EN28(1) Biodiversity, Habitat and Species-at-Risk
Inventory of reservoirs areas where provincial and federally listed species or red or blue-listed species are present, our potential impacts, and completed or potential stewardship and restorative initiatives.
| Potential Impacts Addressed | Abbreviations |
| Habitat Loss/ Fragmentation | HL |
| Species at Risk | SR |
| Biodiversity Loss | BD |
| Nutrient Loss/Gain | NL/G |
| Fish Entrainment 2 | FE |
| Supersaturation | S |
| Cultural Loss | CL |
| Receptor Species | Stewardship 3 and Restorative Initiative 4 Name | Activity Undertaken or Results Achieved | Potential Impacts Addressed |
| Columbia | |||
| Silky Lupin/Antelope Brush | Rocky Pasture Restoration | Prescribed burn to enhance endangered habitat | HL, SR |
| Northern Leopard Frog ( red, ENd) | Northern Leopard Frog Recovery Project (42) | Recovery Team participation. Monitor population status, and success of reintroduction efforts. Evaluate role of disease in population declines. | HL, SR |
| Badger ( red, ENd) | E. Kootenay Badger Conservation (41) | Recovery Team participation. Habitat restoration and reduction in road mortality. | HL, SR |
| Townsend's Big-eared Bat ( blue) | Townsend's Big-eared Bat Project (46) | Identification of critical maternity roosting habitat and foraging sites for potential stewardship in cottonwood forest sites in Arrow, Duncan reservoirs and Kootenay Lake. | HL |
| Western Screech Owl ( red, ENd) | Habitat Creation | Information from previous FWCP studies used to establish two Wildlife Habitat Areas to protect Western Screech Owls. | HL, SR |
| Yellow Racer Snake ( blue, SC) | Racer Snake Survey (43) | Determine distribution of racer snake within Lower Arrow and Pend D'Oreille Valley. Develop stewardship options for key sites. | HL |
| Western Skink ( blue, SC) | Columbia Basin Western Skink Inventory (44) | Identify current distribution. Develop habitat restoration options in the Pend d'Oreille, Lower Arrow, and Kootenay Canal. | HL |
| Wolverine species ( blue) | Three papers prepared on previous research and accepted for publication. | HL, SR | |
| Western painted turtle ( blue) | Non-Game Species Habitat Enhancement (47) | Monitor, maintain cover, install loafing logs, and signage at nesting sites near Cranbrook, Duncan River, and Revelstoke. | HL, BD |
| Mountain caribou ( red, THr) | Mountain Caribou Recovery (40) | Project to determine predator-prey relationships specifically with respect to cougars and wolves. Population inventory: continued monitoring of radio-collared caribou in the South Selkirk population. | HL, SR, BD |
| Great Blue Heron ( blue) | Breeding Inventory & Habitat Assessment (45) | Monitor colony numbers, reproductive success. Monitor bald eagle nest locations and productivity. Identify stewardship locations on crown and private lands; implement covenants. | HL, BD |
| Short-eared Owl ( blue); American Bittern ( blue) | No new or continuing programs for F07. | ||
| Sharp-tailed Grouse ( blue) | Population Recovery Project, East Kootenays (51) | Inventory population and develop recover options for consideration by stakeholders. | HL |
| Flammulated Owl ( blue, SC) | Nest Tree Protection Project (48) | To compensate for loss of cover and nesting habitat, incorporated nest tree protection into open forest restoration activities in the East Kootenays. | HL, BD |
| Canyon Wren ( blue), Great Blue Heron ( blue), Rubber Boa ( blue), Yellow Racer snake ( blue, SC), Western Skink ( blue, SC). | Habitat Acquisition (50) | Land securement (with external partners) of Ft. Shepherd near Trail, B.C. | HL, BD |
| White Sturgeon ( red); Kokanee; Umatilla dace ( red); Columbia Mottled Sculpin ( blue, SC); Bull trout ( blue); Cutthroat trout ( red); rainbow trout | Arrow Lakes Reservoir Fertilization & Monitoring | Continuation of nitrogen/phosphorus fertilization has led to documented increase in zooplankton populations supporting fish species, which have also increased as a result. | HL, SR, BD, NL/G |
| White Sturgeon ( red, SC) | Upper Columbia Sturgeon Culture at Kootenay Sturgeon Hatchery | Hatchery program continued to augment low survivability of juveniles; a total of approximately 81,000 juveniles have been tagged and released in the last six years and are being monitored. An additional 4000 juveniles were raised for tagging and below Revelstoke for release in May 2007. | HL, SR, BD |
| Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative – Research and Monitoring Programs | Programs include: Juvenile monitoring – outplanted juvenile distribution, movements, habitat use, survival and growth are monitored. Juvenile releases below Revelstoke will be monitored for survival related to habitat suitability/ availability. Adult monitoring – Funding provided for monitoring spawning incidence, adult abundance and survival, and movements. General Research – funding is provided for documenting genetic biodiversity, testing new culture techniques, and recruitment failure research planning and testing of hypotheses. Facilitation and Communications – support is provided for coordinating committee meetings and facilitating public outreach. Recruitment Failure Hypotheses Review – coordination of a full review and planning process by the recovery team members to provide for SARA requirements and WLR management response planning. | ||
| Kokanee and Gerrard rainbow trout | Kootenay Lake Fertilization & Adaptive Management | Continuation of Kootenay Lake fertilization to boost zooplankton population supporting Kokanee and Gerrard rainbow trout populations; monitoring of populations demonstrate continued increases in all target populations. Fertilizer addition optimized. Kokanee escapement monitoring – assisted with monitoring escapement abundance, timing, and spawner size in tributaries to Kinbasket, and Revelstoke reservoirs. | HL, BD, NL/G |
| Kokanee escapement monitoring and research | Kokanee spawning impacts – assessing effects of fall discharge reductions on Duncan River spawning kokanee, and determination of threshold at which Kootenay Lake population is impacted. | HL, BD | |
| Rainbow trout | Columbia River spawn monitoring | Monitoring of rainbow trout spawner/redd abundance and distribution, and mitigation of HLK discharge fluctuations. | HL, BD, NL/G |
| Rainbow trout life history and spawn monitoring | Columbia River spawn monitoring – monitoring of rainbow trout spawner/redd abundance and distribution, and mitigation of HLK discharge fluctuations. Salmo River rainbow trout abundance – annual float survey and adult count. | HL, BD, NL/G | |
| Bull Trout | Jordan River Side Channel Rehabilitation | Flow stabilization project. | HL, BD |
| Bull trout life history studies, abundance monitoring and mitigation | Duncan Dam spawner passage – passage upstream of adult spawners through Duncan Dam continues (300-500 adults passed through the dam using a fish-lock procedure). Arrow Lakes Reservoir life history – index monitoring of adult spawning locations (partnering with CBFWCP). Salmo River bull trout abundance monitoring – annual red count and float survey count of adults. Salmo River stream fertilization – pilot study of stream fertilization as a means of restoring adult population more efficiently. | HL, SR, BD | |
| Cutthroat trout sub-species ( blue) | Upper Bull River | Radio telemetry assessment of habitat use and movements initiated in F06 and continued in F07. Parallel study of habitat restoration opportunities also underway. | HL, BD |
| Mountain whitefish | Mountain whitefish life history and impact assessment | Columbia River impact of discharge hydrograph on egg survival – monitoring effect using habitat model. | HL, BD |
| Pygmy whitefish | Duncan River observations | Monitoring of Pygmy whitefish observed in Duncan River. | HL, BD |
| Dione Copper Butterfly ( red) | No new or continuing programs for F07. | ||
| Dinosaur Reservoir | |||
| Lake trout, Bull Trout ( blue) Rainbow Trout, all fish species | Dinosaur Reservoir Habitat Improvement | Development of a long term plan to address habitat limitations and improve recreational opportunities. | HL, BD, N, LG, FE |
| Peace River/Williston Reservoir area | |||
| Woodland caribou ( blue, THr) | Population Studies (52) | Population inventories. Predator-prey dynamics study. Monitoring survival and distribution of radio-collared caribou, moose, & wolves. | HL |
| Fisher ( blue) | Fisher Habitat Use Project (53) | Report preparation on 5-year study of ecology of Fishers in Williston watershed. | HL |
| Mountain goat | Nabesche Goats and Licks | Monitor response of goat population to supplementing with artificial mineral licks. | BD, NL/G |
| Ospika Goat Project | Evaluate impacts of logging on goat use of mineral licks. | HL, BD | |
| Stone's sheep | Peace Arm Stone's Sheep Ecology | Prepare report on sheep ecology including winter ticks, population dynamics. Contribution to development of improved management strategies. | BD, HL |
| Cavity-using wildlife (e.g., fishers, owls, woodpeckers) | Cottonwood Tree Enhancement Trial | Enhancement trial to increase tree suitability for cavity-using wildlife, potential technique to mitigate forest harvesting impacts. | HL, SR, BD |
| Cavity-nesting birds and other bird species. | Donna Creek Forestry/ Biodiversity Project | Monitoring response of cavity-nesting birds and other bird species to alternative forest harvesting techniques (retention of tree patches and stubs in clearcuts). | BD, HL |
| Migratory bird species | Mackenzie Migratory Bird Monitoring | Funding of Mugaha Marsh banding station (banding and monitoring migratory songbirds). | BD, HL |
| Arctic Grayling ( red) | Population, habitat, and genetic studies (54) | Population monitoring, distribution, life history, genetic studies, and identifying critical habitat. Assist in developing Provincial Management Plan. | HL, CL |
| Kokanee | Classroom Kokanee Demonstration Project | Project involves fish rearing from eggs to fingerlings, and release). Education and public outreach. | HL, BD |
| Offspring of historic released hatchery Kokanee | Kokanee Escapement Survey | Project involves tracking returns from offspring of fish stocked from 1990 – 1998. | BD |
| Brassy Minnow ( yellow) | Brassy Minnow Distribution surveys (57) | Document distribution of Brassy Minnows in the watershed. | HL |
| Pygmy whitefish ( yellow) | Distribution and Genetic studies (56) | Document distribution and genetic status of population. | HL |
| Bull trout ( blue) | Bull Trout indexing (55) | Population monitoring. | HL, BD |
| Hatchery rainbow and brook trout | Small Lake Stocking Assessments | Small Lake fish stocking population evaluations. | BD |
| Reservoirs in Intermountain Zone | |||
| In F07, BC Hydro continued to participate actively in the Canadian Intermountain Joint Venture (CIJV), a multi-faceted partnership of BC-based resource industries, conservation organizations, academia and government agencies. The CIJV was formed to address the challenges of sustaining healthy populations of birds and other wildlife while ensuring the viability of other uses of the landscape. It is designed to increase the effectiveness of existing and new initiatives to address species at risk and stewardship through effective coordination, building on existing regional partnerships, and fostering greater cooperation. | |||
| Bridge River Coastal area | |||
| Wetland plant species, fish species, wildlife species | Jordan River Integrated Wildlife Habitat Restoration Plan & Constructed Wetland Design (16) | Wetland restoration design and planning, intended to restore wetland habitats lost due to creation of dam and reservoir. | HL, BD |
| Salmon species ( NAR) | Fish Habitat Restoration for the South Alouette River (17) | Augment South Alouette off-channel with large woody debris for salmon cover, focussing on Steelhead. | HL, CL |
| Coquitlam Off-channel Habitat Restoration Project (19) | Fish habitat restoration to compensate for loss of habitat from Coquitlam dam & reservoir creation and operation. | HL | |
| Genetic Assessment of Kokanee Re-anadromization in Coquitlam and Alouette Reservoirs. (26) | Genetic analysis of adjacent watershed salmon populations to assess relationship between Kokanee and adjacent watershed Sockeye populations. | HL, BD, CL | |
| Assessment of Risk of Change of Water Quality in the Coquitlam Reservoir (27) | Forecast risk to municipal drinking water quality as a result of the re-introduction of Sockeye. | HL, BD, CL | |
| Evaluation of Migration Success from the Alouette Reservoir (18) | Kokanee and Steelhead migration study. | HL, BD, CL | |
| Lower Ash River Identification of Fish Habitat Restoration Opportunities (20) | Develop plan to identify production-limiting factors and best restoration practices. | HL | |
| Assessment of Historical Distribution of Anadromous Salmonids in the Ash River Watershed (21) | Determination of historic salmon populations using stable isotope analysis of sediments. | HL, BD, CL | |
| Ash River Nutrient Enrichment (22) | Mitigate nutrient sink created by dam, primarily to benefit summer-run Steelhead and resident trout. | NL/G | |
| Salmon River Nutrient Enrichment (23) | Mitigate nutrient sink created by dam, primarily to benefit winter-run Steelhead, Coho, char, and resident trout. | NL/G | |
| Upper Salmon River – Identification of Fish Habitat Restoration Opportunities (24) | Develop plan to identify production-limiting factors and best restoration practices. | HL | |
| Puntledge River and Headpond Spawning Gravel Placement (30) | To replace gravel lost due to dam creation and operation, primarily to benefit Steelhead and Chinook. | HL | |
| Puntledge River Side-channel Development (31) | Fisheries habitat creation, from Island Hwy to Comox Logging Rd, to compensate for dam-related water diversions. | HL | |
| Puntledge RiverSummer Chinook DNA analysis (32) | To determine proportion of return run that can be considered to be "true" summer run. | BD | |
| Puntledge River Impound and Diversion Dam Fishway Assessment (33) | Fish passage efficiency assessment, using video. | BD | |
| Huwer Bank Stabilization and Riparian Fencing(34) | Fish Habitat restoration to mitigate bank erosion to help re-establish riparian communities and enhance in-stream fish habitat features. | HL | |
| Shuswap/ Bessette Riparian Planting and Protection (35) | Riparian habitat protection to mitigate changes in water quality linked to flow post-dam construction. | HL | |
| Campbell River Mainstem Spawning Gravel Restoration (28) | Restoration of spawning gravel in Campbell River at First Island Site 7. | HL | |
| Cheakamus River Side-channel Restoration (8) | Habitat restoration project to address loss of fisheries habitat due to dam-related water diversions. | HL | |
| East Squamish River/ Wilson Slough Estuary Restoration (29) | Fisheries habitat creation project to restore salmon access to estuarine/intertidal channels; restore estuarine vegetative habitat. | HL | |
| Gates Creek Fish Habitat Restoration (23) | Habitat restoration project, primarily to benefit Chinook species. | HL | |
| Wildlife species | Powerhouse Foreshore Regeneration & Enhancement Feasibility Study (13) | Restoration of riparian zone habitat. | HL |
| Campbell River Salmon Diversion Channel Wildlife Crossing Study (12) | Phase 2 study of wildlife use of built salmon channel crossings. Results show that a total of 91 wildlife crossings, representing 8 different species, have used the four crossing structures. | HL | |
| Mule Dear ( NAR) | Seasonal Habitat Use & Enhancement Feasibility Study (14) | Distribution feasibility study to assess impact of hydroelectric footprint on Mule dear population. | HL, CL |
| Roosevelt elk ( blue) | No new or continuing programs for F07 | ||
| Harlequin Duck ( SC), American Dipper ( NAR), Spotted Sandpiper ( NAR) | Measuring Riverine Bird Response to Habitat Restoration on Bridge River (11) | Riverine bird population study to assess response to several controlled water release flows. | HL, BD |
| Northern Spotted Owl ( ENd, blue) | Wildlife Tree Creation (7) | Using fungal inoculation and mechanical modification techniques to enhance tree habitat to accelerate natural tree decay. | HL |
| Western Screech Owl ( ENd, blue) | Owl Habitat Survey, Schuswap River (1) | Identify lifecycle limiting factors to owl in riparian areas. | HL, SR |
| Western Screech Owl ( ENd, blue), N. Pygmy Owl ( NAR), N. Sawwhet Owl ( NAR) | Campbell River Watershed Owl Monitoring & (2) Habitat Restoration | Owl population study and habitat restoration (nestboxes), to determine range and distribution of several species. | HL, SR |
| Middle Shuswap SEI and TRIM Ph. 1 (3) | Map sensitive watershed/riparian ecosystem. | HL, BD, SR | |
| Western Screech Owl ( ENd, blue), Flammulated Owl ( SC) | Inventory and Habitat Enhancement in Bridge River Coastal Study Area (4) | Owl population study to determine range and distribution. | SR |
| Bat Species ( SC) | Shuswap Bat Inventory Project (10) | Population study to assess impact of riparian habitat loss from dam and reservoir creation. | HL |
| Bat house Mitigation (15) | Bat house assessment following installation of bat houses in BC Hydro facilities to determine usage. | HL | |
| Red Legged frog ( blue) | No new or continuing projects for F07 | ||
| Grizzly Bear ( THr, blue) | Grizzly Population Density/ Distribution in South Coastal Range (5) | Population study to better understand factors affecting populations for management purposes in BC Hydro watersheds. | SR, HL |
| Ecological Relationships between Bears and Forest Management (6) | Address knowledge gaps of population density and distribution in South Coastal Ranges. | SR, HL, CL | |
| Transmission Right-of-Ways | |||
| Programs administered by BCTC. | |||
Notes
- Compliance with the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) is required and there are provincially listed species that are protected under the B.C. Wildlife Act and the Forest and Range Practices Act (Identified Wildlife). This means BC Hydro must comply with these federal and provincial pieces of legislation by avoiding, mitigating and compensating for impacts to listed species and being involved in recovery strategies and action plans as appropriate. Red and Blue Listings is an inventory process used by the B.C. Conservation Data Centre. It does not have any regulatory force. In the interest of reducing its regulatory risk BC Hydro has been proactive in seeking to identify and reduce its impacts on listed species and undertaking a number of stewardship initiatives.
- Federally listed species under SARA are either Endangered (ENd), Threatened (THr) or of Special Concern (SC). We are currently tallying which of these species and populations occur in lands owned or managed by BC Hydro while proceeding with programs to enhance, restore or maintain known endangered or threatened species and their habitats. This listing does not include stewardship initiatives undertaken solely as part of Water Use Planning and other programs.
- Stewardship means preventative, restorative, enhancement or maintenance initiatives over the long-term time scale required to protect and maintain, restore, or enhance populations and their habitats.
- These programs are largely undertaken with partners as part of our Compensation Programs and were funded in full or in part by BC Hydro and are shown in italics.
- Mortality may result from fish passage through hydraulic turbines or over spillways during their downstream migration.
- Supersaturation occurs when water falls turbulently from reservoir elevation to discharge elevation, usually via spillways. Air is forced into solution increasing the concentration of nitrogen and oxygen, as measured by Total Gas Pressure, which can interfere with normal gill function of aquatic species.
Last Modified: Jul 11, 2007
