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8TuesdayFebruary52013TownofFortSmithNoticetoResidentsLot0710Plan0602at101KingStreetbere-zonedfromInstitutionalItoTownCentreTC.CopiesofproposedandcurrentBylawsareavailablefromtheTownofFortSmithSmithCouncilwillholdaPUBLICHEARINGTuesdayFebruary192013intheTownofFortSmithCouncilChamberstohearProposaltoamendGeneralPlan793Datedthis31stdayofJanuary2013BeaverminkandmuskratsubjectofnewriverstudyResearcherslookingatchangesinhabitatcontaminantsincarcassesEnvironmentWildlifeByMEAGANWOHLBERGLocaltrappersintheSlaveRiverareaarebeingcalledupontocontributetoanewstudyonbeaverminkandmuskratlaunchedlastweekbytheSlaveRiverandDeltaPartnershipSRDPinFortResolution.AteamfromtheNWTde-partmentofEnvironmentandNaturalResourcesENRworkingwithlocalAborigi-nalgovernmentsandtrappersfromFitzgeraldAlbertatonorthofFortResolutionbeganeldworklastweekexaminingtheconditionofbeaverlodgesandmuskratpushupsalongtheSlaveRiver.Itwillbekindofasurveyoftherivertoseeobservationsofanydamagefromuctuat-ingwaterlevelsandthatsortofthingStefanGoodmanawatershedscienceconsultantwithENRhelpingwiththestudytoldTheJournal.Justtoseeiftheresanydamagefromoodingorifbeaverlodgesarelefthighanddryoriftheyreoodedoverandsamethingwithpushups.Theteamwillalsobelook-ingathistoricaltrappingre-cordstoseeifthereareanytrendsinpopulationlevelsforexamplebeforeandafterhydrodevelopmenttookplaceonthePeaceRiverwhichfeedsintotheSlave.InthepastyouusedtogethighwaterlevelsinthespringandthatwouldoodintotheSlaveRiverlowlandsandtheAthabasca-Peacedeltaandstufflikethatbut...watersbeingreleasedatdifferenttimesoftheyearnowSholtoDoug-lasaformerwildlifeofcerwhoisassistinginfacilitationandcommunitycoordinationforthestudyobserved.Douglassaidwateructua-tionshavehadnegativeimpactsonmuskratsintheregion.Ifpushupsoodoutlikethatwhenwaterisreleasedfromthedams...andthentheyrefreezetheycantcometothesurface.Alotofthesemusk-ratshaveadifculttimeandalotofthemendupasfatali-tieshesaid.Theotherhalfofthestudywillinvolvecarcassanalysis.Trapperswillbecompensatedforprovidingwholeintactcar-cassesofbeaversminkmusk-ratsandsnowshoeharestothestudytobeanalyzedforlevelsofpersistentorganicpollutantsPOPsandmetalcontaminants.Goodmansaidthestudyemergedfromgrowingre-peatedconcernsbycommu-nitymembersaboutthestateofsemi-aquaticfur-bearinganimalsalongtheriver.Peopleeatmuskratandbeaverandtheminksahighertrophiclevel-itshigherupinthefoodchainandthecon-taminantswillkindofaccu-mulateinmink-sothatswhyitsgoodtolookatthem.Butwerealsolookingatthebea-verandmuskrat.Goodmansaidharesarealsoincludedbecausetheyreamainfoodsourceformink.Hareandmuskratareabigpartoftheminksdiethesaid.Welljustseeiftheresanycorrelationbetweenthetwoforlevelsofcontaminants.Theteamplanstosendcar-cassestoEnvironmentCanadaresearchersinthesouthandatoxicologistfromtheUniver-sityofCalgary.DatauncoveredfromthefollowinglabworkwillbecomparedtoexistingSouthSlavedataoncontam-inantsinminktakenduringthe1990s.Douglasishopingtogetabout30trappersfromfourzonescontributingtothestudyvefromtheAlbertasectionoftheSlaveontheeasternedgeofWoodBuffaloNationalParkvefromtheFortSmithnortharea10or15fromtheFortResareaandanothervetrappingintheareabetweenPointeBruleandJeanRiveratributarythatispartoftheSlaveRiverDelta.Theyarehopingfor30samplesofeachspeciesbythespringwhentheeldwork-atleastforthisseason-willend.WereprobablylookingatfromnowuntilAprilsometimebecauseusuallyyougetintotheopenwaterseasonandthenyoustartgettingotherbeaversthatarepushedoutoftheirresidenceandwhenthathappenstheystartmigratingDouglassaid.Soyoumaybegettingbeaversthatarein-landbeaverscomingtotheriverandtheyrenotresidents.Whatwereafteristheresidentbea-veroftheSlaveRiver.TheprojectisbeingfundedthroughtheNWTCumulativeImpactMonitoringProgram.CIMP.TransboundarycariboumanagementneededcriticsTencurrentpendingprojectsinNunavutandNWTthreatenherdsByMEAGANWOHLBERGThegovernmentsoftheNorthwestTerritoriesandNunavutneedtodomoreintermsofregionalprotectionforBathurstcaribouinlightofagrowingnumberofproposedandexistingmineraldevelop-mentprojectswithintheirmi-gratoryroutecriticswarnedlastweek.TheNWTbranchoftheCanadianParksandWilder-nessSocietyCPAWS-NWTreleasedastatementpressinggovernmentstoworkwithindustryandcommunitiesonbothsidesofthebordertostartadialogueonhowmuchindus-tryistoomuch.Thereareupto10exist-ingandcurrentprojectsthatarewithintheregionoftheBathurstcaribouoneithersideoftheborderCPAWS-NWTexecutivedirectorKrisBrekketoldTheJournal.Anyprojectshouldntnecessarilybecon-sideredindividuallybutshouldbeconsideredregionallyforcu-mulativeimpactsbothforeco-nomicefciencyandcertaintythatBathurstcaribouarebeingconsidered.BrekkesaidtherearefourprojectscurrentlyundergoingassessmentintheKitikmeotregionofNunavuttheIzokCorridorprojecttheBackRiverMineprojecttheHack-ettRiverMineprojectandtheBathurstInletPortandRoadprojectBIPR.ApprovalofthosewouldincreasethenumberofactiveminesintheBathurstcaribourangetoatotalof10includingthethreeoperatingdiamondminestheThorLakeandGah-choKueprojectsunderreviewintheNWTandtherecentlyapprovedNICOminenorthofWhatiNWT.Whileindividualenviron-mentalreviewsforeachprojecthaveconsideredthecommentscomingfrombothsidesoftheborderBrekkesaidsomethingmoreneedstobedonesore-viewboardsarelookingatthebigpicture.ItsnotnecessarilythatNIRBstheNunavutImpactReviewBoardprocessortheprocessintheterritoryismiss-inghesaid.Itsthattherehasntbeenadequatecollabora-tionbetweengovernmentsin-dustryandcommunitiestoac-knowledgethatallthesethingsarehappeningandtodevelopaplanthatisinclusiveratherthanhaveone-offreviews.OtherwiseBrekkesaidthecumulativeimpactsofin-creasingindustrypresenceonthecaribougroundscouldbeignoredmakingittoolateforthefullrecoveryofdwindlingherds.HesaidFortunesNICOcobalt-gold-bismuth-coppermineintheTlichoregionoftheNWTisagoodexample.Asaone-offitshardtosaythatthatprojectinitselfwillhaveasignicantimpact.Itmighthavesomelocalimpactanimalsmightmoveawayfromthesiteortheremightbein-creasedhuntingpressureontheroad.TheissueishowdoyouputthatprojectintosayaframeworkorhowdoyouaddimpactsinthatprojecttothenextprojectandthenextprojectandsaylookwehavethisprojectandwedonthaveroomforanotherprojectbecauseoftheimpactsNWTMinisterofEnviron-mentandNaturalResourcesMichaelMiltenbergertoldTheJournalthereareseveralavenueswheretheGNWTandNunavutgovernmentareworkingatagovernment-to-governmentleveltomanagecaribou.Wedoourplansrespondingtothelownumbersinourterri-torytheysortofhavetheirownapproachontheirsidebutwecollaborateinsomeareashesaid.Thebigthingwetrackofcoursearetheherdnumberswhichisthecriticalindicatorofherdhealth.MiltenbergersaidtheGNWTworksprimarilyonaprojecttoprojectbasisprovidinginputduringtheenvironmen-talreviewsofprojectslocatedinoraroundcariboucalvinggroundsinNunavut.Wereverysensitiveandawareoftheneedtomakesurethecalvinggroundsareundis-turbedthattheherdsarentnegativelyimpactedthecowsduringthebirthingseasonhesaid.WehaveourdiscussionswithNunavutandweregis-terourconcernsandwanttomakesurethatastheyreviewtheseprojectstheyreawareofourconcernsfromthissideoftheborder.AsfarasconsultationswiththepeopleofNunavutoncari-boumanagementplansfortheNWTortheregionasawholehoweverMiltenbergersaidthatisleftuptotheNunavutgovernment.WedontgoinandstartholdingourownconsultationswithNunavutcommunities.Itwouldntbeappropriateforustodothathesaid.ButBrekkesaidbordersareonlygettinginthewayofcon-creteactiontoprotectcaribou.Againitsamatterofhav-ingdialoguethatconsiderstheregionalscenarioandthatdoesntseemtobehappening-atleastpubliclyhesaid.TheGNWTandAboriginalAf-fairsandNorthernDevelop-mentshouldbetakinglead-ershiptotieinwithindustryandthecommunitiestocomeupwitharegionalcumulativeimpactsplan-onethatdoesntseeaborder.PhotoMeaganWohlbergSholtoDouglasleftandStefanGoodmanheadofffromFortSmithtoFortResolutiontotalktotrappersabouthelpingoutwiththeminkbeaverandmuskratsurvey.EnvironmentWildlife