The Southern Ontario At Risk Reptiles (SOARR) program is asking the community for financial support this Earth Day.
“We need people and businesses to step up and support this conservation work, or we will lose many local threatened and endangered turtles and snakes,” Scott Gillingwater, director of SOARR. “The provincial government does not provide financial support for Species at Risk programs associated with conservation authorities, even grassroots programs such as SOARR.”
For over 30 years, SOARR has worked to protect endangered turtles and snakes. Their turtle egg incubation program, for example, has helped slow the decline of Spiny Softshell Turtles in the Thames River watershed. The largest program of its kind in Canada, SOARR releases 5,000 to 7,000 endangered hatchling turtles each year, along with thousands more hatchlings of other at-risk reptiles.
Gillingwater added that a lack of consistent funding is one of the greatest challenges faced by wildlife researchers and conservationists.
“People ask me how they can help protect wildlife,” Gillingwater said. “By donating to SOARR, you are making an immediate impact by supporting on the ground work to prevent reptile extinctions and help local populations survive and thrive.”
Funding is put towards research initiatives, direct conservation efforts for endangered wildlife, creating new habitats, conducting field studies, as well as community education.
Donations to SOARR can be made through their website. There are a number of ways you can support the organization, such as adopting a turtle hatchling, purchasing research equipment, or donating an amount of your choice for a one-time or monthly contribution.
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