Social, Economic and Environmental Impact Assessment for the Chapais and Chibougamau Region Construction of a Logging Road for Oversized Trucks Submitted by Barrette-Chapais Ltd. July 2009 Environnement industriel Bugnon inc. Prepared by: Environnement industriel Bugnon inc 3343, avenue des Églises, local 203 Charny QC G6X 1W5 Phone: 418 832-0266 Fax: 418 832-9679 Email: [email protected] Editorial team: Jean-Luc Bugnon, biologist, M.Sc. Researcher, author and supervisor Joanne Tardif, B. Sc. (agronomy), M.Sc. Researcher and author Phone: 418 359-1366 Graphics and maps: Julie Boilard, forestry technician Construction of a Logging Road for Oversized Trucks Environmental Impact Assessment Table of Contents Table of Contents....................................................................................................................... 3 List of tables................................................................................................................................ 5 List of maps................................................................................................................................. 7 List of appendices...................................................................................................................... 8 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 9 2. Identification of the project proponent...................................................................... 10 3. Summary...................................................................................................................... 11 4. Project rationale.......................................................................................................... 13 5. Project description ...................................................................................................... 17 5.1. Corridor definition and description.................................................................................17 5.2. Logging road description..................................................................................................18 5.3. Studied and rejected corridors........................................................................................19 5.4. Main corridor .......................................................................................................................19 5.5. Alternate corridor ...............................................................................................................20 5.6. Borrow pits............................................................................................................................20 5.7. Blasting..................................................................................................................................22 5.8. Infrastructure........................................................................................................................22 5.8.1. Temporary forest camp ............................................................................................22 5.8.2. Bridges and culverts...................................................................................................24 5.9. Schedule ..............................................................................................................................29 5.10. Construction costs..............................................................................................................31 6. Public and private consultations................................................................................ 32 6.1. Pre-consultations of tallymen...........................................................................................32 6.2. Public consultations............................................................................................................32 6.2.1. Chapais and Chibougamau ...................................................................................32 6.2.2. Consultation of the Waswanipi Cree community................................................33 6.2.3. Consultation of the Oujé-Bougoumou Cree community...................................34 6.2.4. Consultation of the Mistissini Cree community.....................................................35 6.3. Private consultations..........................................................................................................35 6.4. Recommendations arising from public and private consultations...........................35 7. Description of the environment .................................................................................. 37 7.1. Overall assessment area...................................................................................................37 7.2. Local assessment area ......................................................................................................42 7.3. Assinica wildlife reserve .....................................................................................................43 7.4. Physical environment.........................................................................................................43 7.5. Hydrographical environment...........................................................................................48 7.5.1. Peat bogs.....................................................................................................................49 7.6. Ecological environment....................................................................................................49 7.6.1. Description of the vegetation..................................................................................49 7.6.2. Special status floristic species ..................................................................................52 7.7. Description of the fauna ...................................................................................................53 7.7.1. Special status faunal species...................................................................................53 7.7.2. Spawning grounds .....................................................................................................54 7.8. Description of the social environment............................................................................54 7.8.1. Socio-economic environment of the Cree community.....................................54 7.8.2. Demographics............................................................................................................57 7.8.3. Hunting, fishing and trapping activities .................................................................63 8. Impact assessment ..................................................................................................... 67 8.1. Impact assessment approach.........................................................................................67 Barrette-Chapais ltée Page 3 of 102 Construction of a Logging Road for Oversized Trucks Environmental Impact Assessment 8.2. Impact sources....................................................................................................................67 8.2.1. Construction stage.....................................................................................................67 8.2.2. Operational stage......................................................................................................68 8.3. Impact assessment methodology...................................................................................68 8.3.1. Intensity.........................................................................................................................69 8.3.2. Extent............................................................................................................................69 8.3.3. Duration........................................................................................................................69 8.4. Anticipated impacts during construction......................................................................71 8.4.1. Impact assessment ....................................................................................................71 8.5. Anticipated impacts during construction......................................................................73 8.6. Description of the impacts during road use..................................................................74 8.6.1. Opening up of family hunting grounds..................................................................74 8.6.2. Woodland caribou ....................................................................................................74 8.6.3. Access to category II lands......................................................................................76 8.7. Anticipated positive impacts...........................................................................................76 8.8. Combination of impacts...................................................................................................76 9. Mitigation measures.................................................................................................... 79 9.1. Background .........................................................................................................................79 9.2. Mitigation measures...........................................................................................................80 9.2.1. Fragmentation of the territory and disturbance of woodland caribou (alternate