An Information Service for Alberta’s Environment Industry The Week Ending October 9th, 2015

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Inside this Issue:

Alberta On Track to Have Worst Air Quality in Canada

New CCME Document

Computer Generated Video Show Pollution Spread Across the Prairies

Western Canada’s Glaciers Losing Ice at Near Record Rates

Wildlife is Thriving Around Chernobyl Since the People Left

and much more ….

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ESAA REGULATORY FORUMS RETURNING IN 2016

HELP ESAA CHOOSE THE TOPICS The ESAA Regulatory Forums will be returning in early 2016 to Edmonton (Feb 11th) and Calgary (Mar 16th). Registration for both events will open in early November. At this time, ESAA is asking you to help us design the event by identifying topics to be covered during the Forums. Please complete the survey by Friday October 30th for your chance to be entered into a random draw for 1 of 2 passes to the forum of your choice. Survey Link ----> https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/98VQDGZ We thank you in advance for your input.

RECLAMATION CRITERIA FOR WELLSITES AND ASSOCIATED FACILITIES FOR

PEATLANDS Alberta Environment and Parks has released the new Reclamation Criteria for Wellsites and Associated facilities for Peatlands – October 2015. All reclamation certificate applications for sites reclaimed to Peatlands, both padded and minimal disturbance sites must follow this criteria after April 1, 2016. The reclamation criteria for Peatlands is available on Alberta Environment and Parks’ website at: http://aep.alberta.ca/lands-forests/land-industrial/programs-and-services/reclamation-and-remediation/upstream-oil-and-gas-reclamation-and-remediation-program/documents/ReclamationCriteriaPeatlands-Oct2015.pdf Or the Alberta Energy Regulator’s website at: http://aer.ca/abandonment-and-reclamation/reclamation For questions please contact: Alberta Environment and Parks land.management@gov.ab.ca

AMENDMENTS TO DIRECTIVE 060: UPSTREAM PETROLEUM INDUSTRY FLARING, INCINERATING, AND VENTING

The Alberta Energy Regulator announces the release of a new edition of Directive 060: Upstream Petroleum Industry Flaring, Incinerating, and Venting, which comes into effect on October 5, 2015.

Directive 060 was revised as follows:

Section 2 – The requirements for general conservation were amended to include condensate producing sites. (All applicable conditions and exceptions are detailed in section 2.6.) This change will reduce flaring and improve resource conservation.

Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 – The requirements for notification of nonroutine flaring, incineration, and venting were amended to include schools. (All applicable conditions and exceptions are detailed in sections 2.10, 3.8, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.4, and 6.4.) Schools will now be told of imminent flaring nearby. This will promote awareness within the school community.

Section 7 – The requirements for modelling were amended to clarify the conditions requiring post-event dispersion modelling. (All applicable conditions and exceptions are detailed in section 7.12.5[7].)

Appendix 2 – The definition of schools was added and the definition of solution gas was revised to include gas from condensate production.

The October 2015 edition of Directive 060 is available on the AER website, www.aer.ca. Printed copies of the directive can be purchased from AER Order Fulfillment, Suite 1000, 250 – 5 Street SW; telephone: 403-297-8311 or 1-855-297-8311 (toll free); fax: 403-297-7040; e-mail: InformationRequest@aer.ca.

FOREST GENETIC RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION STANDARDS

CHANGES The Forestry Division of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry (AFF) is proposing a series of amendments and additions to the Forest Genetic Resource Management and Conservation Standards (FGRMS). FGRMS provides guidelines for managing genetic resources on public land with the aim of working with disposition holders to ensure adaptable, diverse and healthy forests and other woody plant communities that are productive for years to come. The standards were most recently amended in 2009. This round of revisions to FGRMS is designed to provide clearer guidelines for managing genetic resources when using native trees and shrubs in reforestation and reclamation. The FGRMS regulatory framework is designed to be open and adaptable to current and future practices in forest management, reclamation, gene conservation and collection and distribution of genetic materials on public land. The currently approved FGRMS document, the proposed new document and a summary of major changes to FGRMS are available at https://ext.esrd.alberta.ca/Forestrv/FGRMS/ AAF will be hosting information sessions that will be delivered by subject matter experts on the technical application of FGRMS and how changes to the standard will apply to forestry and reclamation. For more information or to receive an invite to the information sessions, contact Tim Boult directly via his email at: tim.boult@gov.ab.ca.

ALBERTA ON TRACK TO HAVE WORST AIR QUALITY IN CANADA

Red Deer has worst pollution in province, while 4 other regions close to exceeding national standards

(Source: CBC News) Alberta Environment Minister Shannon Phillips says the province is on track to have the worst air quality in Canada, and vows the government will put measures in place to reduce emissions from industry and vehicles.

"The time to act is long overdue," Phillips said.

"We have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect the health of Albertans."

Phillips made the remarks after seeing the results of the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards report, which show the Red Deer region has exceeded national standards. Four other regions — Lower Athabasca, Upper Athabasca, North Saskatchewan and South Saskatchewan — are close to exceeding national standards.

Phillips said there is no immediate health risk for people living in central Alberta.

"These results are concerning," Phillips said in a news release. "We can't keep going down the same path and expecting a different result. Our government has a responsibility to protect the health of Albertans by ensuring air pollution from all sources is addressed."

The province will initiate an "action plan" to deal with poor air quality in the Red Deer area, a move she said is required under the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards.

The government said a scientific study looking into the cause of the air pollutants is currently underway, and people living in the Red Deer area, industry stakeholders and the provincial energy regulator will be consulted. That plan is expected to be complete by the end of September and will take Red Deer's geography and air patterns into consideration.

As part of the plan, Phillips said the government will:

Review technology that could be used to reduce emissions.

Review whether polluters in Alberta are meeting national standards.

Look at other ways to reduce emissions, for example, ways to curb vehicle emissions.

The Pembina Institute, non-profit think tank focused on clean energy, was quick to follow up with its own statement about the air quality results, saying the report shows the need for a provincewide pollution reduction strategy.

"This new report adds to the mounting evidence that Alberta needs to reduce air pollution across the province. Measures that will produce more rapid results are also needed in the numerous regional hot spots identified by the report," said Chris Severson-Baker, Alberta's regional director at the Pembina Institute.

"The report shows that, unless emissions are cut, most of the province risks exceeding the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter. This places an unacceptable burden on people's health and on the environment," he said.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment has also weighed in on the report, saying it is "dismayed, but not surprised" by the findings.

"This calls into question the pervasive belief that the clear blue skies of Alberta foster clean air, safe from the pollutants better known from smoggier climes," said Dr. Joe Vipond, an emergency room doctor and member of the association.

Phillips blamed the previous Tory government for contributing to the rising pollution levels, saying the PCs resisted meaningful action on climate change. Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards are national standards for particulate matter and ozone exposure. This is the first year of annual reporting by all provinces and territories.

The Alberta government is now working on a climate change policy to take to the United Nations Climate Change conference in Paris this fall.

OIL INDUSTRY ASKS FOR CLEAN-ENERGY CREDITS IN NEW CLIMATE-CHANGE PROGRAM (Source: Calgary Herald) Alberta’s oil and gas producers are calling on the provincial government to create a new royalty credit program as part of its submission to the climate change advisory panel, which is due to report before the world climate change summit in Paris in December.

The submission released Friday by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers suggests Alberta’s NDP government set a target for technology investment over the next 10 years. The report contains 32 recommendations, none of which would constrain growth in overall production or increase costs for industry members without corresponding tax or royalty credits.

“Ultimately, I think the government will need to take a balanced approach,” said CAPP president and chief executive Tim McMillan in an interview.

“Where we are today is in a low price environment where we have seen some substantial costs added to our industry through corporate tax, through the climate fee that has doubled as well. Finding more efficient ways to operate is

where our industry is at with our internal work and I think it would serve us well to be looking for efficient and effective ways to operate in all regards, in the climate file as well.”

CAPP has estimated that tax increases and the doubling of carbon fees to $30 per tonne by 2017 initiated by the New Democrat government could add nearly $800 million to industry costs over the next two years.

McMillan said the clean infrastructure royalty credits CAPP is seeking would be similar to a program in British Columbia where producers are allowed to claim up to 50 per cent of the costs of qualifying road and pipeline projects against their royalty payments.

Simon Dyer, Alberta director for the Pembina Institute, said he agrees with CAPP that technology is important and that royalty and climate change initiatives should be linked, but he disagreed with CAPP’s contention the industry has made acceptable progress on its own in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

He said he’s surprised CAPP takes no position on a broad-based carbon tax such as the one in B.C., although prominent CAPP members have endorsed the idea. And he disagreed strongly with CAPP’s position that natural gas should be favoured as a replacement fuel for coal-fired power plants, noting that renewable energy is the better choice.

“Most of what CAPP outlines here are royalty credit and program areas that amount to public subsidies for the oil and gas sector to reduce pollution,” he said.

A new EKOS Research Associates poll commissioned by Pembina and released this week found more than 50 per cent of Albertans support stronger climate change policies by the NDP government. Half of Albertans polled in the survey thought a carbon tax is the way to go.

More than a third of the recommendations in the CAPP report concern the Climate Change Emissions Management Fund, the body charged with spending Alberta’s rising carbon levies. CAPP recommends the CCEMF be “reframed” to focus on projects delivering long-term significant emission reductions, that unspent contributions be better managed, that the fund have more open calls for projects and a “less burdensome” application process, that the tech fund not be used for municipal energy efficiency programs and that barriers be removed to funding projects outside the province if the results can be applied inside Alberta.

It also suggests that the carbon offset market be expanded beyond Alberta’s borders.

CAPP’s report endorses cogeneration, where power plants are added as a natural fit to oilsands or other development, “starting with a commitment to building both northeast and northwest transmission lines without further delay.”

The association also recommended that the government work with industry to reduce methane emissions from existing sources in a manner that doesn’t negatively affect competitiveness. It says a research institution that isn’t focused only on oilsands should be created to coordinate public and private research into extraction and environmental technologies.

The review panel, led by University of Alberta economist Andrew Leach, is to provide advice to the provincial government on how to price carbon, how to grow the renewable energy sector, how to promote energy efficiency and how to reduce reliance on coal-fired electricity.

The work of the climate panel is happening in tandem with a separate royalty review led by ATB Financial CEO Dave Mowat.

PRODUCER BUILDS SOLAR ARRAY TO POWER NODDING PRAIRIE PUMPJACK (Source: Calgary Herald) Solar power is routinely used in the oilpatch these days to power remote monitoring and lighting systems but a junior Calgary producer is taking it to the next level, erecting an array of 192 solar panels to actually drive the heavy pumps that lift oil and gas from two of its wells in southern Alberta.

The next eco-friendly leap will be taken when the wells 20 kilometres east of Brooks no longer produce economic amounts of oil and gas, says Calgary-based Imaginea Energy Corp.

It plans then to remove the oil and gas equipment and add more solar panels to convert the entire site into a permanent solar power plant that will sell electricity directly into the Alberta grid.

“This is our vision to start the transition from oil and gas energy production to clean renewable energy production and emission- and pollution-free hydrocarbon production,” says Krzysztof Palka, the company’s chief strategist, in a promotional video online.

The company says the two 100-metre-long rows of solar panels now on site provide about 65 megawatts per year, enough power on sunny days to drive all of the equipment on the square well pad in a farmer’s field, including its nodding pumpjack and a progressive cavity pump — with some left over to be sold into the provincial grid.

At night and on cloudy days, the site draws power from the grid to keep going. The wells produce an average of 315 barrels of oil and water and about 18,000 cubic feet per day of natural gas.

The system cost about $200,000, says Imaginea, and was installed with the help of Calgary-based solar construction company SkyFire Energy. It’s expected to pay for itself in about 10 years, if the sun and power prices co-operate.

Imaginea was founded by CEO Suzanne West in 2013, after she sold private Black Shire Energy Ltd. in a $358-million deal, and is guided by the mantra, “Three Ps: People, Profits and Planet.”

“My high dream is that we stop burning fossil fuels, period, and I know that’s coming sometime in our future,” said West in an interview. “In the meantime, we need to produce hydrocarbons in the best possible way.”

She added she believes hydrogen and carbon molecules will always be needed in the production of products such as plastics.

The company is backed by US$300 million in funding commitments from American investment fund Lime Rock Partners and produces about 2,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

SkyFire chief executive David Kelly said the installation is the first of its kind in Western Canada and likely Canada, adding there’s “huge potential” for similar projects in the oilpatch.

He added he’s hopeful the new NDP government in Alberta will encourage more solar power use by allowing micro-generators like Imaginea to share in higher pool prices instead of getting only retail prices.

The panels were attached to rails, assembled on a gravel pad and secured in place with a ballast tray system so they can easily be moved if necessary. Palka said the landowner is an enthusiastic supporter of the project.

He added his company will assess it next summer to decide if it should expanded to some of Imaginea’s other 150 producing wells in the area.

CMP - INFORMATION GATHERING UNDER SECTION 71 OF CEPA 1999 As part of the Chemicals Management Plan, the Government of Canada wishes to inform you of the publication of four Notices in the Canada Gazette on July 25, 2015 and August 1, 2015, pursuant to the information gathering provisions of paragraph 71(1)(b) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999): · Notice with respect to microbeads in certain personal care applications · Notice with respect to certain petroleum substances on the DSL · Notice with respect to certain polymers on the DSL · Notice with respect to certain nanomaterials in Canadian commerce More information on these initiatives is available from the Chemical Substances Web site.

Technical Information Sessions for CMP – Information Gathering under Section 71 of CEPA 1999 for Petroleum Substances, Polymers and Microbeads The Government of Canada is pleased to be offering technical information sessions on three Mandatory Surveys - Section 71 Notices that were published in the Canada Gazette on July 25, 2015 and August 1, 2015: · Notice with respect to certain petroleum substances on the DSL · Notice with respect to certain polymers on the DSL · Notice with respect to microbeads in certain personal care applications

The information sessions will assist stakeholders in achieving compliance with the Section 71 Notices, by providing an overview and guidance for each Notice. Note that an invitation will be sent at a later date for the Notice with respect to certain nanomaterials in Canadian commerce, also published on July 25, 2015. You are invited to access the information session(s) at your convenience using the internet links provided below. Petroleum Substances: http://www1.webcastcanada.ca/cepa/petro-eng.php Deadline to report to this Notice is October 20, 2015, 5 p.m. EDT Polymers: http://www1.webcastcanada.ca/cepa/polymer-eng.php Deadline to report to this Notice is December 3, 2015, 5 p.m. EST Microbeads: http://www1.webcastcanada.ca/cepa/microbeads-eng.php Deadline to report to this Notice is October 15, 2015, 5 p.m. EDT* *Note: For the Notice with respect to microbeads in certain personal care applications, extensions will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and for a short period of time. More information on these initiatives is available from the Chemical Substances Web site. Please forward this invitation to others who may be interested. All inquiries should be directed to the attention of: Substances Management Coordinator Telephone: 1-800-567-1999/819-938-3232 E-mail: Substances@ec.gc.ca Please note that a revised CMP Online Reporting “How-To” Guide is available to provide guidance on how to submit information via Environment Canada’s Single Window. The revised “How-To” Guide is available by request from Substances@ec.gc.ca (use the subject line “Request: CMP Online Reporting How-To guide”). Note that the existing link on the Chemical Substances website is to the previous version of the Guide, which is out of date.

NEW CCME DOCUMENT

Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Environmental and Human Health - Nickel CCME has published Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Environmental and Human Health – Nickel. The guideline and its scientific criteria document can be found at CEQG Online and the guideline can be searched by using the Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines Summary Table. Nickel is naturally released into Canadian surface waters, sediments, and soils by weathering and erosion of bedrock, enters the aquatic environment in effluent and leachates, and is emitted to the atmosphere from anthropogenic sources.

Please click on the following link for details: CEQG Online

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA TAKING ACTION ON CITY OF MONTREAL'S PROPOSED DISCHARGE OF RAW

SEWAGE October 6, 2015 – Ottawa, Ontario –Today, the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council, issued the following statement with respect to the City of Montreal’s plans to discharge 8 billion litres of raw sewage in the St. Lawrence River:

“The St. Lawrence River is one of Canada’s most important waterways, acting as a home to several species of whales and fish while providing millions of Canadians their drinking water. What's more, it's also enjoyed by many Quebecers for recreational purposes.

“The proposed plans by the City of Montreal to dump billions of liters of untreated raw sewage into this important river are very concerning - as many citizens have noted publicly.

“Section 36 (3) of the Fisheries Act prohibits “the deposit of deleterious substance of any type in water frequented by fish.”

“Upon my request, Environment Canada has contacted the City of Montreal to gather further information on their plans and to assess the potential environmental implications.

“I have requested Environment Canada to explore options to prevent this release while we gather more information on the environmental impacts of the City of Montreal’s plans. I ask that Mayor Coderre halt his plans while a proper assessment is done.

“We will continue to monitor and assess this situation closely to ensure the protection of Canadians and their environment.”

COMPUTER-GENERATED VIDEO SHOWS POLLUTION SPREAD ACROSS THE PRAIRIES Emissions from oilsands, oil and gas plants travel hundreds of kilometres

(Source: CBC News) A video produced by scientists at Environment Canada offers a new look at how industrial pollution spreads through the atmosphere and settles on the ground.

The high-resolution video, shown at a scientific conference earlier this year, is being released to the public today by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and the Pembina Institute.

It shows how emissions rise from industrial plants, such as oil and gas sites, refineries, coal-burning power plants and the oilsands, and then travel through the atmosphere.

"I think it really outlines the cumulative effects that are present from a large number of emission sources," said Andrew Read, an analyst with the Pembina Institute, an environmental watchdog agency.

"The video is really a good tool to demonstrate how emissions are distributed and dispersed in the province," he said.

Environment Canada collected air-flow patterns over a period of four weeks and then matched with emission data collected at a series of air-monitoring stations operated by the Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency. It focused on sulphur dioxide emissions because on the Prairies the only source comes from industrial operations.

The data does not capture other elements that affect air quality, such as vehicle emissions or forest fires.

"What it does show is that the pollutants from industrial activities and other activities can be transported far downwind, so they can be transferred hundreds of kilometres downwind from where they are actually emitted," said the agency's director of air shed sciences, Bob Myrick.

Dr. Joe Vipond of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment says the visual representation of air pollution brings awareness of the issue to a whole new level.

"It kind of hits you in the gut when you see these videos because we knew that there's been this idea that the [sulphur dioxide] doesn't move very much and it doesn't affect big urban areas," he said. "But as you see these plumes wafting across the landscape as the wind shifts direction, it's never coming from the same direction but overall it goes everywhere."

The air quality across much of Alberta came under closer scrutiny a month ago when the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards report found pollution levels in the Red Deer area exceeded national standards, and other regions were closing in on those standards.

At the time, Alberta Environment Minister Shannon Phillips said the time to act is long overdue.

Vipond agrees. He's leading a campaign to shut down coal-fired power plants, one source of the emissions seen in the video model.

"In the populated areas, it's the coal-fired power plants that are really causing the disturbances," he said, noting there are 12 plants west of Edmonton and several more to the south.

"These coal plants have viable alternatives, they're not bringing any money into the government pockets and they're having incredible health impacts on Albertans."

In a statement to CBC News, Environment Canada said the model was created "to provide air quality forecasting delivered to Canadians through the Air Quality Health Index Program," and to "predict changes in air pollutant emissions on air quality."

The index provides continuing monitoring and allows Canadians to see in real time the air quality in their region. A link can be found on the Environment Canada website.

MONTREAL'S RAW SEWAGE TO BE DUMPED INTO ST. LAWRENCE RIVER AS PLANNED

Mayor Denis Coderre had temporarily put brakes on plan to dump untreated effluent after public backlash The City of Montreal is going ahead with its controversial plan to dump eight billion litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River.

Pierre Desrochers, the chairman of the city's executive committee, said at a news conference Friday morning that emptying a major sewer interceptor into the river is the only viable option that will allow necessary construction work to be completed.

'This is the only option.' - Pierre Desrochers, executive committee chairman

"After re-examining the situation, our administration has concluded that it's inevitable that we have to close the interceptor, even if it means diverting the wastewater to the river," said Desrochers, adding that the quality of drinking water will not be affected.

"We studied all other alternatives, and this is the only option."

The city estimates it would cost $1 billion to build a temporary diversion or storage area for wastewater.

Mayor Denis Coderre had temporarily put the brakes on the plan after a public backlash earlier this week, saying it needed a second look.

Project Montréal head Luc Ferrandez said that the city's administration is "indifferent" to the environment.

"Where's the mayor? If this was about baseball then he would be here," said Ferrandez.

Provisions to be taken by the city:

Any activity that involves direct contact with water will be prohibited from Oct.18-28 in Montreal's Southwest borough.

The same restriction applies to the King Edward Quay sector from Oct.18-Nov.15.

The city will ask businesses and residents along the St. Lawrence River from LaSalle to Rivière-des-Prairies to limit waste that goes in water during this period.

Snow dump to be moved

The construction work is tied to the demolition of the Bonaventure Expressway.

The city is moving a snow dump now located beneath the expressway.

Runoff from that snow dump empties into the interceptor, as does the industrial and residential effluent from many other sewer lines.

The sewage will be allowed to flow into the river beginning Oct. 18, and that will continue for about a week.

The province's Environment Ministry has approved the decision.

Up until the 1980s, it was common practice to clear Montreal's sewers this way, but it is no longer considered to be accepted practice. It's been six years since the city last dumped raw sewage into the river.

Montreal will not be the first Canadian city to deliberately or inadvertently release untreated sewage into oceans, lakes and rivers. Victoria discharges millions of litres of raw sewage into the Strait of Juan de Fuca every day.

Since 2004, Winnipeg's outdated sewer system has led to 185 million litres of raw sewage being dumped into the city's waterways. In 2014, untreated sewage flowed freely into Halifax Harbour, years after Halifax's sewage treatment was finished.

City spokesman Philippe Sabourin said earlier this week that contamination is not a big concern because of the sheer size of the river and how quickly it flows. Water in the river flows at a rate of 6,000 to 7,000 cubic metres a second compared to the flow rate of the wastewater, expected to be just 13 cubic metres a second.

However, independent wastewater experts, biologists and other scientists have said the pollution will have an impact on aquatic life and on living organisms along the river's banks, and it could have a negative effect on communities downstream from the Island of Montreal.

WESTERN CANADA'S GLACIERS LOSING ICE AT NEAR-RECORD RATES (Source: Calgary Herald) The popular tourist attraction, part of the Columbia Icefield along Highway 93 North, is being monitored by the Changing Cold Regions Network.

“We measured, up until early September, about five-and-a-half metres of ice melt this year, which is quite substantial,” said co-principal investigator John Pomeroy, who’s also the director of the Centre for Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan. “It would certainly be one of the higher measurements recorded there.”

The near-record melt comes after a similar measurement last year on the Athabasca Glacier, which flows into the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

It’s part of a pattern around the world — a concern for future water supply.

According to a paper released in August, glacier decline in the first decade of the 21st century has reached a historical record since the start of direct observations.

The study by the World Glacier Monitoring Agency, which includes glaciologist Mike Demuth from Natural Resources Canada, suggested the global phenomenon will continue even without further climate change.

Two of Canada’s glaciers included in the research are the Athabasca and Peyto Glaciers, which are also being studied by Pomeroy and his team.

The Athabasca, where monitoring started a year ago, has lost more than five metres of ice thickness for each of the last two years.

“To have two right after each other is a concern,” said Pomeroy.

They saw an early melt season as the ice became exposed as early as May. It continued to be exposed throughout the summer until some snow hit the glacier in September.

“So earlier melt, but also faster melt because of the very warm temperatures,” said Pomeroy, noting the temperatures on the ice surface hit 13 C in June and 16 C in July. “That’s pretty warm for the middle of the Columbia Icefield.

It meant the snow cover melted early and, once the white snow melts and the ice is exposed, the glacier absorbs more solar radiation and also melts.

It didn’t help that the ice was dark due to debris and soot from the forest fires in British Columbia this summer, he said.

On the Wapta Icefield, which has been monitored since the 1960s, Pomeroy said there’s been exposed ice for at least the past two years.

“The top is normally the accumulation zone, where the glaciers accumulate snow, which forms ice and then slows down, but the accumulation zone is melting,” he explained. “That’s a disaster for a glacier.”

The Wapta Icefield feeds the Peyto Glacier, which is also disappearing.

“It’s retreated so much that there’s a big lake at the bottom of it now and it’s actually calving bergs into this lake,” he said.

It has become hazardous for his research teams to get up on the glacier, but it’s also noticeable from the ground.

“When you are looking up at it from the right hand side, there’s no more ice feed off the Wapta Icefield,” said Pomeroy. “That’s cut off now so it’s starting to disintegrate and the movement of ice downward is slowing and the ice that’s left is melting away.

“The Peyto is probably in its last 10 years of existence.”

WILDLIFE IS THRIVING AROUND CHERNOBYL SINCE THE PEOPLE LEFT The site of the world’s worst nuclear accident is now a wildlife haven. The abundance of large animals around Chernobyl, such as deer, elk and wild boar, matches that of nature reserves in the region – and wolves are seven times as common.

Some 116,000 people fled the radioactive fallout from the reactor after it exploded in 1986, and another 220,000 were resettled after that, vacating a zone covering some 4200 square kilometres split equally between Belarus and Ukraine.

“Whatever negative effects there are from radiation, they are not as large as the negative effects of having people there,” says Jim Smith of the University of Portsmouth in the UK. “We’re not saying there weren’t radiological effects at all, but we can’t see effects on populations as a whole.”

The message is clear, he says. “The everyday things we do, such as occupying an area, forestry, hunting and agriculture, are what damages the environment.”

“The striking Chernobyl findings reveal that nature can flourish if people will just leave it alone,” says Bill Laurance of James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. “This underscores the vital importance of having people-free parts of the planet.”

Lee Hannah of Conservation International says Chernobyl is a living testament to the resilience of nature. “Wild places can come back if we give them a chance, but we don’t want to rely on nuclear disasters to make this happen,” he says.

Animal tracks

The analysis by Smith of field data collected by his colleagues at the Polessye State Radioecological Reserve and elsewhere in Belarus is the largest study on wildlife in the area since the accident.

The researchers conducted in-depth surveys on roe deer, elk, red deer, wild boar and wolves between 2008 and 2010. This involved examining and counting tracks left in snow on 35 winter routes over a combined 315 kilometres – 20 times the length of habitat surveyed in any previous study.

These were repeated for at least two successive years and sometimes three, whereas previous surveys had been one-off studies.

The team then compared the abundance of animals found with that measured between 2005 and 2010 using the same procedures in four uncontaminated nature reserves of similar size and habitat in Belarus. The density in Chernobyl matched or exceeded those in other reserves. A similar picture emerged when the researchers compared wildlife numbers in Chernobyl with those in the Bryansky Forest reserve 250 kilometres away in Russia.

They also reanalysed historical data on animal densities from the first 10 years after the disaster, between 1987 and 1996. By combining that with contemporary measurements of caesium-137 – a marker of radiation levels – Smith calculated that residual radiation was having little impact on animal survival.

Short-term shock

Smith says that the worst impacts of radiation on animals occurred within the first year or so after the accident, mainly because of short-lived but highly toxic isotopes such as iodine-131 and technetium-99. For example, cattle died after eating grass contaminated with the iodine, and early studies showed that mice suffered many more miscarriages.

“By 1987 the dose rate fell low enough to avoid these larger, more acute effects,” says Smith.

Since the disaster, the estimated radiation doses that animals receive in the worst-hit areas have stabilised at around 1 milligray per day, about a tenth the dose someone would receive during an abdominal CT scan.

To find out whether this daily dose is high enough to cause damaging mutations, Smith is currently comparing mutation rates in fish from Chernobyl with those in uncontaminated controls.

Mike Wood of the University of Salford, UK, whose ongoing wildlife camera study in the Chernobyl zone has confirmed the return of the brown bear and European bison, says that although wildlife is thriving, it’s probably too soon for large animals to have evolved radiation resistance because they breed so slowly.

“The study results support what many scientists have long suspected, that the impact of radiation on wildlife within the exclusion zone is much less than the impact of humans,” says Wood.

But he cautions that some studies have shown impacts on Chernobyl insect populations at lower doses than those expected to harm larger animals. “There are ongoing studies to further evaluate the extent to which both insects and mammals are impacted by the radiation,” he says.

Upcoming Events

FOOTHILLS RESOTRATION FORUM

Fall Information Session 2015

The Foothills Restoration Forum’s 9th Annual Fall Information Session will be held on Wednesday, November 18th, 2015 at the Claresholm Community Centre, Claresholm, AB.

You may register online at http://www.foothillsrestorationforum.ca to secure your spot (Online Registration will be available

Succession and Recovery Pathways”

The FRF annual information session gathers a variety of industry and grassland stakeholders to exchange current information on grassland restoration and conservation through ‘open mike’ project updates & mini presentations. Featured presentations on our draft agenda are:

· One Four Research Ranch – Renewing the Legacy – Barry Adams

· Grandfather’s Trout – Lorne Fitch

· Construction Matting to Protect Native Grassland – Does it Work?

· Regulatory updates – The new wetland assessment tool applied to grasslands

· Updates from producers of local plant materials

· Fostering stewardship initiatives with landowners

If you wish to provide a five minute update regarding happenings in your world, restoration project initiatives or learning experiences please contact Donna at corpirate@shaw.ca

Cost for the day’s event is $65.00 per person or $35 for students and agricultural producers. Fees include our ‘traditional’ welcome cinnamon rolls, a catered lunch and plenty of opportunity to visit and network. We accept cash or cheques only at the door. Cheques are payable to: SASCI. Doors open at 8 with presentations from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm.

Our goal is to ensure that events and information are accessible to everyone. We rely on sponsorship to help with cost recovery and continuation of the Forum. Please contact us if you or your corporation are interested in providing support.