Projects Help Compensate for Dam Disruption
By Contributor
The Waneta Expansion Limited Partnership (WELP), a partnership between Fortis Inc., Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust, has awarded $50,000 to local conservation and restoration projects through the Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program.
The program provides $50,000 annually to research, physical works, and other on-the-ground or applied terrestrial compensation projects. The program will continue for three years following completion of the expansion project this year.
“The Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program supports a wide range of projects from inventory work to community outreach to habitat restoration,” said Teal Moffat, Environmental Manager for Columbia Power Corporation. “Our selection criteria ensure we support a combination of community groups and professional consultants for projects that span from one to multiple years.”
This year’s successful terrestrial compensation projects include:
Group
Project
Janice Arndt
Bank Swallow baseline inventory
Jacob Dulisse Consulting/Pandion Ecological Research Ltd.
Reptiles at risk conservation
Kootenay Native Plant Society
Milkweed enhancement
Pandion Ecological Research Ltd.
Yellow-breasted chat critical habitat restoration
VAST Resource Solutions Inc.
Determining bat diversity and population size in the Pend d’Oreille
“The support we received from the Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program last year allowed us to do baseline work which revealed what may be one of the largest and most diverse bat hibernacula in BC.” said Dr. Leigh Anne Isaac, Senior Wildlife Biologist for VAST Resource Solutions Inc. “With additional support this year, VAST and our research partner, Dr. Cori Lausen of the Wildlife Conservation Society (Canada), will continue work to determine the regional and international significance of this site.”
Applications are now being accepted for next year’s Waneta Terrestrial Compensation Program. Visit www.columbiapower.org/wanetaexpansionfor more information.
Throughout construction, the Waneta Expansion Project has maintained a strong record of protecting the environment. With the project nearing completion, activities are currently focused on electrical and mechanical work in the powerhouse, commissioning both units, and demobilization and reclamation of construction areas.
Columbia Power manages construction of the Waneta Expansion Project on behalf of WELP. For more information please visit: columbiapower.org/wanetaexpansion.
