Pierre River Mine Project

TERRESTRIAL AENV SIRS 44 – 78
Section 13.1
Response 47a This reversal is not an accurate reflection of the pre-disturbance conditions in the
local study area (LSA). The baseline disturbed areas in the LSA on Table 426-7
should read 1,709 ha and the baseline open water areas in the LSA should read
102 ha.
Request 47b If the reversal is accurate, provide the appropriate updates to the EIA, ESR, and
Closure, Conservation, and Reclamation plan.
Response 47b As discussed in AENV SIR 47a, the reversal is not accurate and therefore the
EIA, Environmental Setting Report (ESR), and Closure, Conservation and
Reclamation Plan used the appropriate values for water and disturbance area
estimates. There are no additional updates required because of the reversal of the
water and disturbance values.
Question No. 48
Request Volume 1, Section 7, Table 11-2, Page 7-49 ; EIA Volume 5, Section 7, Page 7-
112 ; EIA Volume 5, Appendix 5-4, Section 1.2.3, Page 14-24.
In the Errors and Omissions section of the Project Update Volume 1, Shell
indicates in Table 11-2, Page 7-49 that there will be no indirect habitat loss for
moose, lynx, fisher/marten, black-throated green warbler, barred owl or beaver
due to the project. Yet in the EIA, Volume 5, Appendix 5-4 Page 14, Shell
explains that ‘Distance to nearest road’ was found to contribute negatively (-) to
the most strongly supported RSF model for moose and ‘Distance to nearest edge
C’ was a contributing negative factor in the most strongly supported model for
fisher/marten.
48a Given that these disturbance factors were found to be important in the RSF’s for
moose and fisher/marten, explain how the indirect habitat loss could be zero for
these species.
Response 48a Resource Selection Functions (RSFs) are multivariate statistical equations that
were developed to quantify habitat quality for some key indicator resources
(KIRs) like moose and fisher/marten. RSFs for moose and fisher/marten
incorporate the effects of disturbance features as variables that affect habitat
quality as the reviewer indicates in the preamble to this question. However, the
effects of individual variables on model output in multivariate statistical models
like RSFs cannot be easily separated and quantified. Therefore, for moose and
fisher/marten, both direct and indirect effects of the project are included in the
column “Direct Habitat Change” in Table 11-2, page 7-49 of the May 2009
Pierre River Mine, Supplemental Information, Volume 1, Section 7, Errors and
Omissions. Nonetheless, the effects of proximity to disturbance are implicit in
predictions of relative habitat quality for moose and fisher/marten, and affect
April 2010 Shell Canada Limited 13-5
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