ANNUAL REPORT of NWT WILDLIFE RESEARCH PERMITS INTRODUCTION Map of the Northwest Territories

2010 AnnuAl RepoRt of 2010 Annual Report NWT Wildlife ReseaRch PeRmiTs aNd WesTeRN NWT BioPhysical sTudy NWT Wildlife Research Permits and Biophysical Study NWT Wildlife Cover Photo: Boyan Tracz 2010 ANNUAL REPORT of nWt WIlDlIFE ReSeARCH PERMItS INTRODUCTION Map of the Northwest Territories ...........................................................................................................................6 ENR Administrative Regions of the NWT ............................................................................................................7 Annual Report of NWT Wildlife Research Permits ...........................................................................................9 WIlDlIfe SpecieS ReSearch Bears • Assessment of Possible Impacts of Oil and Gas Activities on Polar Bears in the Outer Mackenzie Delta and Nearshore Southern Beaufort Sea ................................................................................... 11 • Populations and Sources of Recruitment in Polar Bears ..................................................................................... 13 Birds • Latitudinal Impacts on Carry-Over Effects in a Neotropical Songbird (Dendroica petechia) ................... 15 • Population Management of Geese and Swans in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region Using Aerial Surveys and Banding Studies ...................................................................................................................... 17 • Delineation of Populations and Migratory Pathways of Yellow-billed Loons ............................................... 19 • Shorebird Surveys in the Mackenzie Delta, Northwest Territories ................................................................... 23 • The 2010 International Trumpeter Swan Survey in the Northwest Territories ............................................... 25 • Identification of Beaufort Sea Migration Corridor for Sea Ducks ...................................................................... 27 • Western Canada Cooperative Duck Banding Program at Willow Lake, Sahtu Settlement Area, Northwest Territories 2010 ........................................................................................................................................... 29 • Cooperative Waterfowl Population Surveys in the Northwest Territories ...................................................... 31 • Aerial Waterfowl Survey on Banks Island and Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, 2010 ............................................... 33 • Abundance and Productivity of Waterfowl and Other Aquatic Birds Breeding in the Boreal Forest ........................................................................................................................................................... 35 • Western Canada Cooperative Pre-season Waterfowl Banding Program Mills Lake, Northwest Territories ............................................................................................................................... 37 • Western Canada Cooperative Waterfowl Banding Program – Stagg River Station ................................... 39 • Whooping Crane Ecology and Rehabilitation ...................................................................................................... 41 • Peregrine Falcon Survey along the Mackenzie River ......................................................................................... 45 CAribou • Population Parameters, Movements, Distribution and Habitat Use of the Ahiak and Beverly Barren-ground Caribou Herds .................................................................................................................................. 47 • Population Monitoring of the South Nahanni and Coal River Caribou Herds .............................................. 49 • Arctic Island Caribou and Muskox Population Survey ....................................................................................... 51 • Monitoring of the Bathurst and Bluenose East Caribou Herd ............................................................................ 53 • Bathurst Caribou Health, Condition and Contaminant Monitoring ................................................................ 55 continued next page 3 2010 ANNUAL REPORT of nWt WIlDlIFE ReSeARCH PERMItS haRe • Speciation and Concentration of Arsenic in Hare Inhabiting the North Slave Region ............................... 59 MarteN • Comparative Study of North and South Slave Marten ....................................................................................... 63 MuskOx • Muskox Abundance and Distribution Survey ....................................................................................................... 65 Sheep • Dall’s Sheep Aerial Survey in the Richardson Mountains ................................................................................. 67 WOlverine • Wolverine DNA Sampling on the Central Barrens .............................................................................................. 69 • NWT Wolverine Carcass Collection ......................................................................................................................... 71 WIlDlIfe healTh • Wildlife Health & Genetic Monitoring ...................................................................................................................... 73 WIlDlIfe and habitaT MOnitoring • Small Mammal and Hare Transect Surveys .......................................................................................................... 77 • Ecological Regions (Ecosystem Classification) of the Northwest Territories Arctic Islands ........................ 81 ProtecteD AreaS • Protected Areas Strategy Shúhtagot'iné Néné ...................................................................................................... 83 • Ecological Assessment of the Ka’a’gee Tu Candidate Protected Area ........................................................... 85 • Ecological Assessment of Kwets'ootł'àà Candidate Protected Area ............................................................... 87 ReSearch RelaTeD to DevelOpMent ActIviteS • Tuktoyaktuk Wind Farm Bird Monitoring Project.................................................................................................. 91 • Muskwa Plateau and Beaver River Wildlife Inventory ....................................................................................... 93 • 2010 Baseline Environmental Studies, Nechalacho Rare Earth Element Project.......................................... 95 • MMG Resources Inc. Izok Project, Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat Baseline Studies ....................................... 97 • De Beers Snap Lake Mine: Wildlife Effects Monitoring Program ...................................................................... 99 • Gahcho Kué Environmental Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 101 • Fortune Minerals Ltd Nico Project Wildlife Baseline Studies ........................................................................... 103 • Quantifying Boreal Bird and Mammal Response to Human Land Use Practices in the Northwest Territories ...................................................................................................................................... 105 4 2010 ANNUAL REPORT of WeSTERn nWt BIOPHYSICAl STUDY Western NWT Biophysical Study • Western NWT Biophysical Study ............................................................................................................................ 109 • Population Dynamics, Physical Condition, Seasonal Movements, Health, Contaminants and Harvest of Barren-Ground Caribou – CLS America ................................................................................ 111 • Ecology of Boreal Woodland Caribou in the Central Mackenzie River Valley ........................................... 113 • Boreal Woodland Caribou Habitat and Productivity ........................................................................................ 115 • Boreal Caribou Fitness and Habitat Use in the Cameron Hills/ Hay River Lowlands Area of the Dehcho, Northwest Territories ................................................................................................................................. 117 • Seasonal Range Use and Movement Patterns of Boreal Caribou in the Dehcho....................................... 119 • CLS America Data Acquisition (Caribou and Grizzly Bears) .......................................................................... 123 • Dehcho Moose Population Monitoring Program ................................................................................................ 125 • Nahanni Wood Bison Population Survey ............................................................................................................. 129 • Dehcho Bi-annual Regional Wildlife Workshop ................................................................................................. 133 INDEX................................................................................................................................................................................ 135 5 Northwest Territories Centre for Geomatics 6 7 Photo: S. Topp 8 2010 Annual Report of NWT Wildlife Research Permits Under the Wildlife Act (section 24), a valid Wildlife Research Permit is required to study wildlife or wildlife habitat in the Northwest Territories (NWT). It is an offence to conduct a survey or census of wildlife or wildlife behaviour, administer drugs,

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