Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring
Alberta Oil Sands Monitoring
Monitoring of surface water quality on the main stem and tributaries of the Athabasca River between Fort McMurray, Alberta to Wood Buffalo National Park. This project is a joint effort between Environment Canada and the Government of Alberta and includes multiple sampling sites.
Freshwater Invertebrate Reference Network of Northern Ontario (FIRNNO)
Conducted by the Vale Living with Lakes center at Laurentian University, this ongoing monitoring project has been in place since 2003 collecting data for over 410 sites with the purpose of locating suitable references sites for environmental assessment of industrial impact.
BC Ministry of Environment Provincial Monitoring
Working in concert with Environment Canada, the British Columbia provincial monitoring program looks at the overall health of BC streams by monitoring populations of benthic invertebrates. Monitoring using the reference condition approach and CABIN methods are conducted by regional offices across the province.
Environment Canada Federal Monitoring , Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN)
The CABIN protocol developed by Environment Canada is part of a formalized scientific program to achieve consistent, long-term results for assessing the health of freshwater ecosystems in Canada. The objective of the Environment Canada CABIN monitoring program is the creation of a validated and comprehensive national database of freshwater data using carefully designed protocols for study design, site selection, sample collection and preservation, laboratory analysis and statistical analysis.
University of Alberta/Diavik Diamond Mine
The National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) partnered with large diamond corporations and a number of large Canadian universities to create the Diamond Exploration Research and Training School. The propose of which was train students for careers in the diamond industry in northern Canada. As a part of this program, Graduate students from the University of Alberta have been conducting bio monitoring assessments at Diavik Diamond mine over 4 years.
Yukon Placer Secretariat Monitoring
The Yukon Placer Secretariat was formed in 2005 as an oversight committee to monitor and preserve fish habitats in the Yukon that could be impacted by ongoing mining operations. Cordillera processes approximately 40 samples per year for the Yukon Government and the Department of Fish and Oceans in the Yukon as a part of this program.
Invertebrates of Thermal Springs of British Columbia
Between 1999 and 2002 Sue Salter conducted a study of near pristine thermal springs in British Columbia that could support aquatic invertebrates. Some of these springs already had protected status in Ecological Reserves (Ram Creek) or Provincial Parks (Liard Hotsprings Provincial Park). This was the first time that invertebrates of these thermal springs had been documented in a quantitative and qualitative way. As a result several new locations were found for the Red Listed dragonfly Argia vivida. Thanks to Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, MEC, and Ministry of Parks for support.
Salter, S. 2001. Management of Hot Water Physa (Physella wrighti) in Liard River Hot Springs with Observations on the Deer River and Grayling River Hotsprings. Prepared for British Columbia Parks, Peace-Liard District, Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks. Fort St. John, B.C.
Salter, S. 2003. Invertebrates of selected thermal springs of British Columbia. Project report submitted to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, British Columbia. 88pp
National Parks
Biomonitoring of our National Parks has been conducted by the Parks Canada Agency since 1930. The goal of Parks Canada is to inventory the natural species that occur in our parks, as well as to assess ecological integrity of the area. Cordillera has performed the benthic identifications in the following parks: Gwaii Haanas, Banff, Yoho, Jasper, Waterton, Riding Mountain, Nahanni, Ivvavik, Aulavik and Tuktut Nogait.
