NWT Species at Risk Listing Decisions

Date
2024 SARC Assessments

The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA), established under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act to manage and recover species at risk in the Northwest Territories (NWT), has reached consensus on two species proposed for the NWT List of Species at Risk: hairy braya and red-sided garter snake.

Rare plant to remain on the NWT List of Species at Risk

Hairy braya, the only plant on the Northwest Territories (NWT) List of Species at Risk, will remain on the list for another ten years.

Hairy braya is a rare flowering plant found only in a remote part of the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. It has been listed as Threatened in the NWT since 2014.

Last year, the NWT Species at Risk Committee recommended the species remain listed as Threatened—mainly because it is so rare and its coastal habitat is quickly eroding. On August 2, hairy braya’s Threatened status on the NWT List of Species at Risk will be officially extended to 2036.

Red-sided garter snake not listed

A second species assessed by the NWT Species at Risk Committee has not been listed.

Red-sided garter snake was assessed in 2024 as a species of Special Concern in the NWT, which means it could become Threatened or Endangered due to a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats. The snakes hibernate in specific, small areas—therefore, a single threatening event could negatively impact many of the NWT’s snakes at once.

Although red-sided garter snakes in the NWT are at the northern limit of their range in North America, they are part of a much larger population that extends across central Canada and the United States. The CMA believes there are enough snakes in neighbouring provinces to repopulate the NWT in the event of a population decline. There are already measures in place to protect many of the places snakes hibernate in the NWT.

While the CMA recognizes red-sided garter snakes are an important part of the NWT’s biodiversity and a valued species for many NWT residents, adding red-sided garter snake to the NWT List of Species at Risk would not add significant conservation benefit to the species at this time. The CMA supports the ongoing work to conserve red-sided garter snake and their habitat in the NWT, including current research on the impacts of recent wildfires.

Additional species information and supporting documents, including the status reports, assessments and consensus agreements, are available at www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca.

For more information contact:

Jody Pellissey, Chairperson

Conference of Management Authorities

Phone: (867) 767-9237 ext. 53215

Email: SARA@gov.nt.ca

Quick facts:

  • The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) is the group of wildlife co-management boards and governments that share management responsibility for the conservation and recovery of species at risk in the NWT. All CMA decisions are made by consensus of the Management Authorities.
Hairy braya
  • Hairy braya (Braya pilosa) is a small perennial plant in the mustard family that grows only on Cape Bathurst peninsula and Baillie Island, NWT.
  • The plants are known to grow in 17 locations. Threats include rapid erosion of coastline habitat and sea level increase.
  • The management authorities for hairy braya are the Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) and the Government of the Northwest Territories.
  • The listing will not change rules for harvesting, land use or activities allowed in hairy braya habitat.
  • A recovery strategy for hairy braya in the NWT was completed in 2015. The CMA released a progress report on actions taken under the strategy in 2021. Management partners will continue to implement the recovery strategy under the extended listing.
  • Under the federal Species at Risk Act, hairy braya is currently listed as Endangered in Canada.
Red-sided garter snake
  • Red-sided garter snakes occur largely in the southern NWT near Fort Smith. They are a subspecies of the common garter snake, and are found across western Canada and the northern U.S.
  • Road mortality is a threat to this species, especially when snakes are emerging from hibernation in the spring. They can travel great distances, often crossing roads, including Highway 5 near Fort Smith.
  • In recent years, severe wildfire and drought have impacted the habitat of red-sided garter snakes.
  • The red-sided garter snake has not been assessed by the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and is not listed under the federal Species at Risk Act.
  • The management authority for red-sided garter snake in the NWT is the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Links