Some of the highlights of the OPRREC program during the 2015-2019 period include:

• Invested an average of 1,130 person-hours annually conducting surveys and inventories in the field for the purpose of population monitoring, threat identification, and effectiveness monitoring.
• Submitted of over 1,820 SAR observations to provincial databases – an average of 364 records per year – to aid in the identification and protection of SAR and SAR habitat.
• Collected data on over 5,515 road killed vertebrates – an average of 1,104 records per year – to guide installation of temporary and permanent reptile barrier fencing.
• Installed an average of 287 m of temporary or permanent fencing annually to prevent road mortality or human-snake conflict.
• Conducted habitat enhancement activities within an average of 5.8 ha of Massasauga habitat annually, including control of invasive Phragmites, creation of over 155 woody debris features, and removal of over 775 kg of invasive herbaceous plants. We confirmed that SAR snakes used our woody debris features an average of 11 times per year.
• Delivered over 2235 Massasauga stewardship outreach packages/pamphlets/door hangers to households, businesses, and public facilities adjacent to Massasauga habitat – an average of 448 materials distributed annually. Partnered with City of Windsor and Town of LaSalle to install 6 Massasauga habitat signs and 1 interpretive panel at a local park, and 8 wildlife crossing signs on local roads at roadkill hotspots.
• OPRREC staff or projects were featured in 60 media stories and 70 online blogs and social media posts. We performed 19 presentations related to Massasauga or SAR recovery at Ojibway Prairie aimed at audiences ranging from local to international.
• Conducted over 515 face-to-face or telephone questionnaires with local residents, park users and medical professionals – an average of 103 questionnaires per year – to gauge support for Massasauga recovery and approaches to mitigate human-snake conflict, and to evaluate effectiveness of our public outreach.
• Responded to or reported 15 incidents of SAR snake habitat disturbance or destruction, and provided formal comments on 13 local or regional plans/documents/guidelines potentially impacting Massasauga Critical Habitat.
• Spearheaded the development of the Ojibway Prairie Reptile Recovery Working Group, and coordinated and facilitated an average of 4 meetings per year.
• Secured over 1675 volunteer hours and over $1,000,000 in cash and in-kind contributions toward Massasauga and SAR recovery at Ojibway Prairie.
• Secured a ‘Notice of Entry’ with Infrastructure Ontario annually beginning in 2017 to permit management activities along of a 5km long, 43 ha utility right-of-way to increase its function as a wildlife corridor linking Massasauga habitat.
• Partnered with Lakehead University to nominate the 24 km² Ojibway Prairie Complex and Greater Park Ecosystem (OPCGPE) as an ‘Important Amphibian and Reptile Area’. The OPCGPE was officially designated by the Canadian Herpetological Society as an IMPARA in 2016.
• Identified 4 potential Massasauga release sites at Ojibway Prairie and installed 10 artificial hibernacula across these sites. Evaluation of their potential use for translocations began in 2018 using humidity gauges, frost tubes, groundwater wells, and intentional hibernation with live Eastern Gartersnakes.
• Initiated the permitting process at the local, provincial and federal levels to begin long-term population augmentation of Massasaugas using captive-bred snakes.