UWR | u-9-002 | Mountain Goat UWR u-9-002 SPC-033 Low elevation winter range
Region: Peace
Legal under OGAA: Yes
Legal under FRPA: Yes
General Wildlife Measures
No forest roads or trails in this UWR
No Impact to Forest Cover
Provide mountain goat with winter range for forage, escape cover and thermal cover.
No roads or impacts to forest cover.
Minimize human disturbance and noise.
Maintain forage sites within 400m of escape areas.
Minimize disturbance between Nov01-Apr30
Avoid:
South and west facing slopes of the Peace River and its tributaries.
Steep rocky bluffs and cliffs
Windswept ridges & mountain peaks
Undisturbed forest buffer around escape terrain and forage
Forest stands for thermal cover
Planning Measures:
No roads or trails
No impact to forest cover
Prevent fragmentation
Avoid escape terrain and forage including:
- Quality forage (grass/shrubs)
- Rocky bluffs/Escape terrain
- South west facing slopes
- Windswept Ridges
- Mature old forest cover
- Steep snow shedding slopes
- Mineral licks
Operational Measures:
No material adverse disturbance to mountain goats between Nov01-Apr30.
Control access and promptly deactivate access upon completion of activities.
Encourage rapid natural regeneration on seismic lines
- Escape terrain (steep slopes including cliffs, windswept alpine ridges, and rocky escarpments),
- Foraging areas adjacent to escape terrain. (shrubs and grass communities).
- Steep south and south-west facing slopes, windswept ridges, conifer bluffs, snow shedding slopes.
- Mineral licks and connectivity trails.
- Minimize disturbance and ensure that activities do not disrupt behaviour of adult females and young during the lambing season.
- Maintain continued use of escape terrain, adjacent foraging areas, and natal areas by Mountain Goat.
- Maintain desired plant communities and key habitat features.
All Activities
- Identify key habitat features using appropriate measures (i.e. QP direction, desktop review, field confirmation, etc) and plan activities within the operating area accordingly.
- Time works such that they occur outside of the critical timing window.
- Apply the appropriate survey and setback requirements for WHFs within identified habitat. (Refer to section 1.9 of the EPMG for additional guidance on WHFs).
Linear Features (roads, pipelines, seismic)
All:
- Minimize linear disturbance as they enhance predator mobility especially near critical areas.
All Activities
- Undertake construction and operation of oil and gas activities in a manner that minimizes impacts to desired plant communities and key habitat features.
- Minimize noise and use of mechanical clearing and activity in identified habitat.
Timing considerations when working within identified habitat:
- When working within identified habitat, avoid disturbance and/or clearing activities within know birthing areas during the critical timing window from May 15 to July 15.
- Where an application area is within a NEBC UWR or WHA for Mountain Goat, please refer to the EIMS summary for that Order. Proponents are required to adhere to the guidance provided in that summary, including any relevant timing considerations.
Linear Features
All
- Upon completion of the activity, undertake the following measures to encourage re-establishment of the pre-disturbance ecological trajectory:
- deactivate unnecessary access corridors,
- undertake measures to control access,
- promote natural or assisted regeneration.