Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site of Canada Management Plan August 2011

Summary of Strategic Environmental Assessment

In accordance with the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals (Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, 2004), a strategic environmental assessment was conducted on the “Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site of Canada Management Plan.” The strategic environmental assess­ment process was integrated with the man­agement planning process so that potential positive and negative effects were identified early in the process and appropriate mitiga­tions and enhancements could be incorpor­ated within the plan. Some of the initiatives described in the Plan are conceptual in nature and will require further assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act when the specific project proposals have been developed. The required mitigation, surveil­lance and follow-up will be developed when the proposals are subject to project specific environmental assessments.

Each of the actions in the plan was evalu­ated to determine if they might have adverse environmental effects. Many actions are not expected to cause adverse environmental effects. Other actions are expected to have positive environmental effects, including:

• Greater knowledge of the cultural resources and heritage resources at the site through research, monitoring, and working with others;
• Restoration, preservation, and promotion of historic structures and cultural features, such as walls at the fort, and the batteries at Cape Merry;
• Development and promotion of trails and access to all three key locations of Prince of Wales Fort NHSC;
• Restoration of original site vegetation, through clearing of willows; and
• Greater connections among Canadians (including those in and around the com­munity of Churchill), international visitors, and stakeholders and partners, with Prince of Wales Fort NHSC, encouraging support for its management and interpretation.

Many of the actions proposed in the man­agement plan are focused on increasing visita­tion and local use of the sites. Most of these are off-site activities with no direct effects. Nevertheless, adverse cumulative effects to Prince of Wales Fort NHSC may result if these management actions are successful in signifi­cantly increasing the number of visitors to the site. The environmental components most likely to experience cumulative environmental impacts from increased visitation are: cultural resources, vegetation and soils, and wildlife. These components are listed below, noting the actions that may affect them, mitigation to reduce or eliminate adverse effects, and the likely importance of any adverse residual environmental effects.

No cumulative impacts are anticipated to aquatic resources, including water quality and fish, or to air quality. Mitigation of effects to those components will be addressed in project-specific environmental assessments as appro­priate, and not in this document.

Cultural Resources

The plan proposes to increase and enhance visitation to Prince of Wales Fort NHSC. Increased local use of facilities will also be encouraged. Negative cumulative effects could occur on cultural and historic resour­ces at these locations as a result of increased visitation and local use through increased foot and vehicle traffic, unauthorized collection of artefacts, and damage (intentional or uninten­tional) to the site. Measures to mitigate these impacts can occur in tandem with promotional and interpretive activities, according to site communication and interpretive strategies, including:

• Education and public awareness of cultural resource protection and values;
• Explanation to visitors and partners, of ways in which impacts can occur;
• Cooperation with partners to provide information and observations that assist with monitoring behaviour and impacts, in order to promote compliance and understanding, and to adapt mitigation as required; and
• Avoidance measures or physical separation, where appropriate.

Prince of Wales Fort NHSC has experi­ence with successful implementation of similar measures during previous preservation and site development activities. Where proposed activities will require project-specific environ­mental assessments, these mitigations will be incorporated. In addition, incorporation of effects monitoring information can be incor­porated into ongoing evaluations of visitor experience and usage at the sites.

The management plan identifies clear actions and targets that will result in an improved state of cultural resources. With mitigation of adverse effects, implementation of the plan will result in an overall positive cumulative effect to cultural resources.

Vegetation And Soils

Actions in the plan that could cause nega­tive cumulative effects on vegetation and soil include: development and upgrading of trails and restoration activities involving soil disturbance; willow removal at Cape Merry; increased local recreational opportunities and access; and overall increased visitation. The effects include soil and vegetation disturbance, especially in wet or sensitive areas, by staff or visitors, on foot or vehicle. These effects can be mitigated by:

• Ensuring facility improvements meet local expectations for site use. This will mini­mize the footprint of the impacts through focusing activities at designated areas, and reducing likelihood of off-trail or off-site exploration;
• Ensuring site promotion and interpreta­tion includes information on how effects can occur;
• Cooperating with partners to provide information and observations that assist with monitoring behaviour and impacts, to promote compliance with mitigation, and to adapt mitigations required; and
• Implementing avoidance measures, includ­ing signage, or physical separation where appropriate.

Where proposed activities will require pro­ject-specific environmental assessments, these mitigations will be incorporated. The Prince of Wales Fort NHSC has demonstrated successful implementation of similar mitigation measures in the past, and the total footprint of residual adverse impacts will be small.

Wildlife

Increased visitation and access could result in a corresponding increase in disturb­ance to polar bears which are present on site. Mitigation and public safety will be addressed through implementation of the polar bear safety plan. There is no evidence that this will have an adverse cumulative effect on the polar bear population.

Follow-Up

Implementation of the plan will include monitoring of visitor numbers, visitor experi­ence, and condition of cultural resources. Information from the monitoring and sur­veys will also provide information related to potential cumulative effects identified above. Adaptive management measures can be identi­fied and implemented as a result.

In particular, the plan proposes that visitor experience will increasingly link Parks Canada with its partners and stakeholders (through local users, tour guides, Aboriginal groups, etc). These relationships can provide ongoing means of communicating to visitors to mitigate impacts, and feedback from partners on effects or further actions that may be required.

Public Engagement

The management planning process has been conducted in consultation with inter­ested Canadians, stakeholders, Aboriginal peoples and community representatives. Further consultation on the plan, including the environmental assessment, was conducted until September 2010 and incorporated into the plan as appropriate.

Conclusion

The Prince of Wales Fort NHSC Management Plan will have several positive effects. As a result of the actions in the plan and the mitigation described, and in com­bination with appropriate project-specific environmental assessment mitigation, negative cumulative effects are not expected.