Revised Final Environmental Study Report (24 MB) - Gold Canyon ...

Gold Canyon Resources Inc.
Springpole Gold Project
Road Alternatives Assessment
The only species at risk (SAR) which occurred were Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and
Olive-sided Flycatcher (Contopus cooperi).
In northwestern Ontario, the Bald Eagle population is provincially designated as Special
Concern. Two active Bald Eagle nests were observed in the study area. Bald Eagles require an
extensive breeding area in mature deciduous or mixed woods with super-canopy trees for nest
sites and hunting perches near large lakes or rivers.
Olive-sided flycatchers, a species currently designated federally as Threatened and provincially
as Special Concern, were noted 3 times in 2 different locations. This species prefers semi-open
conifer edges near water sources, such as lakes, ponds or rivers. They are also found in other
edge and forest opening situations in coniferous and mixed forests including bogs, burns,
beaver meadows, and small clear cuts.
The Canada Warbler prefers large tracts of older lowland mixed and deciduous forest with well
developed understory. Canada Warbler was not encountered in either the 2011 or 2012 surveys
but suitable habitat does occur in the study area. The Common Nighthawk (special concern)
and Eastern Whip-Poor-Will (threatened) both prefer areas with open habitat such as burns,
cutovers and bogs. This habitat occurs in very limited amount in the area surveyed so it is not
surprising that neither species were encountered during the surveys, however, there are
extensively burned areas to the south of the areas surveyed. A flock of Common Nighthawks
were seen (~15 individuals) on Skingle Lake in August of 2012, as well as one individual sitting
on a nest with two eggs. Peregrine Falcon and Golden Eagle are both known to occur within the
boreal forest, but as both species prefer large cliffs for nesting and no large cliffs occur in the
study area, it is likely that these species would only be observed in the study area during
migration. The Horned Grebe prefers small, shallow ponds with areas of high interspersion of
open water and emergent vegetation. Limited habitat occurs in the study area and there is
limited breeding evidence in the extreme west of the province, so it is unlikely that Horned
Grebe occurs in the study area.
Moose
Moose are the largest living member of the deer family (Cervidae) and can be found throughout
the boreal forest. The distribution of moose in Canada is limited in the north by suitable food and
in the south by high ambient temperature. Moose are primarily browsers feeding on woody
browse re-growth following disturbance. They prefer twigs in winter and leaves of deciduous
trees in the summer. Aspen, birch and willow (Salix spp.) tend to be eaten in large quantities
compared to other plant species (Renecker and Schwartz 1998).
Moose share habitat spatially and temporally with other members of the deer family including
caribou and white-tailed deer. Interspecific competition can occur between white-tailed deer and
moose in winter, however, parasite-mediated competition occurs with the presence of a shared
parasite (meningeal worm) which infects moose and causes neurologic disease. In multi-prey
systems moose can influence, or be influenced by, the density of other prey species (Anderson
1965).