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Environmental TWG Year 2 Work Plan

This document outlines the work plan from the Environmental Technical Working Group’s Board Meeting held in Quebec City on March 13-14, 2002. The focus is on evaluating the impacts of different water level regulation policies on the environment, specifically utilizing biological indicators and water quality in the lower St. Lawrence River. Key performance indicators have been established to measure the effects on various wildlife populations and habitats. The plan emphasizes developing a meaningful evaluation framework to assess environmental impacts, facilitate data sharing, and ensure public understanding.

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Environmental TWG Year 2 Work Plan

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  1. Environmental TWGYear 2 Work Plan Study Board Meeting Quebec City March 13 - 14, 2002 Christiane Hudon and Joe Atkinson

  2. Overview • Charge is to evaluate effects of different water level regulation policies on the environment • “environment” defined primarily in terms of biological indicators and water quality (for lower St. Lawrence River) • main effect of water levels (and releases) is through impact on habitat quantity and quality, particularly wetlands • need to be able to convey results in a meaningful and useful way

  3. Approach • Identify series of performance indicators (PIs) • 8 distilled from list of about 35 (assign group leaders): • muskrat population • bird populations • amphibians and reptiles populations • fish populations • habitat and food availability for fauna • special interest habitat • special interest species • water quality (St. Lawrence River) • (integration and project management)

  4. PIs for year 2 work plan • amphibians and reptiles • wetlands birds • wildfowl and colonial birds • habitat quantity • fish • habitat quality • (integration and assessment)

  5. Guidelines for proposals • identify and quantity impacts of different water level regulations, in terms of mean and fluctuations, on each PI • all studies need to be related to goal of quantifying impact of water level • assign values to environmental impacts • prioritize importance of different PIs • provide means to evaluate and compare effects

  6. Overall • Develop framework for evaluation(is a particular regulation action “good” for the environment?) • integrate results: • within groups (of Env. TWG) - data sharing • across groups (ex: habitat/population, food chain linkages, etc.) • across other TWGs • GIS-level data integration • longevity of tool, public involvement, understanding

  7. specific methodology still to be determined • IBI, HGM • shared-vision model (Bill Werick) • process modeling (system-wide ecological model) • other general tools • hydrologic analysis • other

  8. ENV TWG Activities since last Board meeting (Niagara Falls, Feb. 5-6, 2002) • Meeting with Joe Atkinson, new US co-lead • Account to ENV TWG members - formation of 6 sub-groups with senior scientists as coordinators • Call for integrated sub-group proposals (yr 2 and over) • Solicitation of new CAN co-lead & full time support person • Sub-group meetings • Habitat quality and quantity (Feb. 19, Burlington) • Rare and endangered species (Feb. 27, conf. call) • Fish (March 6, Burlington) • Wetlands birds (March 6, Burlington) • ENV TWG meeting (March 7-8, Burlington) - Priorization of projects • Complete Year 2 Work Plan & Budget (March 11) • Summary of in kind contributions by each organization

  9. Timelines until early June, 2002 • Send account of Board Meeting to ENV TWG members (March 20) • Year 1 deliverables for CAN projects due (March 31) • Find a new CAN co-lead (time?) • Detailed review of Yr 2 Work Plan and Yr 1 deliverables by co-leads, with the help of C. Hudon and J. Kalff • end of March for US projects, mid April for Canadian • (“fast-track” US proposals requiring spring field work) • Proponents receive comments and modify projects (through April) • Finalized Yr 2 Work Plan (May 7th)

  10. Proponents initiate MOUs with IJC • US projects to start ASAP • CAN projects to start after April 1st or after Treasury Board Funding Allocation • Training period of Lorraine Standing at St. Lawrence Centre (May), prior to her moving to CAN co-lead office (June) • Expert workshop on Hydrological Alteration Index and meeting of co-leads with sub-group senior members (May 22)

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