Deas Island Regional Park (Appendix A, Figure 1H and 1G)
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George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project – PART B VEGETATION ASSESSMENT 4.7 Vegetation Assessment Overview The Highway 99 corridor is a highly developed area and vegetation along the Project alignment reflects the influence of past development. Project components and activities will be primarily located within the existing Highway 99 ROW, where the vegetation consists mainly of grassy, mowed verges. Through Project planning, the Ministry has taken steps to avoid or minimize Project- related effects on at-risk ecosystems, primarily cattail marsh and estuary marsh, that occur in the vicinity of the Project. Creating comparable habitat within the Project alignment will offset unavoidable potential Project-related effect, which is limited to a small reduction in area of the cattail marsh that overlaps with Project components. No at-risk vegetation species were observed during field surveys and their presence is unlikely, given the disturbed nature of habitats present. Applying best practices such as flagging of at-risk ecosystems to avoid encroachment during construction, removal of invasive species within areas required for the Project, and replanting of disturbed areas with native species will ensure that Project-related effects on vegetation are effectively addressed. No Project-related residual or cumulative effects on vegetation are expected. 4.7 Vegetation This section presents the results of the assessment of potential effects of the Project on vegetation, and includes a description of existing conditions, potential Project-related effects and proposed mitigation measures, and an evaluation of residual Project-related and cumulative effects. The assessment of potential Project-related effects on vegetation presented in this section is confined to non-agricultural vegetated ecosystems. Potential effects of the Project on agricultural lands are described in Section 5.4 Agricultural Use. In this assessment, vegetation refers to terrestrial and wetland plant species and ecosystems, particularly those considered federally or provincially to be at-risk (i.e. native species, subspecies, or ecological communities identified as being vulnerable to population declines). Potential Project interaction with aquatic vegetation species is discussed in Section 4.4 Fish and Fish Habitat. 4.7.1 Context and Boundaries This section describes the context for assessment of Project-related effects on vegetation in terms of Project setting and defines the spatial, temporal, administrative, and technical assessment boundaries. Rationale for selecting the assessment boundaries as defined is also provided. 4.7-1 George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project – PART B VEGETATION ASSESSMENT No jurisdictional, economic, or social constraints that could impose limitations on the assessment of potential Project-related effects, accessibility constraints, or gaps in data that could limit the ability to predict the effects of the Project were identified; therefore, administrative or technical boundaries are not considered relevant. 4.7.1.1 Assessment Context The Project is located largely within the right-of-way (ROW) of an active transportation corridor and vegetation within the Project alignment is generally indicative of intense management associated with urban and agricultural development. There are, however, small portions of the Project alignment that support native vegetation, which may include species or ecosystems that are considered to be at risk by provincial or federal regulators, or are of interest to Aboriginal Groups. Additional information supporting the selection of vegetation as a VC is provided in Section 3.1 Issues Scoping and Selection of Valued Components. 4.7.1.2 Methodology The assessment of vegetation follows the general methodology described in Section 3.0 Assessment Methodology and applied to all VCs. Building on this approach, the assessment of vegetation was designed to focus on specific vegetation species and ecosystems considered most appropriate in the context of existing conditions in the Project area. In this context, the assessment of vegetation focuses on two sub-components as presented in Table 4.7-1. Table 4.7-1 Sub-components of Vegetation Sub-Component Rationale for Selection Considered to be at risk (Red- or Blue-listed) by provincial At-risk ecosystems regulators and potentially present within the Project alignment. Considered to be at risk by provincial regulators (Red- or Blue- At-risk plant species listed) or federal regulators (Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern) and potentially present within the Project alignment. The presence and extent of at-risk ecosystems, described in terms of spatial extent and location, and species populations were used as indicators to assess trends of vegetation within the assessment area and evaluate potential Project-related effects. Table 4.7-2 presents the indicators chosen for the assessment of Project-related effects on the two vegetation sub- components, and the rationale for their selection. 4.7-2 George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project – PART B VEGETATION ASSESSMENT Table 4.7-2 Indicators for Assessment of Vegetation Sub-components Vegetation Indicators Rationale for Selection Sub-component Quantifies existing abundance and possible At-risk plant Presence and extent of reduction in abundance due to Project- species individual species related clearing and habitat alteration. Quantifies existing abundance and possible Presence and extent of At-risk ecosystems reduction in abundance due to Project- population(s) related clearing and habitat alteration. 4.7.1.3 Assessment Boundaries The assessment boundaries for vegetation are defined below. Spatial Boundaries The local assessment area (LAA) for vegetation is defined in Table 4.7-3, and shown in Figure 4.7-1 and Appendix A, Figures 1a to 1p). The boundaries of the assessment area take into account the scale and spatial extent of potential environmental effects that are appropriate for the two sub-components. Table 4.7-3 Spatial Boundaries for Vegetation Assessment Spatial Boundary Description of Assessment Area The area within a 500-m wide corridor, extending 250 m from either side of the Highway 99 centreline, over the length of the Local Assessment Project alignment, including interchanges. In the area of Deas Area (LAA) Island, the LAA is extended to include the entire island, some of which extends beyond 250 m on either side of the Highway 99 centreline. Regional Assessment Project-related effects on vegetation are expected to be limited to Area (RAA) within the LAA; therefore the RAA is defined the same as the LAA. 4.7-3 George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project – PART B VEGETATION ASSESSMENT The LAA for vegetation (Table 4.7-3) was established to encompass the area within which the Project is expected to interact with, and potentially have an effect on vegetation. In determining the LAA boundaries, consideration was given to the nature and characteristics of the vegetation sub-components, their potential exposure to habitat loss due to Project-related activities, and the maximum extent of potential effects. The Project is part of an existing transportation corridor and is located within a highly disturbed urban setting. The extent of plants and ecosystems likely to be affected by Project-related activities is constrained by the nature of adjacent land uses; therefore, a 500-m wide corridor that incorporates the Project alignment is considered sufficient to understand potential Project-related effects and to design appropriate mitigation measures where needed. Deas Island was included into the assessment in April 2016 as an extension to the vegetation study area. Since Project-related effects on vegetation are expected to be limited to within the LAA, the RAA has been defined same as the LAA (i.e. extending over the length of the Project alignment, including interchanges). 4.7-4 Coquitlam New Burnaby Pitt Meadows Burnaby Westminster Vancouver F ra Maple Ridge se r Riv er N Richmond ort George h A rm Massey Bridgeport Road Tunnel Surrey Delta Langley Area Enlarged Richmond Tsawwassen Richmond First Nation Boundary Bay White 17 Canada Nature Park UV Rock Washington U.S.A 0 5 10 UV91 Kilometres Annacis Channel Legend Westminster Highway Vegetation Local and Regional Assessment Areas Project Alignment First Nation Reserve Municipal Boundaries Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area Blundell Road Waterbody Canada - U.S. Border 99 Surrey U V Highway Fraser River South Arm Arterial/Collector Road Deas Island Regional Park oa d er R Riv Steveston Highway 91 t h UV g e u e o r Burns Bog t No 5 Road l S S SOURCES s b a e 2 Parks and Protected Lands, First Nations Reserves from GeoBC, 6 D United States basemap data courtesy of USGS. Burns Bog courtesy of The Corporation of Delta and based on the Metro Dyke Road Vancouver Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area Management George Plan - May 2007, all other data courtesy of Canvec - GeoGratis. 17 Massey U V Tunnel ± 1:65,000 UV10 UV99 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 ad Ro er Kilometres Riv GEORGE MASSEY TUNNEL Delta REPLACEMENT PROJECT 17A U V VEGETATION LOCAL AND REGIONAL ASSESSMENT AREA Boundary Figure 4.7-1 13/05/2016 Bay MUSQUEAM I.R. 4 Path: O:\!217-299\285\077\03\mxd\Vegetation\EA\Fig4-7-1_285_077_03_EA_Veg-AA_160503_FINAL.mxd George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project – PART B VEGETATION ASSESSMENT Temporal Boundaries Temporal boundaries for the assessment of Project-related effects on vegetation were established based on the potential for each phase of the Project to interact with