Proposed Polar Bear Park. Background Information & Consultation Package

Transcription

1 Proposed Polar Bear Park

2 Table of Contents Background information... I - IV Features Maps Zone Profiles Terminology Question and Answers Comparison of Management and Activities Between Provincially and Federally Designated Areas Comparison of Permit, Lease and Licence Requirement

3 I Proposed Polar Bear Park Background Information Park Concept Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship (CWS) has initiated a planning process to establish a provincial park in the Hudson Bay area to protect polar bear habitat including existing and newly found polar bear denning areas, and to better promote the area as an international destination. The Manitoba government is consulting with First Nations, the Town of Churchill, local industry, tourism operators and others about the establishment of the park. Study Area Description The study area for the proposed Polar Bear Park is approximately 2,900,000 hectares in size and includes significant habitat for a great diversity of wildlife. In particular, the park would protect critical denning, resting and staging habitat for polar bears, which are listed as threatened under Manitoba s Endangered Species Act and as a species of special concern under the federal Species at Risk Act. Other notable features include important habitat for barrenground and coastal caribou herds, including an area where herds intermingle for part of the year; four globally significant Important Bird Areas; breeding and staging habitat for a great number of bird species; and areas of geological significance including the Tyrrell Beach Ridge and a trilobite fossil site. Massive concentrations of shorebirds and waterfowl occur along the Hudson Bay coastline, especially surrounding the numerous river estuaries within the study area. At least 128 bird species breed in the study area and 17 more regularly migrate through, in addition to many others that are recorded less frequently. Twelve bird species listed under COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) occur here, eight of which breed locally. The Nelson and Hayes River estuaries have one of the largest concentrations of beluga whales in the world. This is very important summer habitat for the Western Hudson Bay beluga population, which is listed as a species of special concern under COSEWIC. The study area also includes habitat for wolverine, another species of special concern under COSEWIC. With a park designation, the tourism industry in the area would have a greater profile due to the increased attention generated by provincial park status. Local activities and use of the area would continue without interruption. In some cases this would require making exceptions in the existing Provincial Parks Act regulations; allowing people to continue to enjoy and harvest from the land the way they have been doing for the past many decades. Existing and proposed developments in the area, such as Manitoba Hydro infrastructure and the proposed Nunavut-Manitoba road, will be accommodated during the park planning process.

4 II Proposed Polar Bear Park Consultation Process and Timeline There are three phases to the consultation process: Phase 1 initial introduction of the idea of a provincial park, data gathering and initial impressions (initiated December 2013 and concluded May 2014). Phase 2 - study area existing environment zoning (current phase of consultation) with directed questions. Phase 3 final provincial park proposal. Information and feedback gathered in Phases 1 and 2 is used to refine the provincial park concept and proposal. It is anticipated that Phase 3 of consultations on the final park proposal would be held in the spring and summer of Consultation on a draft management plan for the park would also be held at this time. Planning Zone Development Feedback and data obtained during Phase 1 of consultations were used to divide the proposed Polar Bear Park study area into 19 zones. These zones are based on the varying ecological attributes and infrastructure development corridors in different parts of the study area. Identification of these zones allows us to gain feedback on individual areas with specific and often unique sets of attributes. This feedback will allow the province to make informed decisions on whether or not to protect specific zones, allow them to remain open to resource development and extraction, or exclude them from a final provincial park proposal. Ultimately this information will be used to develop final park and internal land use category boundaries. Please note that the zones are preliminary only and are based on the information that CWS has gathered to date. They do not represent final boundaries and may be modified.

5 III Proposed Polar Bear Park What is in the Consultation Package and How to Use it This package contains a number of documents with information on the proposed park study area and a key component of this concept the division of the study area into 19 distinct zones and presentation of information on each zone. Information is presented by zones so that you can key in on what is important to you and focus your comments on those areas. This consultation package includes several pieces: 1. Features Maps 2. Zone Profiles 3. Terminology 4. Questions and Answers 5. Comparison of Management and Activities Between Provincially and Federally Designated Areas 6. Comparison of Permit, Lease and Licence Requirements Here is an explanation on what each component of the consultation package includes and tips on how to best approach your review of the material: The study area includes many areas of high ecological value and areas of economic value as well as developed areas. To allow you to have the largest perspective of the importance of this area we have developed a map series to help inform your comments. A map series of the whole study area has been developed as well as maps for each zone for specific details. Please note that if a specific map has not been provided for a zone within the zoning piece it is because those features do not exist within that zone. For example, as proposed future developments are only identified within the western portion of the study area, this map is not included in the materials provided for those zones in the eastern part of the study area. The maps include: Study Area Planning Zones Existing Designations Estimated Caribou Ranges Polar Bear Habitat Land Cover and Important Bird Areas Existing Developments Existing Dispositions Known Economic Interests Proposed Infrastructure Developments

6 IV Proposed Polar Bear Park The specific attributes and features of each zone have been written up and mapped out zone-byzone. If you are interested in a specific area of the park study area please refer to the Study Area Planning Zones map to identify what zone or zones fall within this area. You can then refer directly to the write-up on that zone to review its specific features and attributes and view maps looking specifically at that area. You can comment on individual zones or on all the zones. Comment sheets have been provided for each zone as well as a larger summarizing questionnaire for all zones within the study area. A related part of the zoning piece is the list of terms. The zone descriptors use several technical terms and refer to several specific developments. The list of terms defines these. During Phase 1 of consultations many questions were raised about land uses permitted within a provincial park, what types of licences and permits are needed, and what changes local people will see with a provincial park designation. This package addresses these questions in three ways. First is a specific question and answer sheet. Second is a chart looking at different types of land uses that are or are not permitted within a provincial park, a provincial wildlife management area, undesignated provincial Crown land and Wapusk National Park. Third is a chart that tells you what types of permits, licences or leases are currently required for different types of activities and land uses within the Churchill and Kaskatamagan WMAs and what would be required with a provincial park designation.