Papers and Presentations

CSR Management Tool - Adding Value to Projects by Listening
February 19, 2013
Remediation Considerations for Brownfield Redevelopment Sites: A Series of Practical Considerations
February 8, 2013
An Update on the Status of Red Bats in British Columbia
December 10, 2012
Lower Mainland Sandhill Crane: South Fraser Perimeter Road
June 25, 2012
Definition of critical summer and fall habitat for bowhead whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic
April 12, 2012
Risk Management of Mercury Contamination during Oceanfront Park Development
March 20, 2012
Emerging Marine Projects in BC: Underwater noise in the marine environment
January 31, 2012
Integrating Physical and Empirical Landslide Susceptibility Models Using Generalized Additive Models
March 10, 2011

Hemmera was excited to participate in the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC) Roundup 2013 Conference (January 28-31, 2013). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an increasingly integral component in sustainable mineral exploration, which was reflected in this year’s Roundup 2013 theme: “Resources for Life: Digging Deeper”. Over the past year, Mike Choi (of Hemmera) and Vesta Filipchuk (of Teck Resources) worked diligently to co-chair the CSR Technical Session, where they assembled an astute panel of experts to share ideas.

In the CSR Technical Session, seven panelists and two facilitators spoke in two panels. The first panel reviewed the underlying fundamentals of CSR, and the importance of integrating sustainable practices into mineral exploration. The second panel delved deeper, providing meaningful illustrations of the successful CSR implementation, and examining what it has meant to the businesses, communities and institutions involved. As part of the second panel, Michael Muller, Director of Northern Projects for Hemmera, presented a Yukon perspective and provided examples from his personal experience. Michael discussed the linkage between CSR and a Social License to Operate, and the importance of “Listening to Understand”.

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Brownfields present a unique opportunity relative to contaminated lands. In a presentation given at the insight "Contaminated Sites in BC" conference, Hemmera's Greg Quandt and Peter Reid investigated some of the differences and unique aspects of the two. They presented a range of remedial examples on actual sites undergoing redevelopment to showcase the different aspects of remediation, contaminant risk, and liability with mitigation and control measures. Greg and Peter also touched on some of the tools and approaches used in BC for promoting and encouraging brownfield redevelopment. 

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Many had believed that the Western Red Bat (Lasiurus blossevillii) was the only species of red bat that occured in British Columbia. Subsequent genetic studies demonstrated that the eastern and western North American populations were distinct species: L. borealis and L. blossevillii. Two recent fatalities of L. borealis at a wind energy facility in northeastern British Columbia prompted expert David W. Nagorsen and Hemmera's Brian Paterson to review the status of red bats in the province.

The results of their investigation have been published in the Winter 2012 edition of Northwestern Naturalist.

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Charlie Palmer, Hemmera's senior ecologist, presents to the Canadian Wildlife Services group on the South Fraser Perimeter Road Project with a focus on the Mitigation Monitoring Program, it's findings and results of the Sandhill Cranes. For a copy of the presentation, email cpalmer@hemmera.com

Hemmera's marine and fisheries group has released a paper outlining collected data on Eastern Arctic bowhead whales and their habitat. The study provides resource managers with a timely tool for population recovery, conservation, and protection. The abstract to the article is below:

ABSTRACT: Bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus critical habitat was identified as a key information gap by the Eastern Arctic Bowhead Whale Recovery Team. To fill this gap, data on eastern Canadian Arctic (ECA) bowhead whales and their habitat were collected and analyzed. We selected governmental, private, and historical whaling bowhead location datasets which differed in temporal and spatial extent, sample size, and quality. Sufficient data were available only for the ‘reduced-ice’ period (June to October) and pooled by month. Data for 6 ecogeographical variables (EGVs) were integrated into a geographical information system (GIS): sea surface temperature, chlorophyll, ice, depth, slope, and distance to shore. A monthly ecological niche factor analysis was performed for each whale and EGV dataset to determine habitat suitability in the ECA. Eleven habitat suitability models were produced, and a composite map of predicted high suitability habitat, for all 5 months, was developed. Twenty-one areas within the ECA were identified as highly suitable habitat and ranked according to analytical confidence. Six critical habitats were identified and are supported by recent scientific evidence and Inuit knowledge. Recently, the population estimate, conservation status, and management of the Eastern Canada−West Greenland bowhead population have changed dramatically (bowhead whales of this population also inhabit the ECA). In parallel, evidence of ecological change from climate warming has increased and associated loss of sea ice is anticipated to increase interactions between bowheads and anthropogenic activity. As envisioned by the recovery team, this study provides resource managers with a timely tool for population recovery, conservation, and protection.

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Presenting on behalf of the Squamish Oceanfront Park Development Project, Hemmera's project director and environmental engineer, Claire Lewis presented to a special group of international delegates at a BC-focused field trip and session up in Squamish, BC. The presention provided the audience with an overview of the project's location, it's site history, current landscape plans and the current regulatory status and awarded approval. For more information on this project presentation email clewis@hemmera.com 

Ben Wheeler, Senior Marine Planner at Hemmera was provided an opportunity to give the WWF working group an overview on the emerging marine 'activities' happening across BC within several key industries: Oil & Gas, Port Expansion, and Renewable Energy. The purpose of the workshop was to also solicit information from other members on activities that were not already captured within the presentation. For more information on this presentation, email bwheeler@hemmera.com

We investigate the possibility to enhance landslide susceptibility modeling by integrating two physically-based landslide models, the Factor of Safety (FS) and the Shallow Stability model (SHALSTAB). In this study, all empirical and combined physical–empirical models outperform the physically-based models.

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