Marmot Basin Ski Area Site Guide Guidelines for Development and Use Strategic Environmental Assessment February 2008 Marmot Basin Site Guidelines February 2008 Strategic Environmental Assessment I February 2008 Marmot Basin Site Guidelines February 2008 Strategic Environmental Assessment II Marmot Basin Ski Area Site Guidelines for Development and Use Strategic Environmental Assessment This strategic environmental assessment has been approved by: __________________________ _____ _ Greg Fenton Superintendent Jasper National Park of Canada February 2008 Marmot Basin Site Guidelines February 2008 Strategic Environmental Assessment i Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 OVERVIEW ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THIS REPORT .......................................................................................... 1 1.3 USE OF THIS REPORT ....................................................................................................... 2 2 LEGAL AND POLICY FRAMEWORK ............................................................................ 3 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 3 2.2 CANADA NATIONAL PARKS ACT ..................................................................................... 3 2.3 GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND OPERATIONAL POLICIES ....................................................... 3 2.4 PARKS CANADA AGENCY CORPORATE PLAN ................................................................. 4 2.5 JASPER NATIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN .............................................................. 4 2.6 SKI AREA MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES ........................................................................... 5 2.7 SPECIES AT RISK ACT ...................................................................................................... 6 2.8 CABINET DIRECTIVE ON THE ASSESSMENT OF POLICIES , P LANS AND PROGRAM PROPOSALS .................................................................................................................................. 6 3 PUBLIC CONSULTATION................................................................................................. 8 4 APPROACH .......................................................................................................................... 9 4.1 STRATEGIC APPROACH .................................................................................................... 9 4.2 GEOGRAPHIC AND TEMPORAL SCOPE ............................................................................. 9 4.3 ALTERNATIVES .............................................................................................................. 10 4.4 ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY ............................................................................................... 11 4.5 CULTURAL RESOURCES ................................................................................................. 12 4.6 VISITOR EXPERIENCE .................................................................................................... 12 4.7 REGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY ...................................................................... 13 4.8 APPROACH TO CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ASSESSMENT .................................................... 14 5 MARMOT BASIN SITE GUIDELINES........................................................................... 15 5.1 LIMITATIONS TO SCOPE OF THE SITE GUIDELINES ........................................................ 15 5.2 SUMMARY OF SITE GUIDELINES .................................................................................... 16 6 DESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENT............................................................................. 20 6.1 REGIONAL ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................................. 20 6.2 LOCAL ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................. 21 6.3 CLIMATE CHANGE ......................................................................................................... 22 7 VALUED COMPONENTS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT ...................... 24 7.1 VALUED COMPONENTS OF ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY .................................................... 24 7.2 VALUED COMPONENTS OF VISITOR EXPERIENCE ......................................................... 24 7.3 VALUED COMPONENTS – R EGIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY ............................. 25 8 IMPACT ASSESSMENT - ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY............................................ 26 8.1 NATIVE VEGETATION DIVERSITY .................................................................................. 26 8.2 RARE /S ENSITIVE SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES .............................................................. 31 February 2008 Marmot Basin Site Guidelines February 2008 Strategic Environmental Assessment ii 8.3 SMALL MAMMAL HABITAT STRUCTURE ....................................................................... 35 8.4 HISTORIC FIRE REGIME ................................................................................................. 41 8.5 SOILS AND TERRAIN - E ARTH FLOW FEATURES , S ATURATED GLACIAL TILL AND SOILS 44 8.6 SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE FLOW REGIMES ................................................................ 47 8.7 WATER QUALITY ........................................................................................................... 52 8.8 GRIZZLY BEAR .............................................................................................................. 55 8.9 WOODLAND CARIBOU ................................................................................................... 59 8.10 MOUNTAIN GOAT .......................................................................................................... 66 8.11 WOLVERINE ................................................................................................................... 71 8.12 CANADA LYNX .............................................................................................................. 75 8.13 RESIDUAL CUMULATIVE IMPACTS TO ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY ................................... 77 9 IMPACT ASSESSMENT – VISITOR EXPERIENCE ................................................... 80 9.1 VISITOR NEEDS AND EXPECTATIONS ............................................................................ 80 9.2 VISITOR EDUCATION AND NATIONAL PARK EXPERIENCE ............................................ 81 9.3 VIEWSCAPES AND AESTHETICS ..................................................................................... 81 9.4 AVOIDING VISITOR USE CONFLICTS ............................................................................... 82 9.5 VISITOR USE IMPACT SUMMARY ................................................................................... 82 10 IMPACT ASSESSMENT – INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY ................................ 84 10.1 ROAD AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM CAPACITY ......................................................... 84 10.2 WATER SUPPLY AND DEMAND AND DOWNSTREAM WATER QUALITY ........................... 84 10.3 ELECTRICAL SUPPLY AND DEMAND ............................................................................... 85 10.4 VISITOR AND STAFF ACCOMMODATION CAPACITY . ...................................................... 85 10.5 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM .................................................................... 86 10.6 INFRASTRUCTURE CAPACITY IMPACT SUMMARY ......................................................... 86 11 FOLLOW-UP .................................................................................................................. 87 12 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.............................................................................. 87 13 LITERATURE CITED................................................................................................... 91 13.1 SECTION 6 - D ESCRIPTION OF ENVIRONMENT ............................................................... 91 13.2 SECTION 8.1 – N ATIVE VEGETATION DIVERSITY .......................................................... 91 13.3 SECTION 8.2 – R ARE /S ENSITIVE SPECIES AND COMMUNITIES ...................................... 92 13.4 SECTION 8.3 – S MALL MAMMAL HABITAT STRUCTURE ............................................... 92 13.5 SECTION 8.4 – H ISTORIC FIRE REGIME ......................................................................... 93 13.6 SECTION 8.5 – S OILS AND TERRAIN FEATURES ............................................................. 94 13.7 SECTION 8.6 – S URFACE AND SUBSURFACE FLOW REGIMES ........................................ 94 13.8 SECTION 8.7 – W ATER QUALITY ................................................................................... 95 13.9 SECTION 8.8 – G RIZZLY BEAR ....................................................................................... 96 13.10 SECTION 8.9 – W OODLAND CARIBOU ....................................................................... 98 13.11 SECTION 8.10 – M OUNTAIN GOAT .......................................................................... 102 13.12 SECTION 8.11 - W OLVERINE .................................................................................... 104 13.13 SECTION 8.12 - L YNX .............................................................................................