Canadian Nuclear Laboratories
Chalk River Laboratories
Chalk River, Ontario, Canada
Certified Gold through 2024
Project Name
Project Type
Management of Wetland
Wetlands & Water Bodies
Barn Swallow
Avian
Chimney Swift
Avian
Bats
Bats
Herpetofauna Conservation
Reptiles & Amphibians
Forest Management Plan
Forest
About the Program
Chalk River Laboratories, managed by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, borders the Ottawa River in Chalk River, Ontario. The facility engages in nuclear research and produces materials for disease treatment. The site consists primarily of forest land, and 2,223 acres of wetlands are managed to benefit wildlife. Several at-risk species of turtles have been identified on-site, including Blanding's, eastern musk, northern map and snapping turtles. This makes the efforts of Chalk River Laboratories to preserve wildlife habitat a critical component of Ontario's strategy to protect endangered and threatened wildlife.
Practices and Impacts
Chalk River Laboratories, managed by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, borders the Ottawa River in Chalk River, Ontario. The facility engages in nuclear research and produces materials for disease treatment. The site consists primarily of forest land, and 2,223 acres of wetlands are managed to benefit wildlife. Several at-risk species of turtles have been identified on-site, including Blanding's, eastern musk, northern map and snapping turtles. This makes the efforts of Chalk River Laboratories to preserve wildlife habitat a critical component of Ontario's strategy to protect endangered and threatened wildlife.
Practices and Impacts
- The team monitors the wetland habitat to ensure the protection and conservation of the habitat. Monitoring includes addressing erosion, hydrology and wetland dependent wildlife species.
- In 2017, four nesting structures were implemented for the native barn swallow next to ideal foraging habitat to maintain healthy populations. The structures are monitored annually for the presence of nests.
- There are two stacks (61 meter and 46 meter) maintained on-site to allow for the local chimney swift to utilize as roosting or nesting structures. Visual counts are conducted to understand the number of chimney swifts using the stacks.
- Sixteen bat houses were installed at eight different locations in 2016 to provide sufficient bat habitat for native bat species. The boxes are monitored annually for signs of bat activity.
- Baseline species surveys were conducted in 2009 to guide wetland protection practices as outlined by the Federal Policy on Wetland Conservation. As a result of this data, Chalk River Laboratories partnered with the University of Ottawa to carry out a two-year telemetry project studying Blanding's and snapping turtles. Impacts of this research include providing population data for the eastern Ontario region, identifying key habitat components for supporting a turtle population and supplementing data on road mortality of turtle species. As of 2020, eight eco-passes have been installed on the site to eliminate road mortalities, as well as nine new turtle crossing signs installed in 2021.
