The last official estimate of the blue racer population on Pelee Island was almost twenty years ago, and concluded that the population was rapidly declining with fewer than 300 individuals remaining in the wild. To understand the peril the blue racer is in today, Ryan Wolfe, MSc from the University of Toronto led blue racer surveys with researchers from Scales Nature Park and WPC over the last three years. While more analyses are needed before any final estimates can be made, it appears blue racer numbers may not have declined as dramatically as feared over the last couple of decades.
Potential threats to the snakes on the island were also examined. Road mortality surveys were conducted and scat samples from wild, non-native turkeys were analyzed to see if they are predating juvenile blue racers. Additionally, DNA analysis of blue racer samples is being carried out by Queen’s University to determine if the Pelee Island population is genetically diverse enough to remain healthy.
The results of the population surveys and DNA analyses will be ready in 2023 to guide the direction of further recovery for the blue racer.
While increased public awareness of blue racers’ situation has reduced some of the direct threats, the natural spread of trees and other woody plants on Pelee Island has reduced the partially open savannah habitats that blue racers require to thrive. In response to this encroachment, partners from Natural Resource Solutions Inc., Ontario Nature, and Scales Nature Park removed trees and undergrowth in a few notably blue racer-friendly locations on the island. The natural landscape has also been augmented with structures to protect the snakes during two of the most vulnerable phases of their lives.
