RARE PLANT SURVEY FOR THE PROPOSED NOVA GAS TRANSMISSION LTD. KEARL EXTENSION PIPELINE PROJECT August 2010 6426 Prepared for: Prepared by: NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of TERA Environmental Consultants TransCanada PipeLines Limited Suite 1100, 815 - 8th Avenue S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2P 3P2 Calgary, Alberta Ph: 403-265-2885 NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. Rare Plant Survey Kearl Lake Pipeline Project August 2010 / 6426 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Ecosystem Classification .................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 METHODS ....................................................................................................................................... 4 2.1 Pre-Field Assessment......................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Study Area Boundaries ....................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Rare Plant Surveys ............................................................................................................. 4 2.4 Non-Native and Invasive Species....................................................................................... 5 3.0 KNOWN SPECIES OF CONCERN ................................................................................................. 6 3.1 Federal Species of Concern ............................................................................................... 6 3.2 Provincial Species of Concern............................................................................................ 6 4.0 RESULTS......................................................................................................................................... 8 4.1 Survey Limitations............................................................................................................... 8 4.2 Rare Plants ......................................................................................................................... 8 4.2.1 Goldthread (S3 W) ................................................................................................. 8 4.2.2 Conic liverwort (S2)................................................................................................ 9 4.2.3 Meadow bitter cress (S3 W)................................................................................... 9 4.2.4 Saxifrage species (S3?)......................................................................................... 9 4.3 Rare Ecological Communities............................................................................................. 9 4.4 Aboriginal Field Participation ............................................................................................ 10 4.5 Forest Pests ...................................................................................................................... 10 4.6 Non-Native and Invasive Species..................................................................................... 10 5.0 DISCUSSION AND MITIGATION RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................... 18 5.1 General Vegetation Recommendations............................................................................ 18 5.2 Rare Plant and Rare Ecological Community Recommendations ..................................... 19 6.0 REFERENCES............................................................................................................................... 25 6.1 Personal Communications ................................................................................................ 25 6.2 Literature Cited.................................................................................................................. 25 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A Potential Rare Vascular Plant Species in the Central Mixedwood Natural Subregion.......................................................................................................................... 28 Appendix B Potential Rare Ecological Communities in the Central Mixedwood Natural Subregion.......................................................................................................................... 33 Appendix C Observed Plant Species – by Type and Common Name ................................................. 35 Appendix D Photoplates ....................................................................................................................... 41 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Regional Location and Known Rare Plant Occurrences..................................................... 3 Figure 2 Rare Plant Locations, 2009 and 2010............................................................................... 11 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Previously Recorded Rare Plant Occurrences Within Close Proximity (<5 km) to the Proposed Pipeline..................................................................................................... 6 Page i NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. Rare Plant Survey Kearl Lake Pipeline Project August 2010 / 6426 Table 2 General Vegetation Mitigation Measures.......................................................................... 18 Table 3 Mitigative Measures for Occurrences of Rare Plants Observed Along the Kearl Lake Pipeline Project............................................................................................... 20 LIST OF PLATES Plate 1 View south of black spruce bog community type, observed in SW 22-95-7 W4M (June 24, 2010). .................................................................................. 42 Plate 2 View north of shrub-dominated swamp community type, observed in SW 16-96-7 W4M (June 27, 2010). .................................................................................. 42 Plate 3 View northeast of aspen forest community type, observed in SW 22-95-7 W4M (June 25, 2010). .................................................................................. 43 Plate 4 View east of wetland community type, observed in SW 22-95-7 W4M (June 24, 2010)................................................................................................................. 43 Plate 5 View west of fen-like marsh community type, observed adjacent to the Muskeg River in SW 16-96-7 W4M (June 27, 2010). ....................................................... 44 Plate 6 Close up of goldthread located in 5-3-97-7 W4M (June 23, 2010)................................... 44 Plate 7 Habitat of goldthread population located in 13-33-96-7 W4M (June 24, 2010)................ 45 Plate 8 Close up of conic liverwort observed at 6-22-95-7 W4M (June 25, 2010)........................ 45 Plate 9 Habitat of conic liverwort located at 11-9-96-7 W4M (June 26, 2010).............................. 46 Plate 10 Close up of meadow bitter cress flower (June 24, 2010).................................................. 46 Plate 11 Habitat of meadow bitter cress, observed at 7-10-95-7 W4M (June 24, 2010)................ 47 Plate 12 Close up of saxifrage species observed at 7-10-95-7 W4M (June 23, 2010)................... 47 Plate 13 Close up of saxifrage species observed at 7-10-95-7 W4M (June 23, 2010)................... 48 Page ii NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. Rare Plant Survey Kearl Lake Pipeline Project August 2010 / 6426 1.0 INTRODUCTION NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of TransCanada PipeLines Limited (TransCanada), has applied to the National Energy Board (NEB) under Section 58 of the NEB Act for authorization to construct and operate the proposed Kearl Extension Pipeline Project (the Project). The proposed pipeline is located approximately 35 km east of the community of Fort McKay and approximately 57 km north of the city of Fort McMurray in northeast Alberta (Figure 1). The proposed pipeline will transport sweet natural gas for approximately 23.3 km from the existing NGTL Kearl Extension Side Valve in 13-34-94-7 W4M (KP 0.0) to the proposed Kearl Sales Meter Station in 4-10-97-7 W4M (KP 23.3). From 13-34-94-7 W4M to a proposed block valve in 2-15-95-7 W4M, the proposed pipe size is 609.6 mm outside diameter (O.D.) (NPS 24-inch). For the remainder of the pipeline route, from 2-15-95-7 W4M to 4-10-97-7 W4M, the proposed pipe size is 508.0 mm O.D. (NPS 20-inch). The Project has been aligned to parallel existing linear corridors (winter roads, gravel roads and existing pipeline rights-of-way) for approximately 4.6 km (20% of the route). As well, the pipeline route has been aligned to parallel the following proposed pipelines for approximately 14.5 km (62% of the route): the Inter Pipeline Fund (IPF) Diluent Pipeline Expansion Project, the Enbridge Pipelines Inc. (Enbridge) Kearl Pipeline Project and the Husky Energy pipeline. Of the total length, approximately 4.2 km (18%) of the proposed pipeline route will require new cut (i.e., does not follow an existing or proposed linear corridor). For ease of description, the proposed pipeline route is described using Kilometre Posts (KPs) beginning at the existing NGTL Kearl Extension Side Valve (KP 0.0) and terminating at the proposed Kearl Sales Meter Station (KP 23.3). All of the proposed pipeline route is located within the Green Area of Alberta. The construction