarmo Jalava, 2005

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