Terrestrial Wildlife and Vegetation Effects Assessment

Transcription

1 Trrstrial Wildlif and Vgtation Effcts Assssmnt 2012 Part 5: Non-Migratory Birds

2 Front Pag Photograph: Ruffd Grous (Bonasa umbllus) Sourc: S. Kinsy; May 17, 2011 Rcommndd Citation: Hilton, S. and L. Simpson Trrstrial Vgtation and Wildlif Rport. Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct. Rport to BC Hydro, Vancouvr, BC.

3 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Prfac This Tchnical Data Rport summarizs th rsults of th Trrstrial Vgtation and Wildlif baslin studis conductd for th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct (Projct) btwn 2005 and Th purpos of th trrstrial vgtation and wildlif baslin studis was to idntify and collct sit spcific data on th occurrnc, abundanc, and habitat of y vgtation and wildlif indicators. Ths data wr usd to analys th potntial ffcts of th projct on vgtation and wildlif as dscribd in th Sction 13 Vgtation and Sction 14 Wildlif of th EIS. Scop Th Projct dsign was advancd and th undrstanding of potntial ffcts changd during th ight yars of data collction. Adjustmnts to baslin survys and targt spcis wr mad in rspons to ths changs. A brif summary of th baslin data collction program is providd blow to aid undrstanding of this rport. Survys wr conductd basd on Rsourc Invntory Standard Committ mthodologis whr availabl. Initial baslin data collction in 2005 ncompassd a tchnical study ara dfind as a four ilomtr corridor cntrd on th Pac Rivr btwn Hudson s Hop and th Albrta bordr. An issus scoping idntifid th nd for additional data on th occurrnc and habitat us of: raptor and hron nsts, amphibians, owls, brding birds, buttrflis, watrfowl and watr associatd birds, bats, ungulats, vascular plants, and rar cosystms. Within ths spcis groups, spcis at ris and spcis of managmnt concrn bcam th focus of data collction fforts. Ths spcis groups wr also idntifid as potntial y indicators for a futur ffcts assssmnt. In 2006, a transmission lin right-of-way (TL) btwn th proposd dam sit and th Pac Canyon dam substation was addd to th Projct and th tchnical study ara. Th boundary for data collction was slctd to b 500 mtrs on ithr sid of th TL. Trrstrial Ecosystm Mapping of habitats within th TL and tchnical study aras was also compltd. Baslin studis continud to b focusd on y indicators idntifid in Survys in 2008 focusd on addrssing idntifid data gaps and rconnaissanc survys for dragonflis wr addd to th study program. Tchnical Advisory Committ mtings wr hld with Rgulators and First Nations to initiat convrsation rgarding th Projct and potntial impacts to vgtation and wildlif and to furthr guid collction of th baslin data. Pag i of x

4 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th committ rcommndd that additional spcis-spcific survys b conductd on rar plants and bird spcis of provincial and fdral consrvation concrn. An additional rcommndation was for survys to b conductd in th broadr rgion outsid of th tchnical study ara. Th survy programs of 2009 and 2010 initiatd spcis-spcific survys on swallows, slct raptors, Common Nighthaw, marsh birds, non-migratory gam birds, and furbarrs as rcommndd by th Tchnical Advisory Committ. Th survy ara was xpandd to collct baslin data in th rgion outsid th Pac Rivr Vally to allow for comparisons btwn spcis occurrnc and habitat us within and outsid th Projct activity zon. A two-yar study was launchd in 2010 to gathr dtaild data on moos, l and mul-dr populations, movmnt pattrns, and habitat us in th Pac Rivr Vally. Studis of th fishr population wr initiatd in 2011 and two yars of data collction wr compltd within th Pac Rivr Vally and adjacnt aras. In 2011, additional baslin survys wr initiatd at quarry sits that wr addd to th Projct. In th final yar of baslin survys (2012), habitat mapping at quarry sits and survys of birds on migration wr compltd. Valud Componnts and y indicators that would b usd to assss potntial ffcts of th Projct wr also finalizd in Two valud componnts wr slctd: Vgtation and Ecological Communitis and Wildlif Rsourcs; undr ach componnt y indicators wr dfind. Approach A considrabl amount of information has bn collctd and analyzd in th past ight yars. This Tchnical Data Rport has bn structurd to prsnt a standardizd summary of th baslin data, mthods, rsults, and ffcts assssmnt. Som mthodologis and study aras for y indicators changd ovr th duration of th survy program in rspons to changs in th Projct layout, data collction standards, and shifts in objctivs. Th full rport is dividd into svn diffrnt Parts with ach Part focusing on on y indicator group. Baslin data on Vgtation and Ecological Communitis including habitat mapping ar prsntd in Part 1 of th Tchnical Data Rport. Data on Wildlif Rsourcs hav bn dividd ovr six parts rprsnting fiv spcis groups as follows: Part 2 Buttrflis and Dragonflis, Part 3 Amphibians and Rptils, Part 4 Migratory Birds, Part 5 Non-migratory Gam Birds, Part 6 Raptors, and Part 7 Mammals. Pag ii of x

5 Within ach Part, th rporting structur is as follows: Introduction of th y indicator spcis within th group Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct A rviw of historical data prior to th onst of th Projct baslin A dscription of th mthods usd to collct th data Summary of rsults Potntial ffcts of th Projct which includs a quantification of th potntial habitat losss Rcommndd mitigation masurs Rsidual ffcts charactrization Following th rquirmnts of th Projct EIS Guidlins, an assssmnt of th significanc of rsidual ffcts, an assssmnt of cumulativ ffcts, and rcommndations for follow-up programs ar prsntd in th Sit C Clan Enrgy Environmntal Impact Statmnt supportd by data prsntd in this rport. Quantification of habitat loss for y indicators was achivd through th dvlopmnt and application of spcis modls, which ar prsntd in ach rlvant Part. Modls wr dvlopd for individual y indicators or spcis groups. Spcis modls summaris lif history rquirmnts and habitat uss and assign ratings for ach uniqu habitat mappd in th Projct ara. Habitat loss was drivd from comparisons of th amount of suitabl habitat within and without th Projct. A numbr of prliminary rports rgarding baslin findings hav bn submittd prviously to BC Hydro. Som of th information providd in ths rports has bn updatd within this rport with additional information and analysis. Whr any diffrncs appar, th information prsntd in th Tchnical Data Rport suprsds any prvious submissions. Pag iii of x

6 Tabl of Contnts Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct 1 Baslin Conditions Ruffd Grous Spcis Fild Survy Mthods Fild Survy Rsults Sharp-taild Grous Spcis Fild Survy Mthods Fild Survy Rsults Maps Potntial Effcts Habitat Altration and Fragmntation Disturbanc and Displacmnt Mortality Mitigation Masurs Habitat Altration and Fragmntation Mitigation for Habitat Loss Invasiv Spcis Managmnt Mitigation for Habitat Fragmntation Disturbanc and Displacmnt Mortality Rsidual Effcts Charactrization of Rsidual Effcts Habitat Altration and Fragmntation Disturbanc and Displacmnt Mortality Litratur Citd Appndix A Ruffd Grous A.1 Spcis Habitat Modl: Ruffd Grous Appndix B Sharp-taild Grous B.1 Spcis Habitat Modl: Sharp-taild Grous Pag iv of x

7 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct List of Tabls Tabl Point-count survy ffort... 4 Tabl Potntial habitat loss: Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: critria wildlif rsourcs Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: habitat altration and fragmntation Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: disturbanc and displacmnt Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: mortality Pag v of x

8 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct List of Photographs Photograph Point-count survy... 3 Pag vi of x

9 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct List of Maps Map Transct Locations East... 9 Map Transct Locations Wst Map Habitat suitability: Ruffd Grous living East Map Habitat suitability: Ruffd Grous living Wst Map Habitat suitability: Sharp-taild Grous living, growing East Map Habitat suitability: Sharp-taild Grous living, growing Wst Map Habitat suitability: Sharp-taild Grous living, wintr East Map Habitat suitability: Sharp-taild Grous living, wintr Wst Pag vii of x

10 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct List of Appndix Tabls Tabl A.1.1 Food/covr lif rquisit: Ruffd Grous Tabl A.1.2 Habitat capability and suitability rating schm Tabl A.1.3 Assumptions: cosystm Ruffd Grous Tabl A.1.4 Assumptions: structural stag Ruffd Grous Tabl B.1.1 Food/covr lif rquisit: Sharp-taild Grous Tabl B.1.2 Habitat capability and suitability rating schm Tabl B.1.3 Assumptions: cosystm Sharp-taild Grous, growing sason Tabl B.1.4 Assumptions: structural stag Sharp-taild Grous, growing sason Tabl B.1.5 Assumptions: cosystm - Sharp-taild Grous, wintr Tabl B.1.6 Assumptions: structural stag Sharp-taild Grous, wintr Tabl B.1.7 Assumptions: modifir Sharp-taild Grous, wintr Pag viii of x

11 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Abbrviations and Acronyms BC... British Columbia BCMOE... BC Ministry of Environmnt BMPs... Bst Managmnt Practics LAA... Local Assssmnt Ara NAD83... North Amrican Datum of 1983 PAZ... Projct Activity Zon Projct... Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct RIC...Rsourcs Invntory Committ (now RISC) RISC...Rsourcs Information Standards Committ (prviously RIC) TEM... Trrstrial Ecosystm Mapping TL... Transmission Lin Right-of-Way UTM... Univrsal Transvrs Mrcator Pag ix of x

12 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Acnowldgmnts Bacground information on Sharp-taild Grous and l locations within th Pac Rgion providd by Alicia Goddard and BC Ministry of Forst, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations. Pag x of x

13 1 BASELINE CONDITIONS Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Pag 1 of 57

14 1.1 Ruffd Grous Spcis Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Ruffd Grous (Bonasa umbllus) ar non-migratory birds of th Ordr Galliforms. Thy ar a harvstd gambird 1 valud by First Nations. In British Columbia (BC) Ruffd Grous ar yllow-listd; undr th Consrvation Framwor thy ar Priority 2 undr Goal 2: prvnt spcis and cosystms from bcoming at ris (BC Consrvation Data Cntr 2012). Ruffd Grous ar found yar-round in th Pac Rgion with trritorial drumming occurring in lat April to arly May (Snydr 1991). Spcis-spcific survys for Ruffd Grous conductd within th Pac Rivr Vally in 1975 and 1977 (Thurbr Consultants Ltd 1976; Blood 1979) found populations in mixd and dciduous forst and tall shrub communitis. Incidntal obsrvations hav bn associatd with othr wildlif survys compltd within th Pac Rivr Vally (Haws t al. 2006). Spcisspcific survys wr compltd in 2011 to provid a bttr undrstanding of habitat us and occurrnc within th Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) Fild Survy Mthods Survys to dtrmin Ruffd Grous prsnc wr conductd basd on standards outlind in Invntory Mthods for Upland Gambirds (Rsourcs Invntory Committ 1997). Unlimitd radius point-counts wr conductd by two survyors btwn 30 minuts bfor sunris and 60 minuts aftr sunris (Photograph 1.1.1). Although an intr-station distanc of 800 mtrs is suggstd by th Rsourc Invntory Committ (RIC), Doughrty (2008) assssd auditory dtction distancs for Ruffd Grous and found an audibl rang of 200 to 400 mtrs or mor dpnding on conditions. As such, an intr-station distanc of 200 mtrs was slctd. Survyors usd a fiv-minut listning priod. A draft spcis modl was prpard for Ruffd Grous basd on a litratur rviw and dfind possibl suitabl habitat within th LAA i.., habitat ratd as modrat and high. Inputs from this modl wr usd to hlp dtrmin point-count transct locations although logistical constraints wr also a factor (Map and Map 1.3.2). Th numbr of stations pr transct 1 Ruffd Grous ar huntd in BC btwn Sptmbr 1 and Novmbr 15. Th rgional daily aggrgat bag limit in th Pac Rgion (Rgion 7B) is 10 (BC Ministry of Forst, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations 2012). Pag 2 of 57

15 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct was dictatd by habitat and tim constraints. Effort was mad to survy ach transct thr tims. Sourc: BC Hydro: April 26, :08 Photograph Point-count survy At ach station survyors listnd for drumming, a mal advrtismnt signal (Rsourcs Invntory Committ 1997). Wathr conditions wr rcordd at th bginning and nd of ach transct using standard dfinitions. Additional information rcordd at ach point-count station includd: Univrsal Transvrs Mrcator (UTM) North Amrican Datum of 1983 (NAD83) locations, start and nd tims, spcis dtctd with associatd numbr of individuals, distanc and dirction of dtction, and as possibl sx, ag class, and activity. Birds hard whil travlling btwn point-count stations wr rcordd as incidntal obsrvations if it was dtrmind thos spcis had not bn dtctd during th prvious point-count station. Station listning tim was xtndd if ambint nois intrfrd with th survyor s ability to dtct grous. All obsrvations wr rcordd on standard Rsourc Information Standards Committ (RISC) datashts customizd for th projct Fild Survy Rsults Point-count survys too plac btwn April 26 and Jun 3, Starting mid-may, survys wr don concurrntly with brding bird point-count stations as thy shard th sam Pag 3 of 57

16 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct mthodologis. Fiv to 12 point-count stations wr survyd on ach transct visit. If inclmnt wathr conditions.g., rain, wind gratr than Baufort 3 wr xprincd during a survy, som point-count stations wr not compltd. If unsuitabl conditions prsistd th ntir transct was postpond for compltion at a latr dat. Most transcts wr survyd thr tims with two transcts survyd twic du to unsuitabl wathr or accss conditions. Total survy ffort was 18 hours and 46 minuts to complt 214 point-count stations with a total of 69 Ruffd Grous dtctions (Tabl 1.1.1). Tabl Point-count survy ffort No. of Transct Labl Stations No. of Rplications Total Survy Tim (hh:mm) No. of Dtctions Bar Flat :25 5 Dl Rio :25 0 Dl Rio :05 4 Halfway :31 10 Pac Rivr :10 4 Transmission Lin :10 4 Transmission Lin :05 5 Transmission Lin :25 22 Watson Slough :30 15 Total :46 69 In addition to th spcis-spcific survys of 2011, brding bird survys compltd in 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2012 dtctd a total of 275 Ruffd Grous. Additional incidntal obsrvations accountd for 141 dtctions. Th spcis habitat modl for Ruffd Grous was updatd basd on fild wor. Th final modl idntifid 52,659 hctars of habitat suitabl within th LAA (Map and Map 1.3.4; Appndix A.1). Pag 4 of 57

17 1.2 Sharp-taild Grous Spcis Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Thr subspcis of Sharp-taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus) ar rcognizd in th provinc with two (T. p. jamsi and T. p. caurus) found in th northrn latituds and on th Columbian subspcis (T. p. columbianus) rstrictd to th south and cntral intrior (Lupin 2003; Howi 2005). Th Columbian subspcis is blu-listd and th othr two subspcis ar yllow-listd. Th plains subspcis (T. p. jamsi) is found in th Pac Lowlands (Lupin 2003) and Siddl (1989) suggstd it is an uncommon rsidnt in th Pac Rivr ara. During th spring, mal and fmal Sharp-taild Grous gathr in aras calld ls for courtship and mating. Lupin (2003) found that ls in forstd aras can prsist for mor than 20 yars, th longvity of th sit dictatd by xtrnal factors affcting forst rgrowth and succssion. Trnds for many populations ar largly unnown (Connlly t al. 1998) but data from huntr harvst rcords for northastrn BC suggst a gnral dclin (Lupin 2003) Fild Survy Mthods In 2003, th Pac Rgion BC Ministry of Environmnt (BCMOE) bgan a Sharp-taild Grous rsarch projct to invstigat if th rgional population of Sharp-taild Grous is in dclin (Goddard 2010). Th information includd gnral locations of nown l sits, th rsults of rsarch compltd ovr th last fw yars, and svral mthodologis ground and arial to idntify prsnc and abundanc of ls and nst sits using radio-tlmtry (Goddard 2010). Habitat data was collctd and includd masurmnts of habitat attributs at all spatial scals. Th information was usd to dtrmin th rang of potntial habitats availabl to fmals through a comparison of nst location data with random point data (Goddard 2010). L survys wr not compltd in aras th provinc prviously survyd; instad th gnral l locations wr includd for rviw. L survys wr compltd at Ara E a proposd ancillary sit associatd with th Projct whr suitabl habitat was prsnt (Map 1.3.1). Survy mthods wr basd on Invntory Mthods for Upland Gambirds (Rsourcs Invntory Committ 1997). Survys wr not compltd during inclmnt wathr conditions.g., rain, wind gratr than Baufort 3. Transcts to sarch for nw ls in Ara E wr compltd in arly spring to maximiz th opportunity for dtcting and obsrving birds. Point-count stations wr placd at 800-mtr intrvals. Survys too plac btwn 30 minuts bfor and 120 minuts aftr sunris. Two Pag 5 of 57

18 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct survyors listnd for sounds of displaying mals for thr minuts. This listning tim was xtndd if ambint nois intrfrd with th survyor s ability to dtct grous. Survy data was rcordd at ach point-count station on RISC data forms customizd for th projct. Wathr conditions wr rcordd at th bginning and nd of ach transct using standard dfinitions. Additional information includd UTM (NAD83) locations, start and nd tims, spcis dtctd with associatd numbr of individuals, distanc and dirction of dtction, and as possibl sx, ag class, and activity. For ach l ncountrd, habitat information, UTM (NAD83) locations, total numbr of Sharp-taild Grous prsnt, and ratio of mals to fmals was rcordd. At last 30 minuts of survy tim was xpndd to count th numbr of birds on th l. A draft spcis modl was prpard for Sharp-taild Grous basd on a litratur rviw and dfind suitabl habitat within th LAA i.., habitat ratd modrat or high. Habitat was split into living, growing sason Jun to Sptmbr and living, wintr Octobr to March Fild Survy Rsults Th provincial govrnmnt collctd information on 21 ls in th Pac Rivr Rgion (Goddard 2010). Th rsults show som ls ar usd vry yar whil othrs hav inconsistnt us. Goddard (2010) furthr notd: Spcific vgtation charactristics, such as spcis or distribution, at th l do not appar to b a dtrmining factor, as activ ls in th Pac Rgion hav bn found in a rang of vgtatd stats, including fallow filds, grassy pasturs, hayfilds, cral crop filds, and naturally vgtatd clarings. Charactristics of ls in th Pac Rgion ar similar to that rportd in th litratur for Sharp-taild Grous across th spcis rang. Eight Sharp-taild Grous wr obsrvd at an additional l found during th survys at Ara E. Additional incidntal obsrvations during survys for othr taxa accountd for 72 Sharp-taild Grous dtctions. Trapping and radio-tlmtry conductd by th provincial govrnmnt rsultd in th banding of 161 mals and 166 fmals within 14 diffrnt ls (Goddard 2010). Th avrag mortality rat of radio-collard fmals was 43% ovr th six-yar study; th primary caus was prdation (Goddard 2010). Nsts wr locatd an avrag of two ilomtrs from th l whr th fmal was capturd. Nsting succss ovr th six yars was stimatd to b 63% (Goddard 2010). Pag 6 of 57

19 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Nsts wr locatd in a varity of opn habitats, both man-mad.g., agricultur, cutblocs and natural.g., grassland slops, shrub-stpp, opn undrstory aspn stands, old burns. Consistnt us of sits with high latral and ovrhad concalmnt by nsting fmals as compard to random sits was documntd (Goddard 2010). Rsults from th six-yar wor indicatd th Pac Rgion population is stabl but stats nst succss may b ovr-stimatd (Goddard 2010). Thrats to th spcis ar numrous and includ disturbanc, prdation, hunting, psticids, and habitat chang (Lupin 2003). Goddard (2010) stats th primary thrat in th rgion is habitat loss; ovr-hunting and prdation ar also issus. Habitat altration through grazing, fir, fir supprssion, and silvicultural practic such as logging, planting, and frtilizing rducs or incrass th amount of availabl suitabl habitat. Fir can maintain habitat (Ritcy 1995; B. Wbstr, prs comm. citd in Lupin 2003) and fir supprssion can rduc habitat quality and quantity in aras pron to forst ncroachmnt (Gayton 1998 citd in Lupin 2003; Goddard 2010). Forstry activitis affct th maintnanc of habitats and wintr forag spcis for Sharp-taild Grous (Ritcy 1995 citd in Lupin 2003). Agricultur acts as a sin whr habitat appars suitabl but activitis on th land rduc rproductiv succss (Goddard 2010). Sharp-taild Grous ar currntly huntd in BC btwn Sptmbr 1 and Novmbr 15 with a rgional daily aggrgat bag limit in th Pac Rgion (Rgion 7B) of thr and a possssion limit of nin (BC Ministry of Forst, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations 2012). Th bag and possssion limits wr rducd in 1990 from 10 and 30 to thr and nin. Prdation is causd by a varity of spcis on both adults and nsts including but not limitd to raptors (haws and owls), corvids (crows, magpi, ravn), and mammals (foxs, coyots) (Lupin 2003; Goddard 2010). Th spcis habitat modl for Sharp-taild Grous idntifid 22,920 hctars of suitabl habitat during th growing sason (Map and Map 1.3.6) and 9,697 hctars of suitabl habitat during th wintr sason (Map and Map 1.3.8) within th LAA. Pag 7 of 57

20 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct 1.3 Maps Pag 8 of 57

21 Boundary La Ccil La Rd Cr Charli La St. John Cr B B r r itish itish C C olumbia olumbia A A l l b b rt rt a a Cach Cr Wildr Cr Ta Cr Stoddart Cr Voight Cr Fort St. John Batton Rivr Flatroc Rivr Zh o d a Cr Rivr Mobrly Cr Golata Boudrau La Taylor Coul Rudy Rivr Pin Four M il Cr Four M il Cr Monias La Sptimus Cr Pingl Cr Six Mil Cr Eight Mil Cr Kisatinaw Rivr Cr Mica Cr Windy Towr La W.A.C Bnntt Dam Williston Rsrvoir Dinosaur Rsrvoir Macnzi Pac Canyon Dam Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir Fort St. John Hudson's Taylor Hop Dawson Cr Chtwynd B.C. Princ Gorg Vancouvr Location of Proposd Sit C Dam Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin Provincial/Trritorial Boundary Wildlif Data Ruffd Grous Point Count Station Sharp-taild Grous Point Count Station Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) 1:225, m MAP TRANSECT LOCATIONS - EAST DATE DECEMBER 13, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

22 Lynx Cr Wst Pin Inst 97 North Cach Cr Rd Cr Charli La St. John Cr Pin Rivr m Cach Cr Wildr Cr Ta Cr Stoddart Cr Fort St. John Rivr Halfway Aldr Cr Farrll Cr Rivr Mobrly Boudrau La Wapoos Cr Lynx Cr Dry Cr Rivr Pin Brnot Cr Pingl Cr Monias La Sptimus Cr Portag Cr Hudson's Hop Mauric Cr Bouchr La Cr Windy Rn La Bullrun Cr Stwart La W.A.C Bnntt Dam Williston Rsrvoir Dinosaur Rsrvoir Macnzi Pac Canyon Dam Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir Fort St. John Hudson's Taylor Hop Dawson Cr Chtwynd B.C. Princ Gorg Vancouvr Location of Proposd Sit C Dam Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin Wildlif Data Ruffd Grous Point Count Station Sharp-taild Grous Point Count Station Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) 1:225, m MAP TRANSECT LOCATIONS - WEST DATE DECEMBER 13, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

23 Boundary La Ccil La R d C r A l b rt a B r i t i sh C o l u m b i a Charli La St.J art Cr Fort St. John B a tto n Ri v r Fl at ro c Zh o y Riv Golata r Cr Ri v r Taylor R u d y C o Boudrau La Ri M ur Fo vr il M Si x Pin g Cr lc r Pi n il Cr u l r l da Cr b Mo r rc dd Sto r h t Cr nc ig Vo Cr Wi ld Ta Cach Cr oh Cr ht Mil E ig Cr p us a Kis W in d y C r W.A.C Bnntt Dam Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir Dinosaur Rsrvoir Macnzi aw tin Ri v r Towr La Fort St. John Hudson's Hop Taylor Dawson Cr Chtwynd Location of Proposd Sit C Dam Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal B.C. Pac Canyon Dam Princ Gorg lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) Vancouvr gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. Williston Rsrvoir a r S tim C Monias La M ic LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin Provincial/Trritorial Boundary 1:225, m Wildlif Data Ruffd Grous Obsrvation Suitabl Habitat Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) MAP HABITAT SUITABILITY: RUFFED GROUSE - LIVING - EAST DATE DECEMBER 13, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

24 Cr Charli La R d 97 Nort C ach h Cr Wst Pin Inst St.J oh nc r Pin Rivr art Cr Fort St. John C r r r Fa b Mo rr r l yr ivr ll d Al Cr oo dd Sto m Halfwa y R iv Wa p Cr 2 r 1 ld rc 0 Wi Ta Cach Cr Boudrau La s Cr Pi n Ly n x v r Ri Dry Cr Cr Pin g Lynx Cr lc r Brnot Cr Monias La S Portag Cr Bullr un C W.A.C Bnntt Dam Dinosaur Rsrvoir Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir Fort St. John Hudson's Hop Taylor Dawson Cr Chtwynd Hudson's Hop W in d y C r Ma u ric Cr pt im C us r Bouchr La Rn La r Location of Proposd Sit C Dam Stwart La LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 Macnzi Williston 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N Rsrvoir 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal B.C. Pac Canyon Dam Princ Gorg lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) Vancouvr gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin 1:225, m Wildlif Data Ruffd Grous Obsrvation Suitabl Habitat Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) MAP HABITAT SUITABILITY RUFFED GROUSE - LIVING - WEST DATE DECEMBER 13, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

25 Boundary La Albr ta Briti sh Columbi a R d C r Ccil La Charli La St.J Cr art r h t Cr dd Sto Fort St. John B a tto n Ri v r Fl at ro c Zh y Riv Golata r Cr Ri v r Taylor R u d y C o Boudrau La M ur Fo v r Ri il M Si x Pin g Cr lc r Pi n il Cr u l r l od a Cr b Mo r rc Cr Wi l d nc ig Vo Ta Cach Cr oh ht Mil r C E ig Cr p us Kis W in d y C r W.A.C Bnntt Dam Dinosaur Rsrvoir Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir a r S tim C Monias La M ic a tin aw Ri v r Towr La Fort St. John Hudson's Hop Taylor Dawson Cr Chtwynd Location of Proposd Sit C Dam LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 Macnzi Williston 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N Rsrvoir 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal B.C. Pac Canyon Dam Princ Gorg lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) Vancouvr gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin Provincial/Trritorial Boundary 1:225, m Wildlif Data Sharp-taild Grous L Suitabl Habitat Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) MAP HABITAT SUITABILITY: SHARP-TAILED GROUSE - LIVING, GROWING - EAST DATE DECEMBER 13, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

26 r R d C 97 No rt Ca ch h Cr Wst Pin Inst Charli La St.J oh Pin Rivr art Cr C r r Fort St. John r Fa r b Mo rr y Riv r l r ll d Al Cr oo dd Sto m Halfway Riv Wa p Cr 2 r 1 rc 0 Wi ld Ta Cach Cr nc Boudrau La s Cr Pi n Ly n x Ri v r Dry Cr Cr Pin g Lynx Cr lc r Brnot Cr Monias La S Portag Cr Bu llr u W.A.C Bnntt Dam Dinosaur Rsrvoir Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir r Wi ndy Cr Ma u ric Cr Bouchr La Rn La n Cr Fort St. John Hudson's Hop Hudson's Hop im pt C us Taylor Dawson Cr Chtwynd Location of Proposd Sit C Dam Stwart La LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 Macnzi Williston 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N Rsrvoir 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal B.C. Pac Canyon Dam Princ Gorg lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) Vancouvr gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin 1:225, m Wildlif Data Sharp-taild Grous L Suitabl Habitat Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) MAP HABITAT SUITABILITY - SHARP-TAILED GROUSE - LIVING, GROWING - WEST DATE DECEMBER 13, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

27 Boundary La Ccil La R d C r Albr ta B r i t i s h Co l u m b i a Charli La St.J Cr art r h t Cr dd Sto Fort St. John B a tto n Ri v r Fl at ro c Zh y Riv Golata r Cr Ri v r Taylor R u d y C o Boudrau La M ur Fo v r Ri il M Si x Pin g Cr lc r Pi n il Cr u l r l od a Cr b Mo r rc Cr Wi l d nc ig Vo Ta Cach Cr oh ht Mil r C E ig Cr p us Kis W in d y C r W.A.C Bnntt Dam Dinosaur Rsrvoir Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir a r S tim C Monias La M ic a tin aw Ri v r Towr La Fort St. John Hudson's Hop Taylor Dawson Cr Chtwynd Location of Proposd Sit C Dam LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 Macnzi Williston 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N Rsrvoir 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal B.C. Pac Canyon Dam Princ Gorg lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) Vancouvr gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin Provincial/Trritorial Boundary 1:225,000 Wildlif Data Suitabl Habitat Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) 0 5 m MAP HABITAT SUITABILITY: SHARP-TAILED GROUSE - LIVING, WINTER - EAST DATE DECEMBER 13, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

28 r R d C 97 No rt Ca ch h Cr Wst Pin Inst Charli La St.J oh Pin Rivr art Cr C r r Fort St. John r Fa r b Mo rr y Riv r l r ll d Al Cr oo dd Sto m Halfway Riv Wa p Cr 2 r 1 rc 0 Wi ld Ta Cach Cr nc Boudrau La s Cr Pi n Ly n x Ri v r Dry Cr Cr Pin g Lynx Cr lc r Brnot Cr Monias La S Portag Cr Bu llr u W.A.C Bnntt Dam Dinosaur Rsrvoir Location of Proposd Sit C Rsrvoir im r Wi ndy Cr Ma u ric Cr Bouchr La Rn La n Cr Fort St. John Hudson's Hop Hudson's Hop pt C us Taylor Dawson Cr Chtwynd Location of Proposd Sit C Dam Stwart La LEGEND Proposd Rsrvoir Albrta Map Nots: 1. Datum: NAD83 Macnzi Williston 2. Projction: UTM Zon 10N Rsrvoir 3. Bas Data: Provinc of B.C. 4. Proposd Rsrvoir Ara (461.8 m maximum normal B.C. Pac Canyon Dam Princ Gorg lvation) from Digital Elvation Modls (DEM) Vancouvr gnratd from LiDAR data acquird July/August Wildlif Data acquird from Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd, (c) BC Hydro all rights rsrvd. This map is for information purposs only and accuracy is not guarantd. Gravl Road Pavd Road Rail Lin 1:225, m Wildlif Data Suitabl Habitat Wildlif Rsourcs, Vgtation and Ecological Communitis Local Assssmnt Ara (LAA) MAP HABITAT SUITABILITY - SHARP-TAILED GROUSE - LIVING, WINTER - WEST DATE DECEMBER 3, 2012 DWG NO 1016-C14-B R 0 Construction of th Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct is subjct to rquird rgulatory approvals including nvironmntal crtification

29 2 POTENTIAL EFFECTS Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Pag 17 of 57

30 2.1 Habitat Altration and Fragmntation Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Habitat altration and fragmntation for non-migratory gam birds is dfind as a prmannt rmoval or loss of habitat or a rduction in habitat suitability. Projct componnts and rlatd activitis xpctd to caus habitat altration and fragmntation includ: Dam, Gnrating Station, and Spillways: vgtation rmoval, grading, gravl surfacing and paving, staging and laydown aras, stormwatr managmnt, utilitis movmnt and installation, xcavation, drilling and blasting, coffr dam and arthfill dam construction, and rlocating surplus matrials. Rsrvoir: vgtation rmoval, rsrvoir filling, construction and shorlin protction, and ban rosion. Substation and Transmission Lins to Pac Canyon Dam: vgtation rmoval and vgtation maintnanc during oprations. Highway 29 Ralignmnt: vgtation rmoval, utilitis movmnt and installation, rlocating surplus matrials, and shorlin protction. Quarrid and Excavatd Construction Matrials: vgtation rmoval, grading, and gravl surfacing and paving. Road and Rail Accss: vgtation rmoval, grading, and gravl surfacing and paving. Th primary ffct of th Projct on Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous is dirct loss of habitat. This includs th physical rmoval of vgtation, sasonal flooding du to confinmnt of th rivr channl during Stag 1 and 2 of dam construction, tmporary construction including roads, rsrvoir filling, and continud rosion during rsrvoir oprations. Basd on habitat suitability mapping th total suitabl habitat availabl within th LAA is 52,659 hctars for Ruffd Grous, 22,920 hctars for Sharp-taild Grous in th growing sason, and 9,697 hctars for Sharp-taild Grous in th wintr (Map through Map 1.3.8; Tabl 2.1.1). Claring of vgtation and flooding of th rsrvoir would rsult in loss of foraging habitat, scurity habitat, and possibl nsting locations. Th potntial loss of 15% 8,058 hctars of th availabl Ruffd Grous suitabl habitat is considrd an ovrstimation as quarry sits ar to b smallr than what is prsntd in this rport and th transmission lin right-of-way (TL) is xpctd to incras th amount of suitabl habitat with th cration and maintnanc of youngr forst typs. Th projctd loss of 18% 5,778 hctars of both suitabl habitat typs for Sharp-taild Grous is considrd an ovrstimation as th Highway 29 ralignmnt has th potntial to affct a nown l sit but any Pag 18 of 57

31 Dam Sit Rsrvoir Hwy 29 Roads Quarris Total (ha) Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct ffct is dpndnt on th slction of th final alignmnt and mitigation. Th nown l sit at Ara E is locatd immdiatly adjacnt to but not within th Projct componnt boundary. Tabl Potntial habitat loss: Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous Loss of suitabl habitat by Projct componnt (ha) Common Nam Total Suitabl Habitat (ha) Projct Phas TL 2 Prcnt (%) a Ruffd Grous Sharp-taild Grous: Growing Sason Sharp-taild Grous: Wintr Sason 52,659 22,920 9,697 Construction 1, , ,499.3 Opration ,558.8 Construction ,298.5 Opration Construction ,314.5 Opration Total 1, , ,835.9 a Prcnt loss is calculatd across construction and opration phass Habitat fragmntation rducs th siz and continuity of largr habitats. Rmaining suitabl habitats may b too small to b ffctiv at providing lif rquirmnts and ar mor suscptibl to habitat altration associatd with continual influncs from th disturbanc that ld to th fragmntation. Roads ar considrd to b a lading caus of fragmntation. Othr Projct componnts can also isolat smallr patchs of suitabl habitat. Habitat fragmntation can incras availability for prdators, rduc migration, and incras hunting prssur (Schmiglow and Mononn 2002). Yodr t al. (2004) notd Ruffd Grous forcd to mov through unacquaintd spatial habitat hav incrasd prdation ris. Th introduction and potntial prolifration of invasiv spcis could rduc habitat suitability for Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous. Mor aggrssiv invasiv plant spcis ultimatly altr th habitat oftn lading to habitat loss which fragmnts th natural aras and provids mor Habitat loss during construction includs th amount of forst clard to ma room for th additional right-of-way. Habitat loss during oprations is th total right-of-way managd during oprations and includs th xisting TL. Th total amounts for opration and construction ar a duplication of som aras whr claring activitis occur both during construction and during oprations. Pag 19 of 57

32 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct opportunitis for th dlivry and stablishmnt of non-nativ spcis that continu to altr and fragmnt natural aras. Pag 20 of 57

33 2.2 Disturbanc and Displacmnt Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Disturbanc and displacmnt rfrs to activitis that caus individuals to altr thir bhaviour or avoid crtain habitats that ar othrwis suitabl. Disturbd individuals may choos to tmporarily vacat habitats. This could rsult in incrasd nrgy xpnditurs, utilization of sub-optimal habitats, or incrasd prdation ris. Displacmnt is mor lily to occur whn tmporary changs forc individuals to fl or rlocat. Timing of flow rlass and tmporary flooding rsulting from sasonal and daily fluctuations in watr lvl upstram of th dam during construction and downstram of th dam during opration would caus displacmnt of adults. During Stag 1 and 2 of dam construction, th confinmnt of flow past th wor sit would caus th Pac Rivr to flood upstram of th dam sit. Th xtnt of flooding would b dpndnt on th amount of watr within th systm, flow rlass from th Pac Canyon Dam, and natural inputs from upstram tributaris. Th spring frsht is xpctd to incras flooding at a tim whn grous spcis ar brding. Flooding during Stag 1 and 2 of dam construction is xpctd to displac brding birds that utiliz clard aras. Nois and physical disturbanc from construction machinry, quipmnt, and a larg wor forc hav th potntial to disturb or displac grous. Documntd disturbanc of grous includs a varity of sourcs: human prsnc, all-trrain vhicl, mowing, livstoc prsnc, and hunting dog training and trials (Lupin 2003). Mal Sharp-taild Grous hav prviously bn dscribd as having a high tolranc for disturbanc of thir ls, rturning onc a disturbanc has casd; fmal Sharp-taild Grous consistntly avoidd ls locatd nar disturbd aras, possibly lading to a rproductivly inactiv l if only mals ar prsnt (Baydac and Hin 1987). Claring of vgtation during th brding sason could caus disturbanc or dstruction of activ nsts, rsulting in incrasd strss, incrasd nrgy xpnditur, changd bhaviour, and potntial abandonmnt of th nst. Pag 21 of 57

34 2.3 Mortality Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Dirct and indirct mortality to individuals including adults, juvnils, and ggs is anticipatd. Th gratr mortality ris is associatd with th altration of habitats du to construction activitis and flooding including tmporary inundation. Eggs and pr-fldgd juvnils ar unabl to scap ths mortality riss. Initial claring of th inundation zon is plannd to ta plac outsid th brding sason. Grous ar xpctd to mov into this ara th following spring as suitabl aras for ground nsting ar anticipatd. Nsts locatd within aras floodd annually upstram of th dam would b lost. Dirct mortality would also rsult from collisions with quipmnt, machinry, and vhicls. Rmains of Ruffd Grous wr obsrvd on roads during baslin studis. Road accss would bisct aras grous frqunt and road mortality is anticipatd. Hunting prssur on grous may incras with incrasd human prsnc and tmporary roads usd during construction. Pag 22 of 57

35 3 MITIGATION MEASURES Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th tchnical mitigation masurs proposd to addrss potntial Projct ffcts during construction and oprations ar discussd blow. Avoidanc masurs can includ rfining Projct boundaris, slcting th most appropriat construction mthods, quipmnt, and matrial, and timing of activitis. Additional mitigation masurs to considr includ nvironmntal protction masurs, Bst Managmnt Practics (BMPs) and protocols, and nginring standards. Whr fasibl, mitigation masurs will b rfind basd on consultation with fdral and provincial rgulatory agncis and First Nations. Pag 23 of 57

36 3.1 Habitat Altration and Fragmntation Mitigation for Habitat Loss Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th potntial advrs ffcts of prmannt habitat loss cannot b avoidd within th rsrvoir and much of th dam, gnrating station, and spillways although thy can b masurably rducd for othr Projct componnts.g., TL and roads during final dsign. This will includ placing transmission towrs and accss roads away from nown ls unlss provn no othr option is fasibl. All nown l locations will b providd as inputs during th final dsign phas so furthr rductions and avoidancs ar considrd. If wor is rquird immdiatly adjacnt to any l, a no accss Environmntal Protction Zon will b stablishd to protct ths sits. Habitat will b clard in th approvd Projct activity zon (PAZ) only and construction will b monitord to prvnt any unncssary claring. Suitabl habitat for Sharp-taild Grous is mor limiting than suitabl habitat for Ruffd Grous. Habitat compnsation for ithr spcis is not plannd, although partially floodd agricultur filds ownd by BC Hydro could b managd to provid som habitat stability bnficial to Sharp-taild Grous Invasiv Spcis Managmnt Onc rosion concrns hav bn addrssd, disturbd sits will b rplantd quicly with ground covr, shrubs, or trs that ar rgionally appropriat. This will b part of BC Hydro s Soil Managmnt Sit Rstoration and R-vgtation Plan. A Wildlif Managmnt Plan and Vgtation and Invasiv Plant Managmnt plan will also b includd that dfins objctivs for limiting invasiv spcis by monitoring th prsnc and possibl sprad of invasiv plants in tmporarily disturbd aras, as wll as th succss of r-vgtation programs. Mitigation masurs to rduc th sprad of invasiv spcis includ: Prior to wor commncing, survys will b conductd to idntify invasiv spcis populations. Tratmnt will b initiatd as rquird. 3 Basd on prsnt land ownrship it is stimatd thr will b ovr 300 hctars of BC Hydro ownd Cultivatd Fild rmaining aftr th rsrvoir is cratd. Pag 24 of 57

37 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct All vhicls ntring and laving wor sits will b washd thoroughly with spcial attntion to whl wlls, tir trads, and tracs whr mud and sds of noxious wds may b lodgd. Locating wash aras away from any watrbody and riparian aras. Trating usd wash watr to prvnt sd disprsal. Th Pst Managmnt Plan for Managmnt of Vgtation at BC Hydro Facilitis (BC Hydro 2009) and th Intgratd Vgtation Managmnt Plan for Transmission Rights-of-way (BC Hydro 2010) will b followd in ordr to rduc or avoid th sprad of invasiv spcis during th oprations phas of th Projct Mitigation for Habitat Fragmntation It is undrstood that aras within th PAZ hav alrady xprincd varying lvls of habitat fragmntation associatd with forstry, agricultur, oil and gas, and urban dvlopmnt. Efforts hav bn mad to utiliz xisting corridors, dactivat tmporary accss roads, and minimiz disturbanc whr possibl, to hlp minimiz additional fragmntation. Projct componnts whr this has occurrd includ: Substation and Transmission Lins to Pac Canyon Dam: building th TL adjacnt to th xisting TL, using th xisting corridor and maintnanc accss roads. Highway 29 Ralignmnt: us portions of xisting roads and slct borrow sits that alrady xist or will b covrd by th rsrvoir. Quarrid and Excavatd Construction Matrials: furthr dvlop xisting quarry sits such as Wuthrich, Dl Rio, and Wst Pin and us a sit that has alrady sn dvlopmnt 85 th Avnu Industrial Lands. Road and Rail Accss: us xisting infrastructur for moving matrial, upgrad xisting accss roads and dactivat tmporary roads usd for rsrvoir claring, and plac th south ban accss to th Dam Sit Ara along th xisting TL. Pag 25 of 57

38 3.2 Disturbanc and Displacmnt Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th avoidanc and rduction of displacmnt du to tmporary flooding is not possibl as th timing of vnts is dpndnt on natural vnts.g., rainfall and th spring frsht and powr gnration.g., downstram flow lvls. Th claring of vgtation for all wor will considr both th Migratory Bird Convntion Act and th BC Wildlif Act whr activ nsts ar protctd from disturbanc and rmoval. Th provincial govrnmnt has dvlopd last-ris windows for trrstrial wildlif that ar of managmnt concrn within th Pac Rgion of th BC Ministry of Forsts, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations. Thr is no spcific mntion for grous within th last-ris windows but nsting ovrlaps th critical tim fram suggstd for raptors, which is April 1 through July 31 (BC Ministry of Forsts, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations 2011). Goddard (2010) obsrvd l attndanc by Sharp-taild Grous btwn mid-april and mid-may in th Pac Rivr Rgion and a nsting initiation to hatching dat rang from arly May to mid-july. Claring activitis for much of th ara ar prsntly schduld to occur during th wintr months thrby avoiding conflicts with nsting birds (s Volum 1 Appndix A Vgtation, Claring, and Dbris Managmnt Plan). Schduling constraints may rquir claring activitis to occur outsid wintr months. If claring wor during th critical bird brding sason outlind abov cannot b avoidd a nst and l sarch protocol will b dvlopd and implmntd prior to claring to avoid disturbanc to activ nsts. Th protocol will b dvlopd in consultation with Environmnt Canada, Canadian Wildlif Srvic and th Ministry of Environmnt. Th protocol will outlin buffrs rquird around activ nst sits. Pag 26 of 57

39 3.3 Mortality Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Mortality rlatd to habitat loss cannot b fully avoidd for th ntir Projct but can b rducd by avoiding nown nst and l locations for grous. Similar to disturbanc and displacmnt mortality can b rducd with claring at tims of rcognizd last-ris. If this is not fasibl th nst survy protocol discussd abov will b implmntd. Tmporary worrs involvd in on-sit Projct construction will b ncouragd not to hunt in th LAA. Tmporary roads will b rclaimd onc thy ar no longr rquird. Attmpts will b mad to minimiz th numbr of vhicls using th roads and spd limits will b stablishd to rduc wildlif road mortality as ndd. Pag 27 of 57

40 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Pag intntionally lft blan. Pag 28 of 57

41 4 RESIDUAL EFFECTS Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Pag 29 of 57

42 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct 4.1 Charactrization of Rsidual Effcts Critria usd to charactriz rsidual advrs ffcts ar providd in (Tabl 4.1.1). rational for charactrization is providd blow. Th Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: critria wildlif rsourcs Critrion Dscription Quantitativ Masur or Dfinition of Qualitativ Catgoris Dirction Magnitud Gographical Extnt Duration Frquncy Rvrsibility Contxt Th ultimat long-trm trnd of th ffct rlativ to baslin cas. Th amount of chang in a y indicator or variabl rlativ to baslin cas. Th gographic ara in which an nvironmntal ffct of a dfind magnitud occurs. Th priod of tim rquird until th VC rturns to its baslin condition, or th ffct can no longr b masurd or othrwis prcivd. Th numbr of tims during a projct or a spcific projct phas that an nvironmntal ffct may occur. Th dgr or lilihood to which xisting baslin conditions can b rgaind aftr factors causing th ffct ar rmovd. Th xtnt to which th ara ffctd has alrady bn advrsly affctd by human activitis, and is cologically fragil with littl rsilinc and rsistanc to imposd strsss. Ngativ: condition of th VC is worsning in comparison to baslin conditions Positiv: condition of th VC is improving in comparison to baslin conditions Low: Lss than 10% chang Modrat: Btwn 10-20% chang High: Gratr than 20% chang Sit-spcific: th xtnt of th ffct will hav sub-local implications to y indicators Local: th xtnt of th ffct will hav subpopulation implications to y indicators within th LAA Rgional: th xtnt of th ffct will hav broadr population implications to y indicators Short-trm: ffct is limitd to <1 yar Mdium-trm: ffct occurs >1 yar but only during construction Long-trm: ffct lasts into Projct opration but dissipats during th lif of th Projct Prmannt: ffct lasts during th lif of th Projct and possibly byond Onc: occurs onc Continuous: occurs on a rgular basis and at rgular intrvals Wly: occurs on a rgular basis within on month but is sporadic throughout a yar Monthly: occurs on a rgular basis for mor than a month but is sporadic throughout a yar Rvrsibl: with rclamation and/or ovr tim Irrvrsibl: ovr tim vn with rclamation High rsilinc: Ara or y indicator prsists whn it is subjctd to frqunt natural or anthropognic disturbancs Low rsilinc: Ara is rlativly pristin with littl or no rcnt disturbanc, or th y indicator rquirs long-trm cosystm stability in ordr to thriv Pag 30 of 57

43 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Critrion Dscription Quantitativ Masur or Dfinition of Qualitativ Catgoris Lvl of Confidnc Probability An valuation of th scintific crtainty in th rviw of Projct spcific data, rlvant litratur, and profssional opinion. Th lilihood that an advrs ffct will occur Low: Th ffctivnss of mitigation or scal of th ffct is poorly undrstood; follow-up monitoring is rcommndd Modrat: Gratr crtainty in undrstanding an ffcts outcom but rflctiv of modling confidnc and an undrstanding of ffct pathways High: Dtaild modling and an undrstanding of ffct pathways ar wll undrstood Low: An ffct may occur but would not b masurabl High: A masurabl ffct is undrstood to occur Unnown: It is difficult to dtrmin how a y indicator will rspond to a particular activity or to mitigation Pag 31 of 57

44 4.2 Habitat Altration and Fragmntation Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th ffcts of habitat altration and fragmntation will diffr btwn spcis. A total of 15% and 18% of th suitabl habitat within th LAA will b rmovd during both construction and opration for Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous, rspctivly (Tabl 2.1.1, Sction 2.1). Mitigation masurs can rduc or avoid habitat loss spcially along th TL and accss roads but loss cannot b avoidd with rsrvoir dvlopmnt. A rsidual advrs ffct is anticipatd for Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous during construction and opration. Tabl summarizs th charactrization of th rsidual advrs ffct for both spcis groups. Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: habitat altration and fragmntation Spcis Group Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous Charactrization Critria Dirction Magnitud Gographic Extnt Duration Frquncy Rvrsibility Contxt Probability Confidnc Charactrization Ngativ Modrat Local Construction Modrat-trm Onc Rvrsibl High rsilinc High Modrat Rational for Charactrization Th ovrall loss of suitabl habitat for ithr spcis cannot b fully mitigatd. Th post-projct amount will b lss rlativ to baslin conditions. Th projctd loss of suitabl habitat for Sharptaild Grous is ovr-stimatd for som Projct componnts. Thr is xpctd to b mor than 10% loss of suitabl habitat within th LAA for both spcis with th construction of th dam and rsrvoir. Most of th habitat loss will b along th Pac Rivr. Both spcis ar numrous throughout th rgion. Many of th habitats will b lost prmanntly within th rsrvoir. Th transmission lin will provid suitabl habitat for both spcis and managmnt of som BC Hydro ownd agricultural filds could provid stabl nst sits. Th amount of suitabl habitat is constantly volving as nw aras ar clard and forst succssion rducs opnings. Ths changs will hav an ffct on population rcovry. Th largst loss of habitat will occur with th filling of th rsrvoir, considrd a on-tim occurrnc. Habitats can b cratd or maintaind with vgtation claring. Any dcras to populations of both spcis is xpctd to rcovr. Natural and anthropognic opnings usd by both spcis ar highly rsilint to chang. Th xcption is l sits; sits will chang ovr tim as vgtation communitis volv. Expctd basd on th siz and locations of th PAZ. Habitat mapping and spcis modling provid a quantitativ assssmnt of habitat loss whn ovrlaid with Projct componnts. Th amount of loss is an ovrstimat as som Projct sits ar largr than xpctd and som may b a bnfit.g., transmission lin. Th duration of th ffct is dpndnt on othr activitis occurring locally. Pag 32 of 57

45 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Spcis Group Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous Charactrization Critria Dirction Magnitud Gographic Extnt Duration Frquncy Rvrsibility Contxt Probability Confidnc Charactrization Ngativ Low Local Long-trm Continuous Rvrsibl Opration High rsilinc High High Rational for Charactrization Th ovrall loss of suitabl habitat for ithr spcis cannot b fully mitigatd. Th post-projct amount will b lss rlativ to baslin conditions. Both spcis will los up to 2% of availabl suitabl habitat within th LAA du to ban rosion along th rsrvoir. Th ffcts will b on spcific slops along th rsrvoir. Ban rosion will occur during th lif of th Projct but should b lss frqunt as slops stabiliz to currnt baslin conditions. Erosion will b mor frqunt in th first fw yars aftr th rsrvoir is stablishd, and should continu sporadically on diffrnt slops for th lif of th Projct. Th frquncy should b similar to baslin onc th slops stabiliz to th xtnt of th Erosion Impact Lin. Th xisting topography charactrizd by a flat rivr channl and stp sid slops currntly provid for occasional ground slumping along th Pac Rivr. Expctd basd on th xtnt of th Erosion Impact Lin. Slop stability studis provid a quantitativ assssmnt of th xpctd limit of rosion with th cration of th rsrvoir. Pag 33 of 57

46 4.3 Disturbanc and Displacmnt Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th avoidanc and rduction of displacmnt of grous du to tmporary flooding is not possibl with mitigation as th timing of vnts is dpndnt on natural vnts and powr gnration. Th Pac Rivr xprincs high flows during any yar, notably during th spring frsht. Upstram rlass from th Pac Canyon Dam also influnc daily watr lvls. Th frquncy of largr flood vnts is anticipatd to b gratr than baslin. Th xtnt to which this will displac local populations is unnown. Schduling claring activitis during tims of last-ris will avoid displacmnt and disturbanc of nsting individuals and possibly individuals that display at l sits. If wor occurs during critical tims, mitigation will rduc ffcts but thy cannot b compltly avoidabl. Tabl summarizs th charactrization of th rsidual advrs ffct for both spcis. Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: disturbanc and displacmnt Spcis Group Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous Charactrization Critria Charactrization Construction Rational for Charactrization Th highr floodwatrs during construction Dirction Ngativ upstram of th dam sit will inundat habitats usd for foraging and brding. Construction activitis will rsult in disturbanc in adjacnt aras. Magnitud Low Th amount of suitabl habitat affctd is variabl and dpnds on th amount of watr ntring th Pac Rivr. Thr is gratr flooding xpctd during Stag 2 construction as compard with Stag 1. This will b considrably lss than what is lost during th filling of th rsrvoir. Th majority of claring and filling of th rsrvoir currntly plannd in th wintr months, outsid nsting sason. Gographic Extnt Local Th majority of ffct will b within th Pac Rivr Vally. Duration Modrat-trm Effct will occur during construction. Frquncy Monthly Th ffcts will b monthly instad of continuous as thy ar mor pronouncd during th critical nsting priod. Rvrsibility Rvrsibl Thr is documntation spcis will rturn to sits onc disturbanc has ndd. Th occurrnc is in an xisting floodplain that alrady xprincs som lvl of sasonal Contxt High rsilinc inundation. L sits ar oftn locatd in cultivatd filds, which hav a highr frquncy of disturbanc compard to natural aras. Probability High Th sason, xtnt and spd of flooding, and timing of claring activitis will dtrmin ffct. Confidnc Modrat Hydrology modling provids an undrstanding of th xtnt of flooding but th us of th nwly clard aras in th rsrvoir pr-inundation is difficult to dtrmin. Pag 34 of 57

47 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Spcis Group Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous Charactrization Critria Dirction Magnitud Gographic Extnt Duration Frquncy Rvrsibility Contxt Probability Confidnc Charactrization Ngativ Low Local Short-trm Monthly Rvrsibl Opration High rsilinc Unnown Modrat Rational for Charactrization Activitis during opration will caus tmporary disturbanc to th local population. Th ffct will b rstrictd to aras along th transmission lin, prmannt roads, around th dam, and aras for dbris managmnt. Th ffct will b rstrictd to aras along th transmission lin, prmannt roads, around th dam, and aras for dbris managmnt. Disturbancs will b short in duration and spcis should rcovr promptly. Effct is dpndnt on tim of yar and is mor pronouncd during critical months. Thr is documntation spcis will rturn to sits onc disturbanc has ndd. Disturbancs ar typically in aras that alrady hav ongoing disturbancs.g., xisting roads and transmission lins. Th lvl of ffct is dpndnt on th sason, xtnt, frquncy, and location of maintnanc activitis. Extnt of ffct is dpndnt on th scal of th plannd activity and tim of yar. Pag 35 of 57

48 4.4 Mortality Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Mortality rlatd to habitat loss cannot b fully avoidd for th ntir Projct but can b rducd for som Projct componnts with appropriat timing windows for spcific activitis. Th ffcts of flooding during construction could hav gratr ffcts dpnding on th tim of yar i.., brding sason. Effcts during oprations ar managabl with appropriat timing and masurabl ffcts ar not xpctd. As such, mortality during oprations is not considrd. Tabl Charactrization of rsidual ffcts: mortality Spcis Group Ruffd Grous and Sharp-taild Grous Charactrization Critria Charactrization Construction Rational for Charactrization Dirction Ngativ Incrasd mortality will hav an influnc on th local population. Magnitud Low to Modrat Effct is dpndnt on th tim of yar and xtnt of us within aras that could b sasonally inundatd during construction. Gographic Extnt Local Som mortality is possibl along roads and an incras in tmporary accss for local huntrs to nw aras. Nsting loss du to flooding will b along th Pac Rivr. Duration Modrat-trm Effcts anticipatd during construction; populations ar xpctd to rcovr onc construction is complt. Frquncy Monthly Mortality will b mor pronouncd during nsting priod. Rvrsibility Rvrsibl Onc th mortality riss ar rmovd thr should b fw continud prssurs rlatd to th Projct. Contxt High rsilinc Populations ar managd for hunting. Probability High Mortality is xpctd. Confidnc Modrat Extnt of th ffct is dpndnt on th tim of yar and th lvl of nsting in floodd aras. Pag 36 of 57

49 5 LITERATURE CITED Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Baydac, R.K. and D.A. Hin Tolranc of Sharp-taild Grous to L disturbanc. Wildlif Socity Bulltin 15(4): BC Consrvation Data Cntr Spcis Summary: Bonasa umbllus. BC Ministry of Environmnt. Availabl at: BC Hydro Intgratd Vgtation Managmnt Plan for Transmission Rights-of-Way. Availabl at: _ivmp_wb.par.0001.fil.ivmp-transmission-nov-4-10-final.pdf. BC Hydro Pst Managmnt Plan for Managmnt of Vgtation at BC Hydro Facilitis. BC Hydro. Availabl at: gmnt_plan_for_managmnt_of_vgtation.par.0001.fil.safty_pst_managmnt _plan_for_managmnt_of_vgtation.pdf. BC Ministry of Forst, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations Hunting and Trapping Synopsis BC Ministry of Forst, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations. Availabl at: ont.pdf. BC Ministry of Forsts, Lands and Natural Rsourc Oprations Pac Rgion Slctd Trrstrial and Aquatic Wildlif Last Ris Windows. Blood, D.A Pac Rivr Sit C Hydrolctric Dvlopmnt Environmntal and Socioconomic Assssmnt: Wildlif Sub-Rport. Rport to British Columbia Hydro and Powr Authority. Connlly, J.W., M.W. Gratson and K.P. Rs Sharp-taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus). In: A. Pool (d.), Th Birds of North Amrica. Cornll Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. Doughrty, E.M Ruffd Grous Drumming Counts: An xamination of obsrvr and roadsid ffcts. Hon. Thsis. Hon. Thsis. Ohio Stat Univrsity, Columbus, OH. Goddard, A Rproductiv Succss and Habitat Us by Sharp-taild Grous in th Pac Rivr Rgion. BC Ministry of Environmnt. Haws, V., G.F. Saring, M. Todd, M. Bntly, M.W. Dmarchi, J. Muir and M.K. McNicholl Pac Rivr Wildlif Survys: 2005 Habitat Suitability Modling and Wildlif Invntory. Rport to BC Hydro, Burnaby, BC. Howi, R Sharp-taild Grous Ls on Sugarloaf Ranch Proprtis, Knutsford, BC. Kamloops, BC. Pag 37 of 57

50 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Lupin, E Status of th Sharp-taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus) in British Columbia. Wildlif Bulltin No. B-104. BC Ministry of Watr, Land and Air Protction and BC Consrvation Data Cntr, Victoria, BC. Rsourcs Invntory Committ Invntory Mthods for Upland Gambirds. Vrsion 1.1. Standards for Componnts of British Columbia s Biodivrsity No. 17. BC Ministry of Environmnt, Lands and Pars, Rsourc Invntory Branch, Victoria, BC. Availabl at: Ritcy, R.W Status of th Sharp-taild Grous columbianus - subspcis in British Columbia. BC Ministry of Environmnt, Lands and Pars, Fish and Wildlif Branch. Schmiglow, F.K.A. and M. Mononn Habitat loss and fragmntation in dynamic landscaps: avian prspctivs from th boral forst. Ecological Applications 12(2): Siddl, C Chclist of th Birds of th Pac Rivr rgion of British Columbia. Final Draft. Prpard for Habitat Consrvation Fund. Unpublishd list. Snydr, S.A Bonasa umbllus. In: Fir Effcts Information Systm, [Onlin]. US Dpartmnt of Agricultur, Forst Srvic, Rocy Mountain Rsarch Station, Fir Scincs Laboratory (Producr). Availabl at: Thurbr Consultants Ltd Sit C and E Hydrolctric Dvlopmnt Proposals. Rport to BC Hydro and Powr Authority, Lowr Pac Rivr. Yodr, J.M., E.A. Marschall and D.A. Swanson Th cost of disprsal: prdation as a function of movmnt and sit familiarity in Ruffd Grous. Bhavioral Ecology 15(3): Pag 38 of 57

51 APPENDIX A RUFFED GROUSE Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Pag 39 of 57

52 A.1 Spcis Habitat Modl: Ruffd Grous A.1.1 Spcis data Common Nam: Ruffd Grous Scintific Nam: Bonasa umbllus Spcis Cod: B-RUGR BC Status: Yllow-listd Idntifid Wildlif Status: Non COSEWIC Status: Not listd SARA Status: Not listd Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct A.1.2 Projct data Ara: Pac Rivr Ecoprovinc: Boral Plains (BOP), Sub-Boral Intrior (SBI) Ecorgions: Pac Rivr Basin (PRB), Cntral Albrta Uplands (CAU), Cntral Canadian Rocy Mountains (CRM) Ecosctions: Pac Lowlands (PEL), Halfway Platau (HAP), Pac Foothills (PEF), Hart Foothills (HAF) BEC Variants: BWBSmw1, BWBSw1, ESSFmv2, ESSFw2, SBSw2 Map Scal: 1:20,000 A.1.3 Ecology and Habitat Rquirmnts Th Ruffd Grous is a brown or gry grous with a slight crst and a havily barrd tail with a broad, dar subtrminal tail band (Godfry 1986). Ruffd Grous fd on a varity of sds, lavs, fruits, buds, shoots, and inscts (Smnchu 1992). Main invrtbrat foods includ sowbugs, lafhopprs, ants, btls, aphids, and sawfly larva. Wintr dits consist mainly of non-laf brows.g., buds, twigs, catins from dciduous trs and shrubs, spcially aspn (Populus trmuloids)(guglilmo and Karasov 1995; 1996). Fall and wintr dits of Ruffd Grous in Alasa also includ ros hips (Rosa acicularis), highbush cranbrry (Viburnum dul), inniinnic fruits (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), horstails (Equistum spp.), and clovr (Trifolium spp.)(mcgowan 1973). Vrtbrats.g., snas and amphibians may b atn occasionally (Hal and Wndt 1951). Mals ar promiscuous and advrtis from a prominnt location such as a log by displaying and drumming with thir wings. Som mals will bgin advrtising as yarlings or arlir whil othrs will forgo display anothr yar (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Mals usually bgin drumming at th disapparanc of wintr snow covr (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Th mals dfnd thir advrtising sits but do not dfnd othr trritorial boundaris. Mal Ruffd Grous will rmain nar oftn within 100 mtrs of thir drumming sits yar-round and sm to rmain faithful to th sit vn if surrounding habitat dtriorats (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Pag 40 of 57

53 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Fmals nst on th ground in a hollow bsid a shrub, log, roc, or tr (Godfry 1986; Campbll t al. 1990). Nin to 15 ggs ar laid in April to July, approximatly thr ws aftr mating (Godfry 1986; Campbll t al. 1990; Snydr 1991). Young fldg at 10 to 12 days (Campbll t al. 1990). Wathr is nown to hav a significant ffct on rproductiv succss. Warm lat spring and arly summr tmpraturs corrlat with th siz of th subsqunt fall grous harvst (Ritcy and Edwards 1963). During th wintr, Ruffd Grous us dp gratr than 25 cntimtrs snow for both roosting and scap covr, diving into snowbans whn thratnd by avian prdators (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Main prdators of Ruffd Grous in aspn forst in cntral Albrta wr Northrn Goshaws (Accipitr gntilis), Grat Hornd Owls (Bubo virginianus), and lynx (Lynx canadnsis). A.1.4 Distribution Ruffd Grous ar widly distributd from cntral Alasa, th Yuon, and Northwst Trritoris from th trlin south through BC, Albrta, Sasatchwan, northrn Ontario, Qubc, and Labrador south to California, Wyoming, and northastrn Virginia (Campbll t al. 1990). A Provincial Rang Ruffd Grous ar found throughout th provinc with th xcption of Haida Gwaii (Campbll t al. 1990). A Distribution on th Projct Ara Thr wr multipl occurrncs of Ruffd Grous ithr sn or hard in th Pac Rivr ara throughout th study yars. A total count of 416 birds wr dtctd in all survy typs including Ruffd Grous point-counts, brding bird survys, and incidntal obsrvations. On brood of nin juvnils was sightd in 2006 during brding bird survys and a nst with an gg and an adult wr obsrvd in arly 2011 with fiv juvnils obsrvd latr in th yar. Siddl (1989) lists th spcis as an uncommon rsidnt in th Pac Rivr ara. A Elvation Rang Th lvation rang is sa lvl to 2,225 mtrs. Most nsts hav bn found btwn 450 and 900 mtrs (Campbll t al. 1990). A.1.5 Lif Rquisits and Habitat Uss Ruffd Grous us habitats diffrntly in diffrnt parts of thir rang with aspn prfrrd covr in th wst and conifrs in th ast. Ruffd Grous dnsitis ar highst in aspn-dominatd Pag 41 of 57

54 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct forsts (Gullion & Svoboda 1972 citd in Cad and Sousa 1985). Ruffd Grous inhabit dciduous and mixd forsts and oftn us dgs and forst opnings, spcially nar watr (Godfry 1986; Campbll t al. 1990). In Albrta, Ruffd Grous wr most common in forst dominatd by aspn and intrsprsd with small opnings and brushy thicts to provid covr for chics (Smnchu 1992). Mal drumming sits in Albrta wr charactrizd by highr shrub young tr covr, highr covrag of young whit spruc (Pica glauca), and forst covr dominatd by aspn (Boag and Sumani 1969). Rusch and Kith (1971) rportd that Ruffd Grous in cntral Albrta wr found mainly in aspn forst in all sasons. Fw mals usd drumming sits in spruc forst, which th authors attributd to highr prdation rats in that covr typ. Drumming logs had lowr covr of papr birch (Btula papyrifra), balsam poplar (Populus balsamifra), whit spruc, and blac spruc (Pica mariana) than random sits. Avrag ag of tr-sizd aspn at drumming sits was 22 yars with fw trs oldr than 30 yars although trs gratr than 30 yars wr uncommon in that study ara. Us of spruc forst for roosting incrasd during th wintr. Most roosts wr found in aspn stands. Conifrous forsts may b usd for shltr during th wintr whil opn, shrubby aras and riparian thicts ar usd during th growing sason (Campbll t al. 1990). Snydr (1991) stats that Ruffd Grous rquir a clar viwing radius of 15 to 20 mtrs at all tims. Ruffd Grous avoid urban, suburban, and rural aras (Campbll t al. 1990). Fmals nst in dciduous, mixd, and conifrous stands (Campbll t al. 1990) but most commonly in forst with a dciduous componnt. Nsts hav bn found in burns, grasslands, wtlands, and subalpin and alpin aras (Campbll t al. 1990). All of th nsts rportd in cntral Albrta by Rusch and Kith (1971) wr in aspn stands. Th covr typs usd by fmals with broods did not diffr from that of drumming mals. Bog habitat was rarly usd. Ruffd Grous habitat will b ratd for living during all sasons ( Tabl A.1.1). Tabl A.1.1 Food/covr lif rquisit: Ruffd Grous Food/covr lif rquisit Habitat-us Months Rating column titl Food, Scurity, and Thrmal Habitat Living (Li) All BRUGR_A A.1.6 Ratings A four-class ratings schm will b usd (Tabl A.1.2). Tabl A.1.2 Habitat capability and suitability rating schm % of Provincial Bst Rating 6 Class 4 Class 2 Class 100% - 76% High 1 H 51% - 75% Modratly High 2 M U Pag 42 of 57

55 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct % of Provincial Bst Rating 6 Class 4 Class 2 Class 50% - 26% Modrat 3 25% - 6% Low 4 L 5% - 1% Vry Low 5 0% Nil 6 N Sourc: Rsourcs Invntory Committ 1999 X A Provincial Bnchmar Thr is no provincial bnchmar availabl for Ruffd Grous. High ratings ar assumd to b possibl in th study ara. A Assumptions Tabl A.1.3 Assumptions: cosystm Ruffd Grous BEC Variant Nam Symbol/Sit Sris Maximum rating (Li) BWBSmw1 $Ac Cow parsnip SH:ac/07$ M $At Blac Twinbrry SC:ab/05$ H $At - Cramy pavin AM:ap/01$ H $At - Kinniinnic LL:a/02$ H $At - Labrador ta BL:al/04$ M $At - Soopolalli SW:as/03$ H $Ep Dogwood SH:p/07$ M $Ep Rd-osir dogwood SC:p/05$ M ActSw - Rd-osir dogwood Fm02/09 Cultivatd Fild CF/00 N Cutban CB/00 N Exposd Soil ES/00 N Fuzzy-spid Wildry-Wolf willow WW/00 Gravl Bar GB/00 N Gravl Pit GP/00 N La LA/00 N Min MI/00 N Min Tailings RY/00 N Pl - Lingonbrry - Vlvtlavd blubrry LL/02 Pond PD/00 N Railway RN/00 N Rsrvoir RE/00 N Rivr RI/00 N Road RZ/00 N Roc RO/00 N M N L Pag 43 of 57

56 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct BEC Variant Nam Symbol/Sit Sris Maximum rating (Li) BWBSw1 ESSFmv2 ESSFw2 SBSw2 Rural RW/00 N Sb - Labrador ta Sphagnum Sb - Lingonbrry - Coltsfoot BT/08 BL/04 Sdg Wtland SE/00 L Shallow Opn Watr OW/00 N Sw - Currant Blublls SC/06 M Sw - Currant Horstail SH/07 M Sw - Currant - Oa frn SO/05 L Sw - Wildry Pavin SW/03 L SwAt Soopolalli AS/00 H SwAt - Stp moss AM/01 M Tamarac-sdg fn TS/10 L Urban UR/00 N Willow Horstail Sdg Riparian Wtland WH/00 Willow Sdg Wtland WS/00 L $At Highbush-cranbrry SM:hc/01$ M $At Soopolalli Sarsaparilla Pl Lingonbrry Vlvtlavd blubrry Sb Lingonbrry Coltsfoot Sw Huclbrry Stp moss SW:ss/04$ LL/02 BL/03 SM/01 Sw Wildry Pavin SW/04 M Aldr Frn avalanch trac AF/00 Bl Lingonbrry FL/02 L Bl Oa frn Knight s plum Bl Rhododndron Fathrmoss FO/04 FR/01 BlSb Labrador ta BT/03 L Aldr Frn avalanch trac Aldr Frn avalanch trac Bl Oa frn Knight s Plum Bl Oa Frn - Sarsaparilla ActSw Rd-osir dogwood Aldr Lady frn spag trac AF/00 AF/00 FO/01 FS/02 Fm02 AL/00 L L L H L M M N L L L L L L M L Pag 44 of 57

57 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct BEC Variant Nam Symbol/Sit Sris Maximum rating (Li) Cultivatd Fild CF/00 N Gravl Bar GB/00 N Gravl Pit GP/00 N Narrow-lavd Cottongrass Shor Sdg Wf13 Pl Huclbrry- Cladina LH/02 L Railway RN/00 N Rivr RI/00 N Road RZ/00 N Roc RO/00 N SbPl - Fathrmoss BF/04 L Scrub birch Watr Sdg Wf02 L Shallow Opn Watr OW/00 N Sxw Dvil s Club SD/05 M Sxw Horstail SH/06 M Sxw Huclbrry Highbush-cranbrry SC/03 N M Tabl A.1.4 Assumptions: structural stag Ruffd Grous Nam Maximum Rating (Li) 1 N 2 to 3 M 4 to 5 H 6 to 7 M A Rliability Qualifir Ruffd Grous ar found in a varity of habitats throughout th provinc. It is assumd numbrs ar rlativly lowr at highr lvations. Narly 300 dtctions wr rcordd during point-count survys compltd ovr four yars but not all habitat typs wr sampld. Confidnc in th modl is modrat. A Map Thms and Rating Adjustmnts Th map thm that can b producd for Ruffd Grous is: Living, all sasons A Adjustmnts No adjustmnts ar spcifid. Pag 45 of 57

58 A.1.7 Litratur Citd Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Brgrud, A.T. and M.W. Gratson Survival and brding stratgis of grous. In: A. T. Brgrud and M. W. Gratson (ds.), Adaptiv Stratgis and Population Ecology of Northrn Grous. Boag, D.A. and K.M. Sumani Charactristics of drumming sits slctd by Ruffd Grous in Albrta. Journal of Wildlif Managmnt 33(3): Cad, B.S. and P.J. Sousa Habitat Suitability Indx Modls: Ruffd Grous. US Fish and Wildlif Srvic, US Dpartmnt of th Intrior. Campbll, R.W., N.K. Daw, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J.M. Coopr, G.W. Kaisr and M.C.E. McNall Th Birds of British Columbia Volum 2: Non-passrins. Diurnal birds of pry through woodpcrs. Royal British Columbia Musum and Canadian Wildlif Srvic, Victoria, BC. Godfry, W.E Th Birds of Canada. Rvisd. National Musums of Canada. Univrsity of Toronto Prss, Toronto, ON. Guglilmo, C.G. and W.H. Karasov Nutritional costs of a plant scondary mtabolit xplain slctiv foraging by Ruffd Grous. Ecology 77(4): Guglilmo, C.G. and W.H. Karasov Nutritional quality of wintr brows for Ruffd Grous. Journal of Wildlif Managmnt 59(3): Hal, J.B. and R.F. Wndt Amphibians and snas as Ruffd Grous food. Wilson Bulltin 63(3): McGowan, J.D Fall and wintr foods of Ruffd Grous in intrior Alasa. Th Au 90(3): Rsourcs Invntory Committ British Columbia Wildlif Habitat Ratings Standards. BC Ministry of Environmnt, Victoria, BC. Availabl at: Ritcy, R.W. and R.Y. Edwards Grous abundanc and Jun tmpraturs in Wlls Gray Par, British Columbia. Journal of Wildlif Managmnt 27(4): Rusch, D.H. and L.B. Kith Ruffd Grous-vgtation rlationships in cntral Albrta. Journal of Wildlif Managmnt 35(3): Smnchu, G.P. (d) Th Atlas of Brding Birds of Albrta. Fdration of Albrta Naturalists, Edmonton, AB. Siddl, C Chclist of th Birds of th Pac Rivr rgion of British Columbia. Final Draft. Prpard for Habitat Consrvation Fund. Unpublishd list. Snydr, S.A Bonasa umbllus. In: Fir Effcts Information Systm, [Onlin]. US Dpartmnt of Agricultur, Forst Srvic, Rocy Mountain Rsarch Station, Fir Scincs Laboratory (Producr). Availabl at: Pag 46 of 57

59 APPENDIX B SHARP-TAILED GROUSE Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Pag 47 of 57

60 B.1 Spcis Habitat Modl: Sharp-taild Grous B.1.1 Spcis Data Common Nam: Sharp-Taild Grous (plains subspcis) Scintific Nam: Tympanuchus phasianllus jamsi Spcis Cod: B-STGR BC Status: Yllow-listd Idntifid Wildlif Status: Non COSEWIC Status: Not listd SARA Status: Not listd B.1.2 Projct data Ara: Pac Rivr Ecoprovinc: Boral Plains Ecorgions: Pac Rivr Basin Ecosctions: Pac Lowlands (PEL) BEC Variants: BWBSmw1 Map Scal: 1:20,000 B.1.3 Ecology and Habitat Rquirmnts Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th Sharp-taild Grous is an upland gam bird associatd with grassland and shrub-stpp habitats (Lupin 2003; Natural Rsourcs Consrvation Srvic 2007). Thr subspcis ar found in th provinc, with th plains Sharp-taild Grous (T. p. jamsi) prsnt in th Pac Lowlands (Lupin 2003). Adults ar short-lggd, round-bodid birds with short crsts, pal undrparts, and cryptically colourd bacs, wings, had, and nc (Connlly t al. 1998). Sharptaild Grous at a varity of sds, buds, shoots, fruits, forbs, and grasss. Wintr dits includ tamarac (Larix laricina) laf buds, papr birch buds and catins, dwarf birch (Btula glandulosa) buds and catins, ros (Rosa spp.) hips, aspn buds, sunflowr (Hlianthus spp.), chochrry (Prunus spp.) buds, goldnrod (Solidago spp.), snowbrry (Symphoricarpos alba), sasatoon (Amlanchir alnifolia), soopolalli (Shphrdia canadnsis), willow (Salix spp.) buds, dandlion (Taraxacum spp.), and inscts (Connlly t al. 1998). Summr dits ar dominatd by clovr (Trifolium spp.), fruits, goldnrod, hawwd (Hiracium spp.), grasss, grass sd, ros, dandlion, corn (Za mays), gromwll (Lithosprmum spp.), smartwd (Polygonum spp.), Orgon-grap (Brbris spp.), what (Triticum astivum), yarrow (Achilla millfolium), and inscts (Connlly t al. 1998). Inscts spcially grasshopprs ar atn mainly during th summr. Juvnils mostly fd on inscts but incorporat mor plant matrial into thir dits as thy matur and consum 90% plant matrial by th ag of 12 ws (Pros 1987). Mals display at communal ls visitd by fmals during th spring brding sason March to July (Connlly t al. 1998). Juvnil mals will bgin visiting ls in thir first fall whn thy Pag 48 of 57

61 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct ar prospcting for advrtising sits, although no mating tas plac at this tim (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Th onst of spring displays is corrlatd with th disapparanc of snow covr. Mals usually mov in a floc from thir night roosts to th l and bgin displaying at first light in th morning with anothr advrtising display again in th vning (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Matur mals gnrally occupy cntral locations and youngr birds display on th outsirts of th l ara. Th oldr, cntrally locatd mals tnd to b chosn by most fmals. Ls may b usd for many yars but do shift in location. Hndrson and Jacson (1967 citd in Brgrud and Gratson 1988) rportd that ovr 21 yars of study, 104 ls wr activ four yars or lss, 73 wr activ fiv to nin yars, 38 wr activ 10 to 14 yars, 14 wr activ 15 to 20 yars, and thr wr activ 21 yars. Th prmannc of a l may dpnd on th prmannc of th surrounding nsting covr (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Sharp-taild Grous mals may abandon ls with tall grass covr and mov to shortr covr on adjacnt rcntly-burnd or plowd aras (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Grass covr of ls may b as high as 50 to 75 cntimtrs (Amman 1957 and Sparling 1979 citd in Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Individual mals usually rmain faithful to a particular l but somtims all birds on a l will shift to a nw location. Rsarchrs hav nticd mals to a nw sit by placing fmal dcoys (Brgrud and Gratson 1988). Fmals nst on th ground, oftn in a slight dprssion and dns hrbacous or shrubby vgtation (Lupin 2003). Incubation tas 21 to 23 days (Campbll t al. 1990). Nst prdation rats ar high and lss than 50% of nsts wr succssful in on study on th Pac Rivr (Goddard and Dawson 2009). Th juvnils ar prcocial and follow th hn from th nst within a day of hatching. Young can fly within 10 days of hatching. Only on brood is producd pr yar but r-nsting may occur if th first clutch is lost (Goddard and Dawson 2009). Fmals probably ar sxually matur at on yar of ag (Gratson t al citd in Tsy 1994). Sharp-taild Grous ar partially migratory as som may shift btwn summr and wintr rangs. Othrs rmain clos to th ls yar-round (Hays t al. 1998). Flocs of up to 72 individuals hav bn obsrvd (Lupin 2003). Largr flocs form during th fall and rmain togthr through spring; birds ar gnrally found singly or in small groups during th summr (Hays t al. 1998). Pag 49 of 57

62 B.1.4 Distribution Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Th Sharp-taild Grous occurs from Alasa and th Yuon to northastrn, cntral and southrn BC, southrn Albrta, Sasatchwan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Qubc south to Wyoming, Colorado, Nbrasa, Washington and Orgon (Connlly t al. 1998). Smnchu (1992) lists it as rlativly common in th Pac Rivr parland of Albrta whr it oftn uss agricultural land (Wbstr prs. comm. citd in Lupin 2003). B Provincial Rang Th Sharp-taild Grous occurs in BC in th Pac Lowlands (plains subspcis) from Vandrhoof south to Mrritt (Columbian subspcis), at Tagis La (Alasan subspcis), and in th Liard Basin and Fort Nlson Lowlands (subspcis unnown)(lupin 2003). B Distribution on th Study Ara Siddl (1989) lists th Sharp-taild Grous as an uncommon rsidnt in th Pac Rivr ara. Th provincial govrnmnt has documntd l locations in th LAA. During fild studis ovr 70 obsrvations of Sharp-taild Grous hav bn rportd. B Elvation Rang Elvations rang from 275 to 2,135 mtrs (Campbll t al. 1990). Nsting hns in th Pac Rivr ara slctd nst sits at 550 to 650 mtrs (Goddard t al. 2009). B.1.5 Food/covr Lif Rquisits and Habitat-uss Th lif rquisits ratd for Sharp-taild Grous ar living in th growing sason and wintr (Tabl B.1.1). Tabl B.1.1 Food/covr lif rquisit: Sharp-taild Grous Food/covr lif rquisit Habitat-us Months Rating column titl Food, Scurity, and Thrmal Habitat Living growing sason (LiG) Jun to Sptmbr BSTGR_G Food, Scurity, and Thrmal Habitat Living wintr (LiW) Octobr to March BSTGR_W B Growing Sason: Jun through Sptmbr Growing sason foraging is concntratd in opn aras dominatd by forbs and grasss (Connlly t al. 1998). Cultivatd filds may also b usd. Roosting habitats ar brushy covr, aspn or willow thicts, or young conifr stands (Tsy 1994). Th hight and dnsity of vgtation sms to b mor important than spcis composition in dtrmining th suitability of covr for Sharp-taild Grous (Pros 1987). Grous in th Pac Rivr ara usd stp grassland slops along th south and wst-facing rivr bras and shrub-stpp communitis in Pag 50 of 57

63 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct moist and gntly-slopd aras along th rivr bras (Goddard t al. 2009). Forstd habitat was rarly usd. Ls ar oftn on raisd aras hill crsts or nolls but may occasionally b found on musg (Connlly t al. 1998). Ls in forstd habitats ar usually in cutblocs (Lupin 2003). Th vgtation on ls consists of grass and forbs tall nough to provid som covr but short nough to allow displaying mals to b asily viwd by th hns. Nsts ar built in dns grassy vgtation or undr spars conifr or aspn canopis and may b concald in grass clumps, undr branchs, or undr shrubs (Lupin 2003). In a study on th Pac Rivr, most nsts wr found in shrub-stpp and agricultural habitats although agricultural filds wr usd lss than availabl (Goddard and Dawson 2009; Goddard t al. 2009). Aspn forst was rarly usd for nsting. Rorsma (2001) found that plains Sharp-taild Grous in Albrta nstd in sits with mor woody covr and tallr vgtation than was prsnt on random sits. Th amount of covr prsnt at nst sits havily influncs th rat of nst prdation (Goddard and Dawson 2009). Shrubs provid concalmnt for nsts arly in th nsting sason bfor hrbacous vgtation has dvlopd. Edgs, shrubby aspn copss, and grasslands ar important brood-raring habitats (Lupin 2003; Goddard t al. 2009). Sharp-taild Grous hns raring broods in th Pac Rivr ara usd agricultural habitats primarily hayfilds and cral crops mor than availabl arly in th sason but did not slct agricultural habitats latr in th brood-raring sason (Goddard t al. 2009). Fir may b an important procss in maintaining th shrub-grassland complxs important to Sharp-taild Grous (Natural Rsourcs Consrvation Srvic 2007). Sharp-taild Grous in Utah and Colorado prfrrd slops gratr than 60%; slop was not an important charactristic of brood-raring habitat (Mars and Mars 1987 and Evans 1968 citd in Hays t al. 1998). B Wintr: Octobr through March Sharp-taild Grous bgin moving off grasslands and into shrubby wintring aras at th onst of snowfall (Brgrud and Gratson 1988; Swnson 1985 citd in Tsy 1994; Natural Rsourcs Consrvation Srvic 2007). Wintring habitat includs riparian aras, aspn complxs, dciduous hardwood shrub draws, and dciduous and opn conifrous woods (Connlly t al. 1998; Lupin 2003). Important plants on grous wintring aras in th Pac Pag 51 of 57

64 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Rivr ara ar trmbling aspn, chrry, sasatoon, snowbrry, willow, and birch (Connlly t al. 1998). Cultivatd filds may b usd whn snow is shallow. Birds burrow into snowbans to roost for th night. During priods of dp snow, gullid trrain may b usd mor than upland or agricultural habitats (Swnson 1985 citd in Tsy 1994). B.1.6 Ratings Thr is an intrmdiat lvl of nowldg on th habitat rquirmnts of Sharp-taild Grous in British Columbia and thus, a 4-class rating schm will b usd (Tabl B.1.2). Ratings will b providd for living, growing sason (BSTGR_G) and living, wintr (BSTGR_W). Tabl B.1.2 Habitat capability and suitability rating schm % of Provincial Bst Rating 6 Class 4 Class 2 Class 100% - 76% High 1 H 51% - 75% Modratly High 2 50% - 26% Modrat 3 25% - 6% Low 4 5% - 1% Vry Low 5 0% Nil 6 N Sourc: Rsourcs Invntory Committ 1999 B Provincial Bnchmar No provincial bnchmar has bn dfind for th sub-spcis. High ratings ar assumd to b possibl in th study ara. B Assumptions Growing sason ratings hav bn basd primarily on habitat suitability for rproducing-ggs habitat nsting and brood-raring rathr than l habitat (Hoffman and Thomas 2007). Th highst ratings for th growing sason ar assignd to grasslands, cultivatd filds, and shrub stags of upland or riparian dciduous forsts (Tabl B.1.3 and Tabl B.1.4). Tabl B.1.3 Assumptions: cosystm Sharp-taild Grous, growing sason BEC Variant Nam Symbol/Sit Sris Maximum Rating (LiG) BWBSmw1 $Ac Cow parsnip SH:ac/07$ M $At Blac Twinbrry SC:ab/05$ M $At - Cramy pavin AM:ap/01$ M $At - Kinniinnic LL:a/02$ L $At - Labrador ta BL:al/04$ M $At - Soopolalli SW:as/03$ M $Ep Dogwood SH:p/07$ M $Ep Rd-osir dogwood SC:p/05$ M ActSw - Rd-osir dogwood Fm02/09 M M L U X Pag 52 of 57

65 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct BEC Variant Nam Symbol/Sit Sris Maximum Rating (LiG) Cultivatd fild CF/00 H Cutban CB/00 N Exposd Soil ES/00 N Fuzzy-spid Wildry-Wolf willow WW/00 H Gravl Bar GB/00 N Gravl Pit GP/00 N La LA/00 N Min MI/00 N Min Tailings RY/00 N Pl - Lingonbrry - Vlvtlavd blubrry LL/02 M Pond PD/00 N Railway RN/00 N Rsrvoir RE/00 N Rivr RI/00 N Road RZ/00 N Roc RO/00 N Rural RW/00 N Sb - Labrador ta Sphagnum BT/08 N Sb - Lingonbrry - Coltsfoot BL/04 L Sdg Wtland SE/00 N Shallow Opn Watr OW/00 N Sw - Currant Blublls SC/06 L Sw - Currant Horstail SH/07 M Sw - Currant - Oa frn SO/05 M Sw - Wildry Pavin SW/03 L SwAt Soopolalli AS/00 H SwAt - Stp moss AM/01 L Tamarac-sdg fn TS/10 L Urban UR/00 N Willow Horstail Sdg Riparian Wtland WH/00 M Tabl B.1.4 Assumptions: structural stag Sharp-taild Grous, growing sason Nam Maximum Rating (LiG) 1 N 2 to 3 M Th highst ratings for wintr ar assignd to shrub stags of upland dciduous forsts dominatd by aspn. Wintr habitat us will b havily influncd by snow conditions (Tabl B.1.5, Tabl B.1.6, and Tabl B.1.7). Pag 53 of 57

66 Tabl B.1.5 Assumptions: cosystm - Sharp-taild Grous, wintr Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct BEC Variant Nam Symbol/Sit Sris Maximum Rating (LiW) BWBSmw1 $Ac Cow parsnip SH:ac/07$ M $At Blac Twinbrry SC:ab/05$ H $At - Cramy pavin AM:ap/01$ H $At - Kinniinnic LL:a/02$ H $At - Labrador ta BL:al/04$ L $At - Soopolalli SW:as/03$ H $Ep Dogwood SH:p/07$ M $Ep Rd-osir dogwood SC:p/05$ M ActSw - Rd-osir dogwood Fm02/09 L Cultivatd fild CF/00 L Cutban CB/00 N Exposd Soil ES/00 N Fuzzy-spid Wildry-Wolf willow WW/00 L Gravl Bar GB/00 N Gravl Pit GP/00 N La LA/00 N Min MI/00 N Min Tailings RY/00 N Pl - Lingonbrry - Vlvtlavd blubrry LL/02 L Pond PD/00 N Railway RN/00 N Rsrvoir RE/00 N Rivr RI/00 N Road RZ/00 N Roc RO/00 N Rural RW/00 N Sb - Labrador ta Sphagnum BT/08 L Sb - Lingonbrry - Coltsfoot BL/04 L Sdg Wtland SE/00 N Shallow Opn Watr OW/00 N Sw - Currant Blublls SC/06 L Sw - Currant Horstail SH/07 L Sw - Currant - Oa frn SO/05 L Sw - Wildry Pavin SW/03 L SwAt Soopolalli AS/00 H SwAt - Stp moss AM/01 L Tamarac-sdg fn TS/10 L Urban UR/00 N Pag 54 of 57

67 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct BEC Variant Nam Symbol/Sit Sris Maximum Rating (LiW) Willow Horstail Sdg Riparian Wtland WH/00 M Tabl B.1.6 Assumptions: structural stag Sharp-taild Grous, wintr Nam Maximum Rating (LiW) 1 N 2 to 3 M 4 to 5 H Tabl B.1.7 Assumptions: modifir Sharp-taild Grous, wintr Nam Maximum Rating (LiW) g H B Rliability Qualifir Us of habitats by Sharp-taild Grous will b affctd by factors that ar difficult to map.g., snow dpth and shrub and hrb hight. Cultivatd filds can b gratly influncd with grazing intnsity and crop typ. Thr is no way to prdict across landscap th r-vgtation rat for rcnt cutblocs and what ind of crop or farming will occur ach yar. Givn th uncrtaintis associatd with many of ths attributs th confidnc lvl of this modl is modrat. B Map Thms and Rating Adjustmnts Th map thms that can b producd for Sharp-taild Grous ar: Living, growing sason Living, wintr B Adjustmnts Polygons with slops gratr than 60% should b downgradd to a maximum of low for wintr. B.1.7 Litratur Citd Brgrud, A.T. and M.W. Gratson Survival and brding stratgis of grous. In: A. T. Brgrud and M. W. Gratson (ds.), Adaptiv Stratgis and Population Ecology of Northrn Grous. Campbll, R.W., N.K. Daw, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J.M. Coopr, G.W. Kaisr and M.C.E. McNall Th Birds of British Columbia Volum 2: Non-passrins. Diurnal birds of pry through woodpcrs. Royal British Columbia Musum and Canadian Wildlif Srvic, Victoria, BC. Pag 55 of 57

68 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct Connlly, J.W., M.W. Gratson and K.P. Rs Sharp-taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus). In: A. Pool (d.), Th Birds of North Amrica. Cornll Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY. Goddard, A., R. Dawson and M.P. Gillingham Habitat slction by nsting and broodraring Sharp-taild Grous. Canadian Journal of Zoology 87(4): Goddard, A.D. and R.D. Dawson Sasonal changs in habitat faturs influncing nst survival of Sharp-taild Grous in northastrn British Columbia, Canada. Ecoscinc 16(4): Hays, D.W., M.J. Tirhi and D.W. Stinson Washington Stat Status Rport for th Sharptaild Grous. Washington Dpartmnt of Fish and Wildlif, Olympia, WA. Hoffman, R.W. and A.E. Thomas Columbian Sharp-taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus columbianus): a tchnical consrvation assssmnt. USDA Forst Srvic, Rocy Mountain Rgion. Lupin, E Status of th Sharp-taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus) in British Columbia. Wildlif Bulltin No. B-104. BC Ministry of Watr, Land and Air Protction and BC Consrvation Data Cntr, Victoria, BC. Natural Rsourcs Consrvation Srvic Sharp-Taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus). Fish and Wildlif Habitat Managmnt Laflt Numbr 40. Availabl at: ftp://ftp-fc.sc.gov.usda.gov/whmi/web/pdf/tchnicallaflts/tn_b_63.pdf. Pros, B.L Habitat Suitability Indx Modls: Plains Sharp-taild Grous. US Fish & Wildlif Srvic. Rsourcs Invntory Committ British Columbia Wildlif Habitat Ratings Standards. BC Ministry of Environmnt, Victoria, BC. Availabl at: Rorsma, S.J Nsting and Brood Raring Ecology of Plains Sharp-taild Grous (Tympanuchus phasianllus) in a Mixd-Grass/Fscu Ecorgion of Southrn Albrta. M.Sc. Thsis. Univrsity of Manitoba, Winnipg, MB. Smnchu, G.P. (d) Th Atlas of Brding Birds of Albrta. Fdration of Albrta Naturalists, Edmonton, AB. Siddl, C Chclist of th Birds of th Pac Rivr rgion of British Columbia. Final Draft. Prpard for Habitat Consrvation Fund. Unpublishd list. Tsy, J.L Tympanuchus phasianllus. In: Fir Effcts Information Systm. US Dpartmnt of Agricultur, Forst Srvic, Rocy Mountain Rsarch Station, Fir Scincs Laboratory (Producr). Availabl at: Accssd Jun Pag 56 of 57

69 Sit C Clan Enrgy Projct This rport was prpard and rviwd by th undrsignd: Shawn Hilton, R.P.Bio Gnral Managr, Kyston Wildlif Rsarch Ltd. January 2013 Pag 57 of 57