Peace-Athabasca Delta Field Station – Public comments invited from July 11 to August 10, 2022 

July 11, 2022 – Parks Canada must decide whether the proposed project Peace-Athabasca Delta Field Station, located in Wood Buffalo National Park is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Parks Canada will be assessing this project using a Detailed Impact Assessment.

To help inform this decision, Parks Canada is issuing this notice of intent to make a determination and inviting comments from the public on the project's potential effects on the environment as the public consultation for this proposal. All comments received will be considered public. For more information on the public nature of your comments, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

In order to submit comments or request a copy of the draft Detailed Impact Assessment report, contact:

Felipe Casasanta Mostaço, Impact Assessment Scientist, felipe.casasantamostaco@pc.gc.ca 
Wood Buffalo National Park - Fort Chipewyan satellite office
124 B Mackenzie Avenue, Box 38
Fort Chipewyan, AB T0P 1B0

Comments must be submitted by August 10, 2022.

Project Summary:

The Peace-Athabasca Delta Field Station Project is a partnership between Parks Canada Agency and the Mikisew Cree First Nation, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, and the Fort Chipewyan Métis Association. The Field Station will provide a place to support research and monitoring programs in the delta. It will also be a place to host on-the-land events and other cultural activities led by the Indigenous communities.

The Field Station will be built at the poplar stand, an undisturbed patch of land located approximately 1km northwest of Chenal des Quatre Fourches on the North Branch. The Field Station constructed assets will include cabins, kitchen, sheltered lab/work area, washrooms, storage buildings, sheltered hall, fire pit, gathering area, activity spaces, a floating/removable dock, and wooden walkways for accessibility. The design will consider low-impact and green technology for construction and operation, and use approaches to allow the facility to scale up and adapt as user requirements evolve over time. Guidance for the ongoing development of the field station is being provided by a Steering Committee made up of Indigenous representatives and by a Design Working Group composed of community members and elders local to Fort Chipewyan.

Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2022 with tree clearing, site grading, and dock construction. All assets will be constructed in 2023, with construction completion by March 2024. Feasibility studies for site services (water supply, grey water disposal, electrical supply) are currently underway.

Scope of Assessment: The detailed impact assessment will assess the impacts of the proposal on the following valued components: vegetation community health, composition, and invasive species, cultural and archeological resources, wildlife and migratory bird habitat, fish and fish habitat; water quality, soil and landforms, and air quality.

Document Reference Number: 1

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