Moose
The Moose (Alces alces) is a large mammal from the family Cervidae. These mammals are widely distributed throughout Canada. They can grow up to 2-2.5 meters in length and their weight can vary between 405-630 kilograms in a males, and 315-495 kg in a females. Moose are identifiable by their large palmate antlers, which are characteristic of males. Their fur is brown to rusty in color. During spring and summer, they are seen resting and feeding near swampy or marshy areas as well as in adjacent forests. During winter, they do not move far from their territory to browse plants. As such, they utilize the mature forests, which provide a dense canopy cover and a rich plant understory to browse from. This species is not considered to be at risk under SARA and COSEWIC.
Moose are abundant around the Lower Churchill River area. Therefore the project could potentially have a great impact on the Moose population. Also, they are an important food source for the Innu and for other wildlife such as the black bear and the wolf. (Nalcor 2009, Vol. 2B).
To learn more about the Moose, feel free to visit this website: http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/mammals/freshwater/accounts/moose.htm
Moose are abundant around the Lower Churchill River area. Therefore the project could potentially have a great impact on the Moose population. Also, they are an important food source for the Innu and for other wildlife such as the black bear and the wolf. (Nalcor 2009, Vol. 2B).
To learn more about the Moose, feel free to visit this website: http://www.aquatic.uoguelph.ca/mammals/freshwater/accounts/moose.htm
Impacts of the project
The most significant effect of Nalcor's Project that will impact the moose is that the flooding of the river will destroy the winter habitat they rely heavily on. The winter habitat preferred by moose is a mature forest
habitat because there is less snow cover, which makes the
understory plants more accessible for feeding. The dense canopy also offers a thick
cover to create suitable shelters for Moose during the rough season. Research conducted around the Lower Churchill River has revealed that the moose prefer staying in the dense willow/alder forest and mix forest. As such, flooding of the mature forests will likely be significantly deleterious to the moose population. (Nalcor 2009, Vol. 2B).
Mitigation Measures Proposed By Nalcor Energy
- Develop protocols to mitigate disturbance and incidental take, and outline how construction will minimize these effects
- Reduce wildlife mortality by posting speed limits and implementing a no harassment/no harvesting policy
- Conduct summer and winter ground surveys of wildlife habitat association transects to establish a baseline and examine changes in distribution and abundance of wildlife
- Monitor moose by means of winter aerial surveys and telemetry in key wintering areas and areas where habitat is altered
- Carry out monitoring programs for each key indicator species to aid in the development of adaptive management procedures
- Record and report animal mortality related to the Project
(N.B. These are the exact, unmodified mitigation measures proposed by Nalcor Energy themselves) (Joint Panel Review, 2011)
Critique
Comparision was conducted using other projects such as Dunvegan Hydroelectric Project (Alberta), Eastmain-1-A and Rupert Diversion Project (Quebec), Keeyask Generation Project (Manitoba), Lower Mattagami River Hydroelectric Complex Project (Ontario), Romaine River Hydroelectric Project (Quebec).
Positive Aspects
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Negative Aspects
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