Field Studies 2022
| 2022 Surveys | Date (From) | Date (To) |
| Wolverine Aerial Tracking Survey | March 1, 2022 | March 8, 2022 |
| ARU Maintenance | March 24, 2022 | April 3, 2022 |
| Geotechnical Drilling | April 7, 2022 | April 28, 2022 |
| Waterfowl – Spring #1 | May 16, 2022 | May 20, 2022 |
| ARU Deployment | May 31, 2022 | June 6, 2022 |
| Waterfowl – Spring #2 | May 30, 2022 | June 2, 2022 |
|
Breeding Birds #1 ARU Deployment/Maintenance |
June 6, 2022 | June 16, 2022 |
| Vegetation – Spring | June 6, 2022 | June 19, 2022 |
| Breeding Birds #2 | June 27, 2022 | July 6, 2022 |
| Fish and Fish Habitat – Spring | July 7, 2022 | July 17, 2022 |
| Vegetation – Summer | July 17, 2022 | July 28, 2022 |
| ARU Maintenance | July 18, 2022 | July 26, 2022 |
| Waterfowl – Fall #1 | September 10, 2022 | September 15, 2022 |
| Fish and Fish Habitat – Summer | August 15, 2022 | August 24, 2022 |
| Vegetation – Fall | August 26, 2022 | September 9, 2022 |
| Waterfowl – Fall #2 | October 15, 2022 | October 20, 2022 |
| Terrain/Ground Truthing | October 15, 2022 | October 19, 2022 |
| Bathymetry | October 22, 2022 | October 27, 2022 |
| ARU Maintenance | November 16, 2022 | November 27, 2022 |
Terrain Surveys: Soil surveys using a hand auger to ground-truth existing terrain maps, identify potential aggregate, and thickness of peat.
Geotechnical Drilling: Geotechnical drilling and laboratory testing was conducted in spring 2022 to support engineering design. Groundwater monitoring wells were installed at borehole locations to support the groundwater program.
Bathymetry: Bathymetric surveys to support engineering design of watercourse crossings.
Fish and Fish Habitat Surveys: Includes fish habitat assessments and fish community sampling using minnow traps and eDNA. These were conducted at potential water crossings in spring and summer.
Breeding Bird Surveys: Installation of Acoustic Recording Units (ARU) and point count surveys to determine presence/absence of species as well as abundance/distribution and the status and trends in the bird populations. The ARUs are left in place year-round, with field crews periodically replacing their batteries and SD cards. Point counts are conducted by skilled observers to identify birds by sight and sound.
Waterfowl Migration Surveys: Low-level aerial surveys over water bodies (lakes, ponds, stream and rivers to estimate the seasonal distribution, abundance and density of waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors. These surveys are conducted in spring and fall.
Bat Surveys: Installation of ultrasonic Acoustic Recording Units (ARU) to identify bat species and distribution within in the study area. They are set up in the spring and taken down in the fall, with field crews periodically replacing their batteries and SD cards.
Wolverine Surveys: Wolverine aerial tracking surveys conducted during winter to look for evidence of wolverine dens. Survey was conducted to support permitting of geotechnical drilling program as well as the biology program.
Vegetation Surveys / Ecological Land Classification (ELC): Vegetation surveys consist of plots to sample and record vegetation in the study area. Field data collection aligns with the provincial ELC program for the boreal region. These surveys were conducted across three seasons including spring, summer and fall.