I believe the fish issues we would have to deal with would not be assaciated with digging the mine but the Mess Creek crossings for the road. There are no fish near the mine itself.

The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans has policy of zero net loss of fish habitat. The provincial Ministry of Envirnment has a concurrent policy. Any time a speck of fish habitat is deleted from the landscape, an equal or better amount of quality fish habitat has to be created elsewhere (where possible and deficient).

IIRC....

The Mess Creek road crosses the MC (more of a river) in one or two places. Any pilon or bridge foundation that impacts fish habitat would have to be made up somewhere else. Doesn't matter what the fish does there or what type of fish; it is present there at any day of the year it is deemed habitat. Even upstream hydrologic features without fish can be 'fish sensitive' as it functions as habitat by supplying a critical amount of buffer, food, or minerals downstream for fish.

This is not new info and probably has been on folks minds for a while now. Since the bridges dont' really impact (diminish or obliterate) big amounts of riverbed and shoreline, making up this habitat somewhere else in the system would probably be not to onerous. We are talking about a few hundred square meters. That kind of thing is not unusual in BC. Any submissions to impact fish habitat would have the proposed remediation plan attached. Prosperity Mine proposed transplanting a whole fish lake into a new artificial lake (It didn't fly but it was a good try).

I am foggy on this part, but in minor cases, it may be as simple to funding a local group like a Streamkeepers Society or First Nations stewardship group that does regular enhancement with rationale that this enhancement more than makes up for the destruction of habitat. A couple $K a year to some skilled, motivated stewards goes farther than 100m square of new, clean spawning gravel and some submerged logs for cover.

Not sure what version of the EA legislation would apply to the whole project. A good question for Shane. I'm thinking the new one?

jmho