Ecological gains through EIA in Parks Canada Eric Tremblay, Park Ecologist, Kouchibouguac National Park, NB, Canada April 6 th, 2017 1
Integrating SARA and Fisheries Act Aboriginal consultations 2
Kouchibouguac National Park case study Park s location 3
Maritimes Lowplain Ecoregion Low altitude landscape (30m) Sea level rise in action Storm surge pattern shortened Environment Canada 2007 4
Background: Route 117 good candidate for Federal Investment program (23.5 millions) Route 117: 23.7 km was in need of reconstruction (constructed in the 1960s and last paved in 1993) Major drainage problems Reconstruction project conducted between July and November 2015 Challenges Drainage improvements including the replacement of 58 roadway culverts, some (16) with fish passage requirements Amphibians hot spots Critical Habitat of Wood Turtle (SAR) 5
Environmental Protection and Management Culvert Installation and Water Flow (mitigation) Protection of water flow during culvert installation was obtained by continual pumping from the upstream to the downstream sides of the work area The drying of the work area is paramount to successful culvert installation and entails the following; Diversion road to redirect traffic during construction Damming of brook Pumping of the work area to dry it Pumping continuous water flow Dam Water pump Generator Silt fence Area to be dried Water diverted under the road to the other side Diversion road 6
Environmental Protection and Management Fish protection & salvage (mitigation) Electrofishing surveys and fish collection (salvage)were conducted at each water course with fish habitat prior the installation of culverts A total of 1537 fish covering 7 species were inventoried and collected Salvaged fish were deposited in suitable habitat upstream from the working area Results from electro fishing and fish salvage - Route 117-2015 Species Culvert Code WC-02 WC-05 WC-06 WC-08 WC-14 WC-15 WC-16 WC-17 WC-18 WC-19 WC-20 WC-22 WC-23 WC-24 DR-26 WC-26 Quantity of fishes Total Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) 136 42 5 58 5 246 Golden shiner ( Notemigonus cryoleucas ) 12 29 41 Mummichog ( Fundulus heteroclitus ) 1 14 15 brook stickleback ( Culaea inconstans ) 1 8 104 18 18 229 5 216 6 3 18 106 384 3 33 1152 3 spine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) 49 2 51 American Eel (Anguilla rostrata) 1 1 9 spine sticleback ( Pungitius pungitus ) 12 2 10 7 31 Total 137 125 125 70 59 18 229 7 216 6 3 18 106 384 3 33 1537 7
Number of fish IAIA 2017. April 4 th to 7 th, Montreal, Canada Most of the Brook trout caught were at the juvenile stage showing the importance of the numerous little brooks as spawning grounds and nurseries for the species Brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis) length frequency at electrofishing route 117 sites, 2015 250 213 200 150 Brook trout (Salvelinus 100 50 22 11 0 0-10cm 10-20cm >20cm N=246 Length 8
IAIA 2017. April 4 Conservation gains th to 7 th, Montreal, Canada Fish habitat (mitigation) The dissipation pools at the downstream side of each culvert are in fact new fish and amphibian habitat Sixteen (16) culverts= 208.3 m2 of new habitat. Culverts with baffles (Savoie and Haché, 2002) Inventories in 2016 showed that all pools are being occupied by several fish species & amphibians Before After 2016 Wood Frogs egg mass in several pools 9
Conservation gains At least 6 brooks were disconnected due to deteriorating and aging culverts. Barrier to fish migration. The replacement of these culverts permitted to restore the connectivity of these brooks (1 247m of new accessible fish habitat) Culvert code Type of culvert Size Condition Habitat regained DR-26 Timber box 600mm x 600mm Obstructed/Collapsed 120m WC-06 Corrugated Steel Pipe 900mm Perching/Vertical barrier 587m WC-15 Timber box 600mm x 600mm Collapsed 100m WC-17 Timber box 600mm x 600mm Collapsed 240m WC-19 Timber box 600mm x 600mm Collapsed 100m WC-22 Timber box 600mm x 600mm Collapsed 100m Total 1 247m Inventories in 2016 showed that all six brooks had fish species present at the upstream side of the culverts 10
Conservation gains (mitigating measure) Amphibian crossings A few studies over the last fifteen years showed the impacts of roads on the amphibians in the Greater Kouchibouguac Ecosystem and located four hot spots for amphibians in Kouchibouguac National Park Porter s pond (1) St-Vincent de Paul Cemetery (2) Island pond (3) Coffee pond (4) *numbers into brackets refer to map next slide Opportunity to install amphibian tunnels during the rehabilitation of highway 117 (gains in conservation) Gravel, M. (2006), Réponse des amphibiens aux routes pavées dans le Grand écosystème de Kouchibouguac: Test de l effet de barrière, Masters Thesis, Université de Moncton, NB. Mazerolle, M., (2004), Amphibian road mortality in response to nightly variations in traffic intensity. Herpetologica, (60 )10: 45-53. Gravel, M., Mazerolle, M. and M-A, Villard, (2012), Interactive effects of roads and weather on juvenile amphibian movements. Amphibia-Reptilia, 33:113-127 11
4 Conservation gains: Amphibian crossings Rationale for the locations of amphibians/wildlife crossings Three criterias to consider Amphibians hot spots (numbers on the map) Wood Turtle critical habitat (Species at Risk act-sara) Physical limitations of the road (#4) 2 3 1 12
Wildlife tunnels (1.5m diameter) IAIA 2017. April 4 th to 7 th ACO crossings, Montreal, Canada 4 3 2 1 Black River (2) St-Vincent de Paul cemetery (2) Gunson, K. 2016. Road-Wildlife Mitigation Assessment on Route 117 Rehabilitation Project. Unpublished report for Parks Canada, Eco-Kare International, 31pp. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2015. Best Management Practices for mitigating the Effects of Roads on Amphibians and Reptiles at Risk in Ontario. Queen s Printer for Ontario.84 pp. Porter s pond (1) Island pond (3) 13
Reptiles Conservation gains Species that should Benefit from these tunnels: Wood Turtle (Species at Risk-SAR) Snapping turtle (Species at Risk-SAR) Garter snake Green snake Mammals (1.5m tunnel) Small mammals (mice, shrews,etc) Snowshoe hare Fox Coyotes? Mazerolle, M., (2004), Amphibian road mortality in response to nightly variations in traffic intensity. Herpetologica, (60 )10: 45-53. 14
Amphibian/Wildlife crossings efficiency study 2017: Dr Marc Mazerolle, Université de Laval 3.2 km of fencing Gunson, K. 2016. Road-Wildlife Mitigation Assessment on Route 117 Rehabilitation Project. Unpublished report for Parks Canada, Eco-Kare International, 31pp. 15
Mitigation Hierarchy Enhance: New fish habitat, new amphibian habitat, reduced mortality for amphibians & reptiles (SAR) Avoid: No loss of biodiversity Minimize: No enlargement of road corridor, SAR protection Restore: Aquatic connectivity, fish migration restored Compensate: N/A 16
Lessons learned Start the EIA Process early Be opportunistic and use the EIA process to make conservation gains, do not limit yourself to the minimum requirements Need to work at sharing mitigating measures and alternatives early with managers, designers & engineers Involve your conservation specialists early in the planning process. 17
Thank you for your attention Contact information: Eric Tremblay, Park Ecologist Kouchibouguac National Park 186 Route 117 Kouchibouguac, New Brunswick, E4X 2P1 Canada Eric.tremblay@pc.gc.ca Tel: 506-876-2443 18