Letter of Comment(A62643)

Name: Ms. Hannon, Susan Title: Group:

Your Application to Participate (ATP): A56868 filed on 2014-02-02 Letter of Comment Filing Date: 2014-09-04 Hearing Information Project Name: Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project Company: Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC File Number: OF-Fac-Oil-T260-2013-03 02 Hearing Order: OH-001-2014 Comments Views on project: I believe that the Board should reject the proposal because of the potential harm to marine ecosystems. I am concerned about the potential effects of oil spills and on the possible sublethal and cumulative effects of slower oil leakage on shorebirds and waterbirds. In addition, increased tanker traffic through the Salish Sea and connected straights will cause more disturbance to birds. These areas are major wintering sites for thousands of ducks, loons, grebes, swans and other waterbirds from inland areas of Canada and are breeding areas for many resident bird species (cormorants, herons, gulls, including some SARA listed species (e.g. marbled murrelet).

Expertise: BSc (1974) Marine Biology, University of Guelph MSc (1978) Ecology, University of Alberta PhD (1984), Avian ecology, University of Professor (1984-2009), Ecology, University of Alberta, currently Emeritus Professor Over 35 years of experience doing research on populations of birds, 25 years of teaching ecology and conservation biology at a major university. I'm an active birdwatcher and wildlife conservationist. I am currently a resident of , who moved here in order to enjoy the wildlife, ocean and beaches.

Importance of the Salish Sea to marine birds

The Salish Sea contains more than 20 globally significant “Important Bird Areas” (IBA's) that support more than 1% of the world’s population of 25 species at some point in their life cycle. These sites are designated by Birdlife International as globally significant habitat for conservation of bird populations. Seventy-two bird 444 Seventh Avenue SW Telephone/Téléphone : (403) 292-4800 Calgary, Alberta T2P 0X8 Facsimile/Télécopieur : (403) 292-5503 http://www..neb-one.gc.ca 444, Septième Avenue S.-O. 1-800-899-1265 Calgary (Alberta) T2P 0X8 1 and 29 mammal species depend on the Salish Sea’s intertidal (mudflats, salt marshes, eel grass beds) and marine habitats (Gaydos and Pearson 2011) for significant periods of their life cycles. The tanker route for the Kinder Morgan trans Mountain Pipeline passes within a few kilometres of six of these IBA’s (Fig 1). This commentary focusses on the birdlife in these six areas. Information was obtained from the Canadian IBA website.

As tankers leave the Westridge Marine terminal in Burnaby BC, they pass through Burrard Inlet, site of the Burrard Inlet Important Bird Area (Fig. 1). This area protects globally important populations of Western Grebe, Barrow's Goldeneye and Surf Scoter and nationally important habitat for the Great Blue Heron. The grebes and ducks were historically found spending the winter here in the thousands, though now their populations have dwindled. The Great Blue Heron (faninni subspecies; listed under the federal Species at Risk Act as Special Concern) feeds along the shores of English Bay and Burrard Inlet. Ospreys, Cormorants and Bald eagles nest and feed in the area.

As the tankers turn south and move through the Strait of Georgia they pass the alongside the Fraser River Estuary, where the Boundary Bay, Roberts Bank, Sturgeon Bank and Fraser River Estuary IBA is located (Fig 1). This IBA is a major stopover for migrating shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors of the Pacific Flyway. Millions of birds migrating from as far away as South America land on the mudflats and marshes of the Fraser River estuary in spring to feed on their route north to their breeding grounds. The reverse happens in the fall. Some species spend the entire winter in the estuary. This IBA supports globally or continent