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

Gold Canyon Resources Inc.
Springpole Gold Project
Road Alternatives Assessment
and various rush species (Typha sp.), the roots and basal portions of which are preferred as
food. In addition to aquatic vegetation, muskrat will also include some meat in their diets in the
form of mussels, crayfish, turtles, frogs and small fish. Muskrat den either in shoreline banks
where they excavate underground chambers just above the waterline, or in mounds constructed
of mud, cattails, bur-reed and bulrushes. These den sites are used year-round, and provide
protection from predators and extreme temperatures during the winter. Muskrat produce up to 3
litters of 4 – 8 young per year, with fewer litters produced as latitude increases (Simpson and
Boutin 2006). Dependent on region, racoon and mink are the principle predators of muskrat,
although foxes, eagles and hawks also contribute to mortality.
Like the marten, fisher (Martes pennanti) are a provincially featured species for timber
management in the boreal forest according to the Environmental Assessment Board. Also
similar to the marten, fisher will inhabit mature conifer forest types with dense canopy cover.
However, unlike marten, fisher will inhabit mature deciduous forests as well as regenerating
second-growth and mid-stage mixed-wood forests (Brander and Brooks 1973). Fisher show
general avoidance of recently cleared or open areas. Availability of food and canopy structure
are the most important determinants of habitat selection (OMNR 1986). Fisher have a diet
similar to that of marten, including snowshoe hare, red squirrels, voles and mice, but are also an
important predator of porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum). Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) and
blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) may be taken incidentally, as will carrion if available. During
summer, berries may contribute as much as 20% to the diet. Fisher use cavities in trees with a
diameter at breast height greater than 50 cm as maternal den sites. Adult fisher have no
significant predators other than humans, although hawks, eagles, foxes, lynx and bobcat may
occasionally prey on juveniles.
River otters (Lutra canadensis) are valuable furbearers in Ontario. Otters require clean,
moderately deep ponds, lakes or streams removed from human disturbance, preferring
waterways with steep banks. Terrestrial vegetation adjacent to the inhabited water body factors
little into habitat selection, although coarse woody debris along the lake shore may be used as
resting cover. Otters generally benefit from the presence of beavers by taking advantage of
felled trees, abandoned lodges and logjams as cover and denning sites. Otters are a semiaquatic
carnivore. They feed primarily on fish, including carp, sucker species, cyprinid species,
stickleback and darter species, but will also include crayfish, clams, amphibians and small
mammals in their diet. Trapping and hunting are principle causes of otter mortality.
The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a common furbearer in Ontario. Foxes are generalists in terms of
the habitats they select. Preference is generally for transition or edge areas between open and
wooded habitat types with avoidance of large, unbroken tracts of mature forests. They are
adaptable to disturbances in their habitat and in certain instances may even benefit from
anthropogenic modifications to the landscape. Home range size is generally related to habitat
heterogeneity, with foxes occupying smaller home ranges in more complex habitats. Foxes are
solitary during most of the year, maintaining territories varying widely in size from less than 1 to
greater than 50 km 2 (Lucherini and Lovari 1996). Breeding occurs from early January through