Banff National Park of Canada
Park Management
Trans-Canada Highway Twinning Project: Phase IIIB
Environmental Screening Report - Report Summary
Table A: Summary of Issues, Impact Characteristics, and Key Mitigation
Wildlife
Issue
Wildlife Habitat
Impact Characteristics(a)
Direction: both adverse and positive
Magnitude: low for direct and indirect habitat loss due to site clearing
(i.e., less than 5% of the habitat within the LSA is affected for all VECs);
low for increased edge; low for sensory disturbance except harlequin ducks
that may be affected during construction; no effect for air and water quality
changes; no effect for change in hydrology
Geographic Extent: low
Duration: perpetual for all VECs
Frequency: continuous
Habitat Consequence: -1 for all VECs except those benefiting from
increased edge (0)
Key Mitigation
- Minimize development footprint, including fenced area
- Avoid wetlands and other sensitive habitats
- Use disturbed areas as much as possible
- Schedule construction activities within sight. of important harlequin duck
concentration areas to reduce sensory disturbance
Issue
Wildlife Connectivity
Impact Characteristics(a)
Direction: adverse
Magnitude: low to high
Geographic Extent: low to high
Duration: perpetual
Frequency: continuous
Connectivity Consequence: -1 for harlequin ducks,
passerines, elk and deer -2 for small- to medium-sized
mammals: -3 for boreal toads, lynx, wolf, black bears, grizzly bears,
moose, and -4 for wolverines
Key Mitigation
- Wildlife crossing structures to be constructed, using design criteria developed
over 5 years of monitoring
- Separate human and wildlife use of crossing structures
- Schedule construction activities around important harlequin duck breeding creeks to reduce potential
effects on movements of females back and forth to the Bow River during nesting.
Issue
Wildlife Mortality
Impact Characteristics(a)
Direction: neutral to adverse for site clearing; neutral to
positive for vehicle-wildlife collisions, neutral to adverse
for interactions with people; neutral for physiological
stress
Magnitude: no effect to low for site clearing; neutral to
high positive for vehicle-wildlife collisions; neutral to
high adverse for interactions with people; neutral for
physiological stress
Geographic Extent: low to high
Duration: perpetual
Frequency: continuous
Mortality Consequence: 1 for site clearing; 1 to 4 (positive) for
vehicle-wildlife collisions; 1 (positive) for interactions with infrastructure;
1 to 4 (positive) for interactions with people
Key Mitigation
- Wildlife to be excluded from highway by fencing and appropriate mitigation
at fence ends and other entry points
- Restrict land clearing to avoid nesting periods
- Fence screening to increase fence visibility in vicinity of creeks used
by breeding harlequin ducks