Pierre River Mine Project

TERRESTRIAL AENV SIRS 44 – 78
References
Question No. 68
Section 13.1
dump) has been monitored as well. The CWD was found to provide desirable
habitat for deer mice as compared to control sites without CWD (Suncor 2008),
thus demonstrating that new approaches to reclamation can provide wildlife
benefits. Advances in reclamation research, wildlife monitoring and the use of
adaptive management are expected to provide improvements in reclamation
techniques and wildlife habitat.
A specific example is Waste Area 8, an overburden dump on Suncor’s Lease
86/17 that was reclaimed 25 years ago (Golder 2004). At its base is a 40 to 50 m
buffer of natural riparian vegetation. A portion of Waste Area 8 was reclaimed in
1984 with overburden, seeded with a barley mix and later planted with white
spruce, pine, poplar, willow, dogwood, rose, buffalo-berry, wolf willow and
saskatoon. In 1987, an additional area was reclaimed using muskeg soil placed
over the overburden subsurface. The site was seeded with a barley nurse crop
onto which white spruce, northwest poplar, lodgepole pine, rose, dogwood,
buffalo-berry, saskatoon and sandbar willow were planted. Waste Area 8 is one
of Suncor’s prominent reclaimed areas due to the presence of wildlife species
typically noted for particular habitat requirements, such as moose, wolf, bear,
wolverine, fisher marten, snowshoe hare and red-backed voles. Breeding bird
species diversity and richness were low in Waste Area 8, with similar values to
those found in the adjacent natural stand. The successful development of
vegetation stands at Waste Area 8 reflects the efforts made to reclaiming it with
native species as well as the area’s proximity to natural stands along the
Athabasca River where encroachment of natural vegetation is facilitating the
establishment of wildlife habitat.
Golder. (Golder Associates Ltd.). 2004. Suncor Energy wildlife monitoring
program and wildlife assessment update 1999-2003. Submitted to Suncor
Energy Inc., Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Suncor. (Suncor Energy Inc.). 2008. Firebag 2007 Conservation and Reclamation
Annual Report. Submitted to Alberta Environment. March 2008. 45 pp.
Request Volume 2, SIR 457a, Page 23-127 ; EIA Volume 5, Section 7, Page 7-112 ;
EIA Volume 5, Appendix 5-4, Section 1.2.3, Page 14-24.
In the response to the question of how wildlife abundance is affected by habitat
loss (SIR 457a), Shell makes no mention of how indirect habitat loss caused by
sensory disturbance would affect wildlife abundance. In the original application
(Volume 5, Section 7, Page 7-112), Shell states that … black-throated green
warbler and barred owl habitat was determined using RSF modelling and factors
affecting habitat for these species are explicit in the modelling algorithms. By
applying the model to the LSA’s with the superimposed mine footprint (i.e., the
Application Case) the habitat affected by both direct and indirect effects
April 2010 Shell Canada Limited 13-55
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