turtle rescue and hatching

The Bridge over Mitchell Creek is in need of repair. It was built 70 years ago to cross a marshy, stump filled wetland that drained Desert Lake. Subsequent to its construction the creek was dredged and made passable for small boats. Two years ago the township and its engineers, with the support of the local residents, proposed a simple replacement of the bridge’s superstructure. Essentially, this meant lifting the girders, planking and railings off the abutments, which were still sound, and replacing them. This repair would not change the environmental configuration around the bridge and it would not involve in water work. It provides us with a structurally sound bridge for another 70 years and would provide a slight increase in navigability for smaller boats: the bottom of the replacement girders would sit a few inches higher than the existing structure.

This proposal passed all the necessary regulatory hurdles but one: Navigation Canada said the bridge needed to be one and a half meters higher than the current structure. This would mean a radically different structure and increased boat traffic on the creek.

The primary risk to the turtles comes from raising the bridge. This will necessarily mean significant in-water work, an alternation to the shore line and to the routes away from the creek that the turtles follow. These concerns are in addition to the potential harm from increased boat traffic and the increased size and character of boats that would be able to use the creek when the bridge is raised. Wake, log removal and disturbance of the bottom are likely outcomes.

The economic benefits from raising the bridge could also be negative. The creek is a prime wilderness canoeing location in southern Ontario and an access point to Frontenac Provincial Park, a wilderness park. Two outfitters rely upon people who use Mitchell Creek for these reasons. Changing the nature of boat traffic on the creek would alter this experience and potentially harm these businesses and the Park.

The documentation of thriving stinkpot turtle and map turtle populations in the creek, both of which use the existing bridge site for access to egg laying areas, increases our concerns about environmental harm. The existing configuration of creek characteristics and the environment at the bridge site seem to be working well to support these populations: any significant alteration could easily harm the benefits that exist. This seems a needless risk considering the limited, if any, gain from raising the bridge by a meter and a half.

Local residents, the local Member of Parliament and supporters across the province are fighting this arcane ruling grounded in legislation from 125 years ago. We have won an environmental inventory of the creek which will be part of the internal environmental assessment process of the federal government. We are still hopeful that the township might simply be allowed to replace the bridge and not have to comply with a federal regulation that makes no sense for this location.

Mitchell Creek is a 3 kilometre long creek that runs between two lakes neither of which has any other navigable waterways into or out of them. Less than 50 cars a day cross the bridge and it provides access to a relatively small permanent rural population and summer cottagers.