General Wetland Monitoring Requirements. The Project Proponent must: • remove or destroy invasive plant species that are listed as prohibited noxious weeds in Alberta according to Alberta’s Weed Control Regulations under the Weed Control Act; • collect photos of the wetland from the same locations (photo stations) during each annual monitoring inspection. At a minimum, photo stations shall be located at both ends of each transect and one general overview photo showing the entire wetland. Photos must be labeled with the location, date photographed, and direction; • delineate any bare soil areas, erosion or sedimentation, areas dominated by invasive species, and areas without a predominance of wetland vegetation which are considered problematic in achieving the wetland replacement outcomes and provide their location on the Wetland Monitoring Map; • document any incidental sightings or evidence of wading birds, songbirds, waterfowl, amphibians, reptiles, other wildlife use (lodges, nests, tracks, scat, etc.), and human use within the wetland; • conduct a visual inspection of the Wetland Replacement Project and record any observations of impacts which may be detrimental to the wetland. This could include oil, grease, man-made debris, and any other visible contaminations or concerns; • provide a written summary of all the problem areas that have been identified within the replacement wetland and potential corrective measures to address them, or any measures that were undertaken to address them; • in Years 2, 3 and 4 of the Monitoring and Mainenance Phase, provide in the Annual Monitoring Report referred to in section 3.4 a written summary of data from the previous monitoring year(s) and a discussion of changes or trends based on all monitoring results. Include an updated Wetland Monitoring Map showing the approximate locations of wetland zones and identify if the wetland is on a trajectory to achieving the amount of wetland area required. The Annual Monitoring report must also state whether the Performance Standards have been met, are on a trajectory to being met, or if there are issues which require adaptive management in order to be achieved by the end of the Monitoring and Maintenance Phase; and • only in Year 4 of the Monitoring and Mainenance Phase, complete a wetland delineation in accordance with the Wetland Identification and Delineation Directive and include a calculation of the hectares of the Wetland Replacement Project established, a plan view drawing (the Wetland Monitoring Map) depicting...
