Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation Reintroduction to Cascade Creek – Public comments invited from December 5, 2023 to January 4, 2024

December 5, 2023 – Parks Canada must decide whether the proposed project Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation Reintroduction to Cascade Creek in Banff National Park is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. Parks Canada will be assessing this project using a Detailed Impact Assessment.

To help inform this decision, Parks Canada is issuing this notice of intent to make a determination and inviting comments from the public on the project's potential effects on the environment as the public consultation for this proposal. All comments received will be considered public. For more information on the public nature of your comments, individuals should consult the Privacy Notice on the Registry website.

In order to submit comments or request a copy of the draft Detailed Impact Assessment report, contact:

Banff National Park
P.O. Box 900, Banff, AB, T1L 1K2
Telephone: (403) 762-1419
Email: anna.brown@pc.gc.ca

Comments must be submitted by January 4, 2024.

Project Summary: Parks Canada proposes to reintroduce the Threatened westslope cutthroat trout (WSCT) into the 9 km long, restored Cascade Creek channel in Banff National Park. Since 2018, PCA has completed physical restoration works on Cascade Creek in preparation for the reintroduction. Ready for the next phase, this proposal considers fish translocation from source populations and long-term monitoring to ensure a self-sustaining population. Genetics and pathogen testing have been undertaken to select two suitable donor populations of pure WSCT from within the park. The translocation will be undertaken by collecting gametes (eggs and milt) from the donor populations and hatching them out via Remote Stream Incubators (RSIs) directly into Cascade Creek. This will occur over a period of three years (2024 to 2026) to ensure a range of age classes in the reintroduced population. Monitoring will occur for a minimum of 5 years post-introduction to ensure a self-sustaining population is achieved.

Scope of Assessment: The Detailed Impact Assessment will assess the impacts of the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation Reintroduction to Cascade Creek on ecological integrity, commemorative integrity, species at risk and visitor experience values. To assess these, it will consider whether accepting the proposal as-is, versus other alternatives including a "no-go" alternative, will best meet the Parks' overarching goals of maintaining and restoring ecological integrity and recovering species at risk. Through engagement, it will additionally assess the implications of the proposal on values of importance to Indigenous peoples.