Plants around the Lower Churchill River
The Lower Churchill River area is surrounded my mixed, deciduous, and coniferous forest. There are a great number of vascular
plants, deciduous and conifer trees, shrubs, grasses, and many others. There
were few uncommon plants that were considered in the project such as the Great bladder
sedge (Carex intumescens), the Evergreen woodfern (Polystichum acrostichoides), the Rattlesnake mannagrass (Glyceria spp), the Common
wood sorrel (Oxalis spp), the Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea), the Oakes' pondweed (Potamogeton oakesianus), the Richardson's
pondweed (Potamogeton richardsonii), the Canada yew (Taxus canadensis), the Fruit bladderwort (Utricularia spp), and the Marsh horsetail (Equisetum palustre). Other plants were not considered since they were found else where in abundance.
(Nalcor 2009, Vol. 2B).
The Canada yew was identified to be a regionally rare plant. Nalcor awknolewdged that this plant is an important medicinal plant for the Innu.
(Nalcor 2009, Vol. 2B).
The Canada yew was identified to be a regionally rare plant. Nalcor awknolewdged that this plant is an important medicinal plant for the Innu.
Impacts of the Project
The Project will have great impacts on the plants surrounding the Lower Churchill River. The main impacts that the Project will create are habitat destruction as well as the flooding of a great number of plants. (Nalcor 2009, Vol. 2B).
Mitigation measures proposed by nalcor energy
- Develop an Environmental Protection Plan for rare plants
- Include hidden fruit bladderwort on the list of regionally uncommon plants;
- Relocate Canada yew plants from within the inundated area to an area above the future reservoir limits
- Relocate the regionally rare plants identified from the flood zone to suitable habitat outside the flood zone
- Undertake a follow-up and monitoring program considering Traditional Knowledge for relocated Canada yew plants and implement adaptive management measures as appropriate
- Monitor the relocation success of regionally uncommon plants including Canada yew
- Develop monitoring plans to monitor rare plants in all stages of the Project to ensure that these species persist in Labrador
(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), Keeyask Generation Project (Manitoba), and Lower Mattagami River Hydroelectric Complex Project (Ontario).
Positive Aspects
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Negative Aspects
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