PROTECTING BEVERLY AND QAMANIRJUAQ CARIBOU
AND CARIBOU RANGE

B. Evaluating the Importance of Water Crossings

The BQCMB established a system for evaluating the importance of crossing sites using the following factors: availability of alternative crossing sites, width of crossings, sensitivity and physical condition of caribou at the usual time of crossing, level of environmental stress, and frequency and numbers of caribou that use a crossing.

The objective of the BQCMB is to identify places where caribou cross water bodies and afford protection to some of the more important sites. The BQCMB recommends that no developments occur near crossings that are classified as of critical or high importance. The distance that development activities should remain from these crossings (buffer distance) should be assessed on a case-by-case basis, and will depend on the type of potential disturbance resulting from proposed activities and the relative importance of the water crossing to caribou.

The BQCMB has evaluated the relative importance of some of the water and ice crossings identified on this CD-ROM (see Description of Water and Ice Crossings and Examples of Crossing Evaluations).

How to Rate Water and Ice Crossings

The BQCMB's evaluation system is a 4-step process in which a water or ice crossing is rated according to several factors, and the values for each factor are used to determine the relative importance of the crossing. Instructions for the rating system, links to descriptions of rating factors and rating values, and a classification system for relative importance of crossings are provided below.

Instructions for Rating System:

1. For each rating factor, identify the appropriate value for a crossing using the table of rating values provided (see link to column B above). The link to "rating factors" includes a description of each factor and how to evaluate it.

   When insufficient information is available to permit rating that crossing for a certain factor, give that factor a value of 3. (This can be changed when additional information becomes available.)

2. Calculate the total value for each rating factor (C) by multiplying the weighting value provided in column A by the rating value from column B (C = A x B).

3. Determine the total point rating for the crossing (Grand Total) by adding together the individual ratings for all factors in column C.

4. Identify the relative importance of the crossing using the total point rating and the following "Classification of Water Crossings".

Classification of Water Crossings:

1. The classification of a given water or ice crossing may change as a result of:

• Significant changes in rating values for one or more factors. Some examples are (a) if all alternative crossings for a particular site become unuseable because of disturbance, an increased rating value for this factor may increase the relative importance of the remaining crossing site; (b) if a crossing site receives substantially decreased use by caribou because of a long-term change in migration route, the decreased rating value for this factor may reduce the relative importance of the crossing compared to its past importance.

• Increased availability of information about rating factors. Long-term studies of caribou range use patterns may reveal that some crossings have not been used regularly by many caribou for some time; the importance ratings for these crossings would then decrease. In contrast, scientific studies or traditional knowledge may identify crossings not previously documented, and may indicate that some known crossings are more important to caribou than was previously believed, thus identifying additional crossings of high or critical importance.

2. Changes in importance ratings may result from an actual change in the value of crossings to caribou, or from availability of better information without any real change in the importance of crossings to caribou.

3. Only substantial changes in rating values for a crossing will cause the classification of its relative importance to caribou to change categories (e.g., from high to critical).

4. The classification of crossings should be reviewed periodically and revised as required.

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