RR native travels all over to study cactus and snakes

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Did you know that there is cactus growing in the area?
Last week Record employee Dawn Drennan brought in some cactus she picked on an island on Lake of the Woods wondering if this was an anomaly or part of the everyday ecosystem.
By fluke, Record editor, Ken Johnston, saw that former Rainy River resident Neil Gushulak had just opened an account on Facebook and had been travelling all over North America to study snakes. Since snakes are often found in southern climates where cactus is common Johnston sent Gushulak a message asking if he had any knowledge about cacti and whether they exist on Lake of the Woods.
It turns out he has a degree in biology and when he has free time he spends it travelling to do research on snakes. As he travelled he also became interested in cacti. He has collected over 200 species of cacti over the years including the one found on Lake of the Woods.
When he visited the Record office on Wednesday to identify the species he was very excited. “I have never seen this one in the wild on Lake of the Woods. It is the Brittle Prickly Pear or Opuntia fragilis.”
He said that this area is the eastern most fringe for this species and that they are really stunted on Lake of the Woods. “They really like loamy soils and do not get the minerals here they do in the west.” When asked if one added minerals to them he said that the species here has genetically adapted and would not change. He did note that people can transplant them successfully to their yards.
“They do well in a pot or on the south side of a house,” said Gushulak. He said they are tolerant to -45 degrees Celsius.
Gushulak has more than 200 research sites around southern Manitoba and the northern U.S. He was working as an engineer. “I mainly help design power for industrial plants in Manitoba.” However, one job saw him work at a plant making powered rocket fuel for NASA. “We made the raw ingredients and sent them to Utah where they were refined and eventually used in the space shuttle.”
So when does he have time to research snakes, amphibians, cacti and other creatures? “Well I often work three weeks on and get two off. So I take advantage my time off.”
Gushulak said he has been interested in snakes since he was four. He is now 37. Since then his childhood interest has lead him to a secondary career. He often does his research for Brandon University where he obtained his degree in 1997. “When funding is available I go to work!” He is known as a Herpetologist or one who studies reptiles.
A great deal of his research as centred on two species of reptiles and two species of toads, all found in Manitoba. The snakes are the Plains Hog nosed Snake and Northern Prairie Snake. Gushulak said the toads were discovered in 1983 but very little research was done. He has studied them extensively and is responsible for having their known range expanded.
Of course his main love is snakes, even if he has been bitten by a poisonous one. It was on 2005 when he was working on a project in British Columbia on the Northern Pacific Rattle Snake. “I was processing 200 snakes when an ornery female bit me.” He said it happened so fast that it took a few seconds for him to realize he had been bitten. He was rushed to hospital and had a severe reaction to the snake’s venom. “I received a new anti-venom. The maximum dose was 10 cc. I had to have 19 cc!” While he was off work for a few weeks the experience did not deter him. He went right back to work in B.C. “I even found the female that bit me and cataloged and tagged her.”
Gushulak said he is just fascinated by snakes. “They are like birds. They hibernate eight months of the year. Wake up, breed then travel 10-15 km for summer foraging. They have their babies there then return to their winter dens.” He said he is very interested in the taxology of the snakes and how they relate to each other.
He moved back to Rainy River in January where he grew up and graduated from high school in 1991. He fondly remembers hearing the frogs singing in the spring when they come out of hibernation. “I was shocked not to hear the Northern Spring Peepers here this year. I even travelled as far as Kenora and Fort Frances. They have just disappeared.” He has consulted some of his professor friends and they are chewing on some theories and he hopes to return to the area next spring to do more research.
“Why would one of the most common species just disappear,” said Gushulak.
He said that his mind is constantly asking and answering questions. “I answer one question in my mind but it often leads to ten more questions.”
Recently there was a great deal of concern over deformed frogs found in this region. However, Gushulak said the matter was studied extensively and it was found to be a problem all over the world. At first concerns were raised that it was pollution based, but Gushulak said it was a parasite called tricamosis affecting them everywhere. “They will eventually adapt, but frogs are important creatures to keep an eye on.” He noted that if something drastic happens to them it can mean the rest of the food chain could be threatened, especially humans.
He is an accomplished photographer of his subjects having been published in Reptile Magazine and on the internet extensively. He also has photos of his cacti on line. “If you get cacti to flower you are an accomplished grower.”
He moved back to Brandon last Saturday to go back to work as an engineer. But his other interests will have him on the move not to far down the road. Before he left he wrote a piece on the cacti found on Lake of the Woods. It appears on page one.