Base de données de recherche des TNO

Régions: Sahtu Settlement Area

étiquettes: environmental impact, petroleum industry, biology, habitat assessment, ecosystem changes, fish population, watercourse crossing, winter road, exploration drilling, ecological risk assessment, wildlife inventory

Objectif(s): The primary objective of this work is to establish baseline wildlife and fisheries habitat conditions prior to commencement of Ranger Oil's winter exploration drilling program. The drilling program is scheduled to begin in winter 1997-98. Bird and mammal species, or signs thereof, will be recorded, including raptors and their nests, moose and any other ungulates, black bears, wolves and other carnivores and their dens. Planned fisheries activities will focus on habitat assessments of several streams that will be crossed by proposed ice roads. These roads will be necessary for access to drilling sites. The department of Fisheries & Oceans Inuvik have suggested this assessment for precautionary reasons related to possible habitat disruption should equipment break through the ice or sediment be suspended during spring runoff.

Description du projet: Main objective is to establish baseline wildlife & fisheries habitat conditions prior to start of Ranger Oil's winter exploration drilling program. All sampling will be done over a 2-3 day period in mid-September. Three well sites are planned for drilling. Well site 1 is near Nota Creek & accessed by the Norman Wells-Tulita winter road plus an existing short cutline. Well site 2 is near Bear Rock & accessed by regular winter road plus 1.5 km of existing cutline. Well site 3 is west of the Mackenzie River & north of the Little Bear River. Wildlife surveys will be done at all three well sites. Data collection will be primarily observational and include visual surveys, scat counts, & ground travel on foot to establish den/nest locations. Fisheries work will be done near well site 3 only, as some new ice roads will be created to access this location. The proposed ice road will cross two watercourses; the Slater River & one unnamed creek adjacent to the Mackenzie River. Field work will include preparation of detailed maps showing instream & riparian fish habitat at all crossing locations. A fisheries census will be done at each proposed crossing to establish the character of the fish community prior to road travel. Fish will be sampled using electroshocking equipment and seine nets were appropriate. Sampling will focus only on species presence/absence, but an individual from species difficult to identify may be collected for later identification.