Phase I Ecological Assessment of the Bear Rock
and The Smokes: Plain Language Summary
Background
The Northwest Territories has many areas with significant ecological and cultural value. These
areas must be protected in order to prevent the development of detrimental impacts and
devaluation. The Northwest Territories Protected Areas Strategy (NWT-PAS) is a process
designed to allow communities to promote and protect areas that have cultural and ecological
significance. An important part of this process is an assessment of the value of the area that is
being investigated for protection.
Bear Rock and The Smokes are located in the Tulita District of the Sahtu Settlement Area and
were selected as an Area of Interest for protection by the local communities (Tulita and Norman
Wells) due to the cultural significance of the Dene Legends associated with these regions (Figure
1). The current delineation for the Area of Interest encompasses approximately 3150 ha (Bear
Rock ~ 2950 ha; The Smokes ~ 200 ha). The Bear Rock is characterized by an aggregation of
multiple karst formations while The Smokes is characterized by a series of burning coal seams.
Figure 1
March 2007
Plain Language Summary
Phase I Ecological Assessment for Tulita Bear Rock and The Smokes
Tulita Dene Band
1
Rescan™ Environmental Services Ltd. (Proj. # 816-1)
Phase I Ecological Assessment of the Bear Rock and The Smokes:
Plain Language Summary
Ecological Assessment of the Area of Interest
Bear Rock
Based on the current available information of this region, the karst formations at Bear Rock
provide significant contribution to the hydrology of the area. Specifically, the groundwater
recharge and discharge zones at Bear Rock are important for the maintenance of the current
hydrological regime in the region and the surrounding areas. The groundwater discharge zones
also serve an important ecological value as they supply water to various streams in the area. The
stable underground temperatures of karst also contribute to maintaining cool and even stream
temperatures throughout the year. Karst stream systems may also possess the storage capacity to
buffer seasonal flow rates thereby resulting in lower peak flow and higher low flow conditions.
The nutrient rich characteristics of karst streams also tend to encourage more algae and moss
growth alongside larger more diverse insect populations. Finally, karst hydrological systems are
often independent of overlying surface drainage patterns and can also cross topographic
drainages thus contributing to the hydrology of adjacent watersheds.
Karsts are a distinctive topography that develops as a result of the dissolving action of water on
soluble bedrock which produces a landscape characterized by fluted and pitted rock surfaces,
vertical shafts, sinkholes, sinking streams, springs, subsurface drainage systems, and caves. As a
result, the unique and three-dimensional nature of karst features offer a wide range of diverse
habitats for various common and rare wildlife flora and fauna and, thus, act as a valuable
contributor to biodiversity. Karst caves offer shelter, resting, and nesting habitat for a wide
range of wildlife species including carnivores, ungulates, avian species, and smaller mammalian
species. While there is limited information regarding the presence wildlife species (particularly,
species of concern) within the boundaries of the Area of Interest, a review of available literature
suggests that there is potential for karst formations to provide important habitat for such species.
In addition, 8 bat species were recently confirmed to inhabit karst caves located in Nahanni
National Park. Prior to this study, only 3 species of bats were known to occur in NWT which
provides addition support to the unique habitat provided for significant or unique species by
these formations.
In summary, karst formations possess significant ecological value due to their contribution to
hydrological regime, species biodiversity, and unique wildlife habitat. In recent years, karsts
have been gaining attention for protection world-wide with the development of legislation,
standardized monitoring protocols and recommendation for management and protection. Bear
Rock represents the highest concentration of karst formations within the Study Area. Based on
the knowledge of this region and of karsts features from other regions, Bear Rock possess
significant ecological value through contributions to the regional hydrological regime, wildlife
diversity and important wildlife habitat. As such, it is apparent that the ecological values
associated with this region fulfil the objectives and goals of the NWT-PAS initiative.
The Smokes
Coal fires emit large amount of gases into the air and can be a source of local air pollution to
nearby residents and communities. Furthermore, the emission of greenhouse gases into the
March 2007
Final Report
Phase I Ecological Assessment for Tulita Bear Rock and The Smokes
Tulita Dene Band
2
Rescan™ Environmental Services Ltd. (Proj. # 816-1)
Phase I Ecological Assessment of the Bear Rock and The Smokes:
Plain Language Summary
atmosphere from underground coal deposit fires are also recognized as a potential source for
serious ecological consequences on a global scale and can also exhibit negative impacts on
surrounding landscape. Coal fires have also been found to alter the morphology and chemical
concentrations of nearby vegetation and in some cases can cause complete die-off. Furthermore,
coal seams and arising underground fires can also exhibit negative indirect impacts on wildlife
that depend on this habitat as well as direct impacts caused by noxious gas emission that may
drive away wildlife or even cause the death of sessile species.
Despite the negative associations between coal seam fires and air pollution, the environment
present after coal seam fires are extinguished can provide valuable resources for the hydrological
regime in the area. Specifically, rocks formed by the natural burning of underlying coal beds
(i.e., clinker) create soils that are capable of storing large amounts of water. In addition, burning
coal seams have the potential to create unique habitat for organisms, particularly for organisms
that require hot temperature environments. Finally, soils formed from clinker are also able to
support vegetation in drier climates due to increased water storing capacity.
While the amount of greenhouses gases emitted by The Smokes on a global scale may be
considered miniscule, the regional impact of air pollution may be a potential concern for local
residents and the community of Tulita. The coal seam fires of The Smokes can also be an
ignition source for forest fires which also have ecological consequences and benefits. As a
result, the conservation of the burning coal seams at The Smokes may need to be re-visited based
on these potential ecological implications. These discussions should also include identifying
whether or not these coal seams are providing habitat for thermophiles in the vicinity of The
Smokes.
Delineation of the Area of Interest
From an ecological perspective, it may be warranted to expand the current Area of Interest to
include additional karst formations and habitat that is critical to wildlife species present or
potentially present in the region. Specifically, the presence of important habitat for muskrat,
beaver, waterfowl and migratory birds along the Mackenzie River corridor may deem it worthy
to incorporate this region into the Area of Interest. Addition of the Mackenzie River corridor
would also permit a contiguous link between the Bear Rock and The Smokes components of the
Area of Interest. A potentially larger Area of Interest may also aid in the ecological conservation
of biodiversity and integrity. Specifically, a review of the literature indicates that fires occurring
in the Study Area can be as large as 1400 ha and fire history of the region indicates that a
substantial fire encompassed almost the entire Study Area in the late 1990s. As such, it may be
feasible to increase the current Area of Interest in order to ensure that the proposed protected
area can withstand disturbances caused by regional fires.
Recommendation for Maintenance of Ecological Values
In order to maintain ecological values within the Area of Interest, it is important to have a clear
understanding of the ecological features present in the region. Throughout the ecological
assessment, there were information gaps in the existing ecological knowledge of the Area of
March 2007
Final Report
Phase I Ecological Assessment for Tulita Bear Rock and The Smokes
Tulita Dene Band
3
Rescan™ Environmental Services Ltd. (Proj. # 816-1)
Phase I Ecological Assessment of the Bear Rock and The Smokes:
Plain Language Summary
Interest.
Subsequently, preliminary recommendations include gathering the necessary
information required to fill these information gaps. Specifically, this includes identifying the
presence of species of territorial, federal, or global concern within or surrounding the Area of
Interest alongside determining the presence any rare or unknown species within the karst
formations. It is also recommended that the status of burning coal seams at The Smokes be
considered. This should also include identifying whether or not these coal seams are providing
habitat for heat-loving species in the vicinity of The Smokes. Due to the sensitive nature of karst
to groundwater pollution, it is recommended that hydrological studies of underground streams
may be warranted in the future to gain better understanding of the underground hydrology at
Bear Rock. This knowledge would become imperative with the development of the Mackenzie
Gas Project to determine if spills from the adjacent pipeline may harm the integrity of karsts at
Bear Rock alongside the species that depend on them.
March 2007
Final Report
Phase I Ecological Assessment for Tulita Bear Rock and The Smokes
Tulita Dene Band
4
Rescan™ Environmental Services Ltd. (Proj. # 816-1)