The Honourable Bernard Davis, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, has announced the following events relative to Part 10 Environmental Assessment of the Environmental Protection Act.

UNDERTAKINGS RELEASED:
Crown Zone 2 Five-Year Operating Plan (2022-2026)                  (Reg. 2161)
Proponent:  Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture

The project has been released subject to the following conditions:

• The proponent is required to uphold all commitments made in the environmental assessment submission to mitigate the effects of the project on the environment.
• The proponent must uphold the commitments made in the annual operating plans and the environmental assessment registration document with respect to reforestation.
• The Climate Change Branch of the Department requires that the proponent submit a Greenhouse Gas Management Plan for approval within one year of the date of this letter, with an update on the progress of this plan to be submitted within six months. The plan is expected to include any carbon modeling that has been or will be used to inform forest management planning;
• projections on the level of greenhouse gas emissions that are anticipated to be captured and/or released over the five year period; and,
• a description of how forest management will be informed by carbon modelling with regard to climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.
• The Water Resources Management Division of the Department requires that a 30-metre buffer must be maintained around hydrometric stations at:

• • Garnish River, near Garnish (02GZ001);
  • Salmonier River, near Lamaline ((02GZ003);
  • Rattle Brook near Boat Harbour (02GZ004); and,
  • Southern Bay River near Southern Bay (02ZJ001).
• The Crown Land Administration Division of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture requires the following:
• Portions of the proposed Forestry Operation Plan fall within cottage planning cottage development areas, community infilling limits, a former Provincial Park (Rattle Falls) and Crown reserves. The proponent is required to consult with the Land Use Atlas and/or the Land Management Division to determine if there are any land use conflicts.
  • There are issued Crown titles and applications for Crown land within and adjacent to the proposed harvest areas. If possible, resource roads should be 105 – 120 metres from a pond or lake to allow for potential cottage development in the future. The proponent is required to maintain a 100-metre buffer around established cottage development areas and consult with the Land Management Division to ensure buffers are adequate prior to implementation of the Forestry five-year plan.
• The proposed road to cutblock CC02040 (Rattle Falls) uses the highway access to the former Rattle Falls Provincial Park, and continues through the park. The proponent is required identify an alternate route to operating block CC02040 and if title is issued, re-route access around the former park.
• Commercial harvest block CC02014 (Southwest River Valley) includes a section of ATV trail on a Crown issued title that leads to cottages on Billy Harris Pond, Grassy Pond and Black Marsh Waters. Harvesting operations in block CC02014 should not obstruct or damage Big/Spoon ATV trail. For more information please contact the Crown Land Administration Division at 1-833-891-3249.
• The Parks Division of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation advises that a domestic cut block overlaps the Lockston Path Provincial Park boundary. The boundary of the domestic cutblock should be amended such that it is outside of the Provincial Park boundary. There are also two proposed commercial cutting blocks adjacent from the Provincial Park, we request that a 100-metre no cut buffer be placed around commercial cutting blocks (the northern boundary is approximately 76 metres from the Park boundary).
• The Tourism Product Development Division of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation requires the following:

• The proponent is to coordinate forest management efforts with outfitters during the big game season from September 15 – December 31 and during the spring bear harvest, which occurs from May 1 – July 15;
• The proponent is required to submit a Tourism Stakeholder Consultation Plan (Consultation Plan) that will report on consultations with tourism stakeholders. The Consultation Plan is to identify the potential impacts of forestry operations on each tourism stakeholder and describe how harvesting, road construction and silviculture activities will be modified to minimize impacts to tourism stakeholder values, which include but are not limited to: wildlife populations and hunting success rates, pristine and remote wilderness settings, and, increased access by local residents. The Consultation Plan must be reviewed and approved by Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation prior to conducting forestry operations. If the consultation plan is derived from the EngageNL process, Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation would like to review it with Fisheries Forestry and Agriculture to ensure that all stakeholders are represented; and,
• The proponent shall implement measures that preserve the visitor experience and viewscapes along the Trans Canada Highway. Cut blocks visible from these routes should be developed using landscape design techniques that mitigate the visibility to the motoring public. The proponent is advised to consult directly with the Manager of Tourism Product Development regarding efforts to minimize the visibility of clear cuts from these routes.

• The proponent is required to advise the Environmental Assessment Division when the conditions of release have been met, by emailing a written description, documents, and images (where applicable) to demonstrate that the conditions have been fulfilled to EAProjectComments@gov.nl.ca.

• The proponent is required to update the Environmental Assessment Division on the status of the project, including a copy of all permits, licences, certificates, approvals and other authorizations required for the project, one year from the date of this release letter and to provide additional updates if required.

 

Munroe’s Pond Bypass SnowmobileTrail                                    (Reg. 2175)
Proponent: Notre Dame Snowmobile Association

The project has been released subject to the following conditions:

• The proponent is required to uphold all commitments made in the environmental assessment submission to mitigate the effects of the project on the environment.
• The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture advises that the proponent has submitted a Crown lands application for a licence to occupy for the snowmobile trail in the Munroe’s Pond area. Approval of this application is required before the trail is constructed/used.
• No vegetation clearing is to occur within 800 metres of a bald eagle or osprey nest during the nesting season (March 15 to July 31) and 200 metres during the remainder of the year. The 200-metre buffer also applies to all other raptor nests (e.g. Northern Goshawk, Sharpshinned Hawk, Merlin, American Kestrel, Great-horned Owl, Boreal Owl, Northern Sawwhet Owl). The location of any raptor nest sites must be reported to the Wildlife Division at (709) 637-2025.
• The proponent is required to advise the Environmental Assessment Division when the conditions of release have been met, by emailing a written description, documents, and images (where applicable) to demonstrate that the conditions have been fulfilled.
• The proponent is required to update the Environmental Assessment Division on the status of the project, including a copy of all permits, licences, certificates, approvals and other authorizations required for the project, one year from the date of this release letter and to provide additional updates if requested.

Learn more
Environmental Assessment Division

Department of Environment and Climate Change

West Block, Confederation Building

P.O. Box 8700, St. John’s, NL A1B 4J6

Public comments may be forwarded to: EAprojectcomments@gov.nl.ca

Environmental assessment information: https://www.gov.nl.ca/ecc/env-assessment/

Follow us on Twitter: @GovNL and @ECCM_GovNL

If you submit comments on a project that is under environmental assessment, please advise the Department if you DO NOT wish to share your comments with the project proponent.

Media contact
Lynn Robinson
Environment and Climate Change
709-729-5449; 691-9466
lynnrobinson@gov.nl.ca