section5-03b

Throughway Management

Minimize Environmental Impacts of Highways

Viability and Connectivity: Fencing and the redirection of animal crossings on some sections of highway can reduce animal mortality. To illustrate, data for four of the past five years from Banff and Yoho National Parks is shown in Table 38.

Table 38: Status of Trans-Canada Highway Wildlife Mortality in Banff and Yoho National Parks

Animal	Fencing Effect	2006-2007	2005-2006	2004-2005	2003-2004	2002-2003
Larger Animals (e.g., Elk, Black Bear, Wolves)	Fenced	No data available	1	0	4	3
	Unfenced	No data available	14	10	7	7
Smaller Animals (e.g. Coyote)	Fenced	No data available	7	2	4	4
	Unfenced	No data available	4	3	1	4
Source: Banff National Park of Canada

Large animal mortality is consistently lower in the fenced sections of the highway, compared to the unfenced sections. Fencing is not an effective intervention for all species. Small mammals such as coyotes either dig or easily squeeze under the fences in search of food along the highway median, and have generally as great or greater mortality rate in fenced areas compared to unfenced areas.

Fencing, although helpful in reducing the mortality of some species, also contributes to habitat fragmentation, as do highways themselves. To address this problem, Parks Canada has built underpasses and overpasses for the exclusive use of wildlife. The estimated number of individual wildlife crossing by medium-sized and larger animals (e.g., grizzly bear, moose, cougar, deer, elk, sheep) for the last five years in Banff National Park has ranged from approximately 4,000 to 8,000 animals.

Pollution of Ecologically Sensitive Areas:Salt run-off into rivers and lakes can harm these ecosystems, use of salt can promote growth of non-native invasive plant species along the road, and can attract wildlife to roads to ingest salt where they risk injury or death. Parks Canada is working to meet the federal Code of Practice for the Environmental Management of Road Salts by requiring field units to develop salt management plans, with specific goals and targets to be measured and reported annually.

In 2006-2007, Prince Albert National Park completed their salt management plan and Kouchibouguac National Park has a commitment to complete their plan in 2007-2008 based on a Memorandum of Understanding with PWGSC.

In Newfoundland, winter road maintenance at Gros Morne National Park and L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site is the responsibility of the Province of Newfoundland. Under the terms of the service agreement, the province will develop a salt management plan that covers these two protected heritage areas.

In Quebec, 11 of 12 kilometres of highway in Forillon National Park are the responsibility of the Ministry of Transport (MTQ) of the province of Quebec. MTQ is aware of the requirement to develop a salt management plan but have not committed to a completion date.

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