Model Class Screening Report For Routine Frontcountry Projects In Lake Louise and Yoho and Kootenay National Parks Parks Canada Agency Winter 2012 Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Class Screening and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act .................... 1 1.2 Spatial Boundaries of the Class Screening Area .................................................. 2 1.3 Rationale for the Model Class Screening ............................................................. 2 2. ROUTINE PROJECTS WITHIN FRONTCOUNTRY AREAS COVERED BY THE MODEL CLASS SCREENING REPORT .............................................................. 16 2.1 Projects Subject to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act .................... 16 2.2 Routine Projects Not Suited to the MCSR ......................................................... 16 2.3 Summary of Routine Projects Subject to Class Screening ................................. 18 2.3.1 Buildings and Other Structures ................................................................... 18 2.3.2 Service Lines ............................................................................................... 18 2.3.3 Roads, Parking Lots, Sidewalks, Boardwalks and Trails ........................... 19 2.3.4 Vegetation Management ............................................................................. 19 3. ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH ROUTINE FRONTCOUNTRY PROJECTS 20 3.1 General Activities ............................................................................................... 20 3.2 Site Preparation .................................................................................................. 20 3.3 Buildings ............................................................................................................ 21 3.4 Service Lines ...................................................................................................... 21 3.5 Roads, Parking Lots, Sidewalks and Trails ........................................................ 22 3.6 Vegetation Management .................................................................................... 22 3.7 Site Rehabilitation .............................................................................................. 22 3.8 Scheduling of Projects ........................................................................................ 22 4. DESCRIPTION OF CLASS SCREENING AREA .................................................. 24 4.1 Ecological Setting .............................................................................................. 24 4.2 Environmentally Sensitive Sites ......................................................................... 28 4.2.1 Kootenay National Park .............................................................................. 28 4.2.2 Yoho National Park ..................................................................................... 28 4.3 Zone I – Special Preservation ............................................................................. 28 4.4 Species at Risk ................................................................................................... 30 4.4.1 American Badger (Taxidea taxus jeffersonii) ............................................. 31 4.4.2 Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) ......................................... 31 4.4.3 Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) ........................................................................ 33 4.4.4 Wolverine (Gulo gulo) ................................................................................ 35 4.4.5 Western (Boreal) Toad (Anaxyrus boreas) ................................................. 35 4.4.6 Rubber Boa (Charina bottae) ...................................................................... 36 4.4.7 Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) ................................................................. 36 4.4.8 Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) ................................................... 37 4.4.9 Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) ................................................ 37 4.4.10 Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) ..................................................... 37 4.4.11 Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) ......................... 38 4.5 Other Important Areas for Wildlife .................................................................... 39 4.5.1 Sinclair Canyon and the Redstreak Area .................................................... 39 4.5.2 Lake Louise ................................................................................................. 40 4.5.3 Kicking Horse Pass ..................................................................................... 40 i 4.5.4 Vermilion Valley ........................................................................................ 41 4.5.5 Montane Areas ............................................................................................ 41 4.6 Aquatic Resources .............................................................................................. 41 4.6.1 Amphibians ................................................................................................. 41 4.6.2 Fish .............................................................................................................. 42 4.7 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................. 45 4.7.1 Heritage Buildings ...................................................................................... 45 4.7.2 Archaeological Sites ................................................................................... 46 5. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF ROUTINE PROJECTS WITHIN FRONTCOUNTRY AREAS ............................................................................................ 48 5.1 Likely Environmental Effects of Routine Projects ............................................ 48 5.2 Mitigation of Environmental Effects .................................................................. 48 6. REVIEWING AND AMENDING THE MODEL CLASS SCREENING REPORT 72 6.1 Consultation and the Class Screening Process ................................................... 72 6.1.1 Original Consultation .................................................................................. 72 6.1.2 Consultation for Re-declaration .................................................................. 72 6.1.3 Aboriginal Consultation .............................................................................. 72 6.2 Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry .................................................. 73 6.3 Procedures for Revising the Model Class Screening Report ............................. 73 6.3.1 Amendments ............................................................................................... 74 6.3.2 Re-declaration ............................................................................................. 74 6.4 Term of Application ........................................................................................... 74 7. PREPARATION OF INDIVIDUAL CLASS SCREENING REPORTS ................. 75 7.1 Responsibilities and Timelines ........................................................................... 75 7.2 Preparing the Class Screening Project Report .................................................... 76 7.3 LLYK Frontcountry Class Screening Project Report Form ............................... 77 7.3.1 Instructions for Completing the Class Screening Project Report Form ...... 77 8. REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 94 ii List of Tables Table 1.1 Class Screening Area (CSA) for Frontcountry Areas in Kootenay National Park, Yoho National Park and north-west Banff National Park ......................................... 4 Table 4.1 Ecoregions and Ecosites of Frontcountry Facilities .................................... 25 Table 4.2 Frontcountry areas within 100 m of an Environmentally Sensitive Site or Special Preservation Zone ................................................................................................. 29 Table 4.3 Frontcountry areas where there is the potential to disrupt a terrestrial species at risk .................................................................................................................... 30 Table 4.4 Frontcountry Areas within 100 m of Known Amphibian Sites .................. 42 Table 4.5 Frontcountry Areas Located less than 100 m from Water .......................... 43 Table 4.6 Buildings within the CSA Recognized or Classified by FHBRO ............... 45 Table 4.7 Archaeological Sites Located within 100 m of a Frontcountry Area ......... 47 Table 5.1 Likely Environmental Effects of Routine Frontcountry Projects ............... 49 Table 5.2 Likely Environmental Effects of Routine Frontcountry Projects Associated with Each Environmental Component by Physical Activity ............................................ 50 Table 5.3 Environmental Effects and Mitigation Measures of Routine Frontcountry Projects by Physical Activity: General Activities – APPLIES TO ALL PROJECTS ...... 51 Table 5.4 Environmental Effects and Mitigation Measures of Routine Frontcountry Projects by Physical Activity: Site Preparation ................................................................ 55 Table 5.5 Environmental Effects and Mitigation Measures of Routine