GMSMON-17 WILLISTON RESERVOIR TRIBUTARY - BC Hydro

May 22, 2012
Report No. 1114920016-R-Rev0-2000 18
GMSMON-17 WILLISTON RESERVOIR TRIBUTARY HABITAT
REVIEW
afternoon of 23 May at the bridge crossing upstream on Ole Creek, a Wood Frog was heard calling and a Wood
Frog egg mass was encountered; the wetland water temperature was 20º C.
3.3.2 Second site visit (7 to 8 June, 2011)
Amphibian activity was relatively limited during this field session. Time-constrained surveys of key wetland
habitat surrounding the two visited tributaries were completed. The only observed amphibian presence at the
southern tributaries was an adult western toad found in a small wetland adjacent to Six Mile Creek. The water
temperature in this wetland was 8°C. Northern tributaries were not visited during this field session.
3.3.3 Third site visit (8 to 18 August, 2011)
Golder completed two more time-constrained surveys at Six Mile and Lamonti creeks and one each at Ole and
Factor Ross creeks. Columbia spotted frogs and wood frogs were noted at Six Mile Creek and western toads at
Lamonti Creek. Amphibians were not noted during this sampling session at Ole or Factor Ross creeks; however,
an incidental adult Western toad was noted in the forest on the walk out to the road from Ole Creek.
A full summary of amphibian findings is found in Table 4 in Appendix D.
3.4 Bird Surveys
A total of 70 species were detected during the field program including 37 species at Six Mile Creek, 21 at
Lamonti Creek, 29 at Factor Ross Creek, and 12 at Ole Creek. These are provided in Table 5, Appendix D. No
species at risk were observed during the surveys; however, incidental observations of two provincially blue listed
species were made in the vicinity of Factor Ross and Ole creeks: a Broad-Winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
near Ole Creek and Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) on a small pond between Factor Ross and Ole creeks.
Other notable observations include a Red-Throated Loon (Gavia stellata) in the Factor Ross inlet and a female
Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) on Six-Mile Creek. Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronate),
Pacific Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes), Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa), and Wilson’s Warbler
(Wilsonia pusilla) were among the most commonly observed species. As this component of the monitoring
program is expected to be discontinued in future years (discussed below), calculation for estimating relative
abundance were not conducted. Copies of all point count data forms are provided in Appendix G.
3.5 Vegetation Surveys
All lower portions of the four tributaries of interest are within the SBSmk2 biogeoclimatic unit. The SBSmk2
occurs around the lower shores of Williston Reservoir from south at MacKenzie north to Ingenika Arm
(MacKinnon et al 1990). This BGC unit lies below the SBSwk2 (Williston Sub-Boreal Spruce wet cool unit) and
the ESSFwk2 (Williston Englemann Spruce Subalpine Fir wet cool unit) in the south and the ESSFmv3
(Omineca Englemann Spruce Subalpine Fir moist very cold unit) in the north. As the SBSmk2 BGC unit is
located within the rainshadow of the Omineca Mountains, it is the driest of the SBS units.