Forked Three-awned Grass government response statement

Photo: Chris Jones, Parks Canada

The Forked Three-awned Grass is an annual grass usually found in open, bare ground or in sparsely grassed areas. The common name refers to bristles (awns) that sprout from modified leaves protecting the flower.

Protecting and recovering species at risk in Ontario

Species at risk recovery is a key part of protecting Ontario’s biodiversity. Biodiversity – the variety of life on Earth – provides us with clean air and water, food, fibre, medicine and other resources that we need to survive.

The Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA) is the Government of Ontario’s legislative commitment to protecting and recovering species at risk and their habitats. As soon as a species is listed as extirpated, endangered or threatened under the ESA, it is automatically protected from harm or harassment. Also, immediately upon listing, the habitats of endangered and threatened species are protected from damage or destruction.

Under the ESA, the Ministry of Natural Resources (the Ministry) must ensure that a recovery strategy is prepared for each species that is listed as endangered or threatened. A recovery strategy provides science-based advice to government on what is required to achieve recovery of a species.

Government response statements

Within nine months after a recovery strategy is prepared, the ESA requires the Ministry to publish a statement summarizing the government’s intended actions and priorities in response to the recovery strategy. The recovery strategy for Forked Three-awned Grass was completed on February 18, 2011.

The response statement is the government’s policy response to the scientific advice provided in the recovery strategy. In addition to the strategy, input on the response statement was requested from stakeholders, other jurisidictions, Aboriginal communities and members of the public. The statement reflects the best available traditional, local and scientific knowledge at this time and may be adapted if new information becomes available. In implementing the actions in the response statement, the ESA allows the Ministry to determine what is feasible, taking into account social and economic factors.

Moving forward to protect and recover forked three-awned grass

The Forked Three-awned Grass is protected as an endangered species under the ESA. The ESA prohibits harm or harassment of the species without authorization. Such authorization would require that conditions established by the Ministry be met. Its habitat will be protected from damage or destruction under the Act by June 30, 2013.

All the known Ontario populations of Forked Three-awned Grass are found in Simcoe County or on islands in adjacent Georgian Bay. The current distribution of the species in Ontario appears to correspond with the locations of sand ridges and dunes from shorelines which were present at the end of the last ice age. It is also possible that the ancestral movements of Aboriginal peoples are partly responsible for the current distribution of Forked Three-awned Grass. The primary threats to the grass are natural succession which fills in open ground, development and invasive plant species.

The government’s goal for the recovery of Forked Three-awned Grass is to maintain self-sustaining populations at all currently occupied sites within the species' native distribution in Ontario.

Protecting and recovering species at risk is a shared responsibility. No single agency or organization has the knowledge, authority or financial resources to protect and recover all of Ontario’s species at risk. Successful recovery requires inter-governmental co-operation and the involvement of many individuals, organizations and communities.

In developing the government response statement, the Ministry considered what actions are feasible for the government to lead directly and what actions are feasible for the government to support its conservation partners to undertake.

Government-led actions

To help protect and recover the Forked Three-awned Grass, the government will directly undertake the following actions:

• Ensure appropriate timing windows for undertaking activities (e.g. mowing, grading of roadside shoulders) in and around Forked Three-awned Grass habitat are considered in the application of the ESA.
• Educate other agencies and authorities involved in planning and environmental assessment processes on the protection requirements under the ESA.
• Encourage the submission of Forked Three-awned Grass observation data to the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre.
• Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario.
• Protect Forked Three-awned Grass through the ESA. Apply habitat protection provisions of the Act by June 30, 2013.
• Support conservation, agency, municipal and industry partners to undertake activities to protect and recover Forked Three-awned Grass. Support will be provided through funding, agreements, permits (including conditions) and advisory services.
• Establish and communicate annual priority actions for government support across multiple species in order to encourage collaboration and reduce duplication of efforts.

Government-supported actions

The government endorses the following actions for the protection and recovery of Forked Three-awned Grass. Actions identified as "high" will be given priority consideration for funding or for authorizations under the ESA. The government will focus its support on these high-priority actions over the next five years.

Focus area: Protection and management

Objective: Reduce identified threats and increase available habitat for Forked Three-awned Grass.

Actions

1. (High) Develop and promote best management practices for municipalities, landowners, land managers and others to reduce potential threats to Forked Three-awned Grass, such as invasive plant species, road work, airport maintenance, garbage dumping, all terrain vehicle use and mowing.
2. As opportunities arise, support the securement of private land where Forked Three-awned Grass occurs through existing land securement and stewardship programs.

Focus area: Research and monitoring

Objective: Determine the distribution and abundance of Forked Three-awned Grass and improve knowledge of the species' biology and habitat requirements.

Actions

3. (High) Implement a monitoring program at current Forked Three-awned Grass locations to track changes in populations and impacts of threats.
4. Conduct research into key areas that may directly affect recovery, including seed viability and the role of the seed bank, natural ecological processes that maintain habitat, and methods (such as controlled burning) that can be used in the absence of these natural processes.
5. Based on monitoring results and seed bank studies, model the dynamics of Ontario populations and undertake a population viability analysis for various Ontario sites.
6. Analyze mapped relict shoreline areas and survey these areas for other potential populations of Forked Three-awned Grass.

Focus area: Awareness

Objective: Increase awareness of Forked Three-awned Grass and promote its protection and recovery.

Actions

7. Develop and provide information to municipalities, utility companies, private landowners, Aboriginal communities and others to increase awareness of the species' distribution and threats, and to foster good stewardship.

Implementing actions

Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Fund, Species at Risk Farm Incentive Program or Community Fisheries and Wildlife Involvement Program. Conservation partners are encouraged to discuss project proposals related to the actions in this response statement with the Ministry. The Ministry can also advise if any authorizations under the ESA may be required to undertake the project.

Implementation of the actions may be subject to changing priorities across the multitude of species at risk, available resources and the capacity of partners to undertake recovery activities. Where appropriate, the implementation of actions for multiple species will be co-ordinated across government response statements.

Reviewing progress

The ESA requires the Ministry to conduct a review of progress towards protecting and recovering a species not later than five years from the publication of this response statement. The review will help identify if adjustments are needed to achieve the protection and recovery of Forked Three-awned Grass.

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank all those who participated in the development of the "Recovery Strategy for the Forked Three-awned Grass in Ontario" for their dedication to protecting and recovering species at risk.