DETAILED IMPACT ANALYSIS OF MARMOT BASIN LONG RANGE PLAN 1.0 INTRODUCTION The Marmot Basin Ski Area (Marmot Basin), owned by Rocky Mountain Skiing Inc. (Ski Marmot Basin), is located approximately 21 kilometers (km) south of Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park (Figure 1). Marmot Basin occupies about 680 hectares (ha) of land leased from the federal government (Figure 2). It is on the northeast section of Marmot Mountain, which is part of the Trident Range of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Marmot Basin currently has 86 named runs, and attracts up to 4,000 skiers on the busiest days. 1.1 The Project Ski Marmot Basin has prepared a Long Range Plan (LRP) consistent with the Marmot Basin Ski Area Site Guidelines for Development and Use (Parks Canada 2008a) and associated Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) (Parks Canada 2008b). It is one of two plans (the second has an intended submission date of 2016) that will identify proposed ski area development for the foreseeable future. Ski Marmot Basin is proposing the following four project components (the Project) as part of the first LRP (Figure 3): expanded snowmaking in the mid-mountain and upper areas; enhanced parking and transportation access; upgrade of the Caribou Chalet infrastructure; and reglading on the slopes west of the mid-mountain chalets. 1.2 Purpose of the Report The purpose of draft Detailed Impact Analysis (DIA) is to provide information about how the implementation of the LRP is likely to affect the natural environment and visitor experience of Jasper National Park. The information contained in this report will assist Parks Canada reach a determination about the significance of the proposed plan s environmental effects. It will help inform interested Canadians about the potential implications of the project components contained in the Long Range Plan. This document is presented in fulfilment of Parks Canada s Interim Directive on Implementation of CEAA 2012. April 2014 Report No. 11-1332-0003 1
Rg.2 Rg.1 W6M Tp.45 L:\2011\1332\11-1332-0003\6000\11133200036000A001_SkiAreaLocation.dwg Layout: 1 MARMOT BASIN SKI AREA LOCATION Modified: BEMcdonald 11/27/2013 3:28 PM Plotted: BWheeler 11/27/2013 SITE Jasper REFERENCE ALBERTA Calgary Lethbridge Edmonton INSET MAP - NOT TO TOPOGRAPHIC MAP 83D/16 OBTAINED FROM Canmatrix. 1994 HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA. DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES. DATUM : NAD83 ION : UTM ZONE 11 MARMOT BASIN SKI AREA 0 MARMOT BASIN SKI AREA LOCATION 1,500 3,000 4,500 11.1332.0003.6000 FILE No. 200036000A001_SkiA AB 2013-04-04 TV 2013-06-18 BB 2013-11-27 CM 2013-11-27 Tp.44 METRES FIGURE:1
L:\2011\1332\11-1332-0003\6000\11133200036000A002MarmotBasinSkiArea.dwg Layout: 2 MARMOT BASIN SKI AREA Modified: BEMcdonald 11/27/2013 3:28 PM Plotted: BWheeler 11/27/2013 LEGEND 1. Home Run 2. School House 3. Slow Poke 4. Upper Access 5. Rock Gardens 6. Slash 7. Spillway 8. Lift Line 9. Dromedary 10. Tranquilizer 11. Sleepy Hollow 12. Old Road 13. Triple Access 14. Bunny Hop 15. Power Line 16. Highway 16 17. Wallow Traverse 18. Wolverine Wallow 19. Willi's Way 20. Exhibition 21. Porteous Way 22. Caribou Knoll 23. Kiefer's Dream 24. Geikie Street 25. Show Off Cat Track 26. Showoff 27. Milk Run 28. Punch Bowl 29. Paradise 30. Marmot Run 31. S-Turns 32. Gun Sight 33. Basin Run 34. Party Slope 35. Knob Bowl 36. Knob Hill 37. Dupres Bowl 38. Dupres Chutes 39. Knob Traverse 40. Upper Basin 41. Peak Run 42. McCready's Choice 43. Suzie«s 44. Surfer's 45. Thunder Bowl 46. Upper Eagle Flight 47. High Trail 48. Chalet Express 49. Eagle Flight 50. Charlie's Bowl 51. Expressway 52. Morning Glory 53. Wendy's Choice 54. Poacher's 55. Easter Alley 56. Outback 57. Class Is In 58. Drop Zone 59. Terminator 60. Face Shot 61. South Glades 62. Izzie's Everglades 63. Hour Glass 64. Grizzly Glades 65. Jasper Avenue 66. Diamond Glades 67. Sunset Boulevard 68. Fresh Tracks 69. Easy Street 70. Hobbit's Hollow 71. Roll Out 72. Solace 73. Phone Home Gully 74. T-Bar Ridge 75. Whyte Avenue 76. Elevator Chutes 77. Little Chicago 78. Birthday Bowl 79. Sugar Bowl 80. The Dell 81. Handlon's Hollow 82. No Show 83. Cornice 84. Outer Limits 85. Wipeout 86. Escalator SCHEMATIC ONLY, NOT TO. MARMOT BASIN SKI AREA REFERENCE BASE MAP FROM MARMOT BASIN SKI AREA, ROCKY MOUNTAIN SKIING LTD. 11.1332.0003.6000 FILE No. 200036000A002Marmo AB 2013-04-04 TV 2013-06-18 BB 2013-11-27 CM 2013-11-27 FIGURE:2
L:\2011\1332\11-1332-0003\6000\11133200036000A003_ProposedProjectsLongRangePlan.dwg Layout: 3 PROPOSED S IN THE Modified: BWheeler 11/27/2013 3:43 PM Plotted: BWheeler 11/27/2013 0 200 400 600 (APPROX.) LEGEND P DINING / RESTAURANT CREEK FIRST AID STATION EXISTING LIFT PARKING LOT EXISTING SNOWMAKING PIPELINE PROPOSED PUMPING STATION BURYING OF EXISTING SNOWMAKING PIPLINES PROPOSED CARIBOU CHALET EXPANSION PROPOSED PARKING LOT EXTENSION PROPOSED REGLADING AREA PROPOSED ROAD WIDENING NOTES IMAGE OBTAINED FROM ECOSIGN MOUNTAIN RESORT PLANNERS LTD. JULY 9, 2010. PHOTOGRAPH DATE: JULY 22, 2003. COMPILED BY ORTHOSHOP_AUGUST 22, 2003. WO9203. NAD83 PROPOSED EXPANDED SNOWMAKING 6" PIPELINE 8" PIPELINE PROPOSED MID-MOUNTAIN RESERVOIR METRES PROPOSED S IN THE 11.1332.0003.6000 AB 2013-04-04 TV 2013-06-18 BB 2013-11-27 CM 2013-11-27 FILE No. 11133200036000A003 FIGURE:3
DETAILED IMPACT ANALYSIS OF MARMOT BASIN LONG RANGE PLAN 1.3 Report Overview This DIA has been prepared to respond to direction provided by a Terms of Reference issued by Parks Canada Agency (Parks Canada) (February 2013). Following this introduction, the document includes the following sections: Section 2 describes the legislation, policies and guidelines that have directed the preparation of the LRP. These documents provide the basis on which Parks Canada has provided instructions to Ski Marmot Basin on what types of proposals may be advanced in the LRP. Section 3 describes the projects proposed as part of the LRP and information about the proposed construction methods is provided. Potential accidents and malfunctions are discussed, and how the projects are being designed and built to deal with effects of the environment on the projects are described. Section 4, which describes Aboriginal and public engagement, is currently incomplete. The purpose of this draft report is to provide information to the engagement program. When the phase is concluded, this chapter will be completed. Section 5 describes the methods used to prepare the DIA. Section 6 describes the existing environment at Marmot Basin. Section 7 describes the predicted potential effects of the proposed projects, and includes a description of the mitigations that will be applied to avoid or minimize the effects on the environment. Section 8 describes the cumulative effects of the proposed projects. This section is based primarily on the results of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) prepared by Parks Canada (2008b). That SEA assesses the potential effects of implementation of the Marmot Basin Site Guidelines which have guided the development of the LRP (Parks Canada 2008a). Section 9 describes monitoring required to provide oversight during project implementation, as well ongoing monitoring during future operations. Section 10 explains knowledge deficiencies. Section 11 presents the report s conclusions. The Ski Marmot Basin 2014 Long Range Plan Supplemental Volume (Supplemental Volume) has been submitted which contains a number of related documents which provide background for readers who want a more in-depth understanding of key issues. April 2014 Report No. 11-1332-0003 5