NORTHERN PENINSULA, NL – The St. Lunaire-Griquet Iceberg Trail has been released from environmental assessment by the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment.
The project’s proponents, St. Anthony Basin Resources Inc. and the Town of St. Lunaire-Griquet, are proposing to develop 46.3 kilometres of mostly coastal hiking trails on the Northern Peninsula.
The project must adhere to a number of conditions, as outlined in an environmental assessment bulletin released by the department on Wednesday.
A minimum 30-metre undisturbed vegetated buffer along all waterbodies and wetlands must be maintained to protect sensitive riparian and aquatic species and their habitat.
As well, to avoid adverse effects to breeding birds in this area, land-clearing activities during the breeding season from April 1 to Aug. 30 must be avoided.
The threatened moss species Porsild’s Bryum may inhabit areas in or adjacent to the project footprint. The Wildlife Division of the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources must be contacted prior to the start of trail development to ensure that the trail establishment adheres to protection and recovery requirements for the species and that on the ground personnel comply with the Newfoundland and Labrador Endangered Species Act and the Species at Risk Act.
The proponent must provide the details of signage for trail users to the Department of Transportation and Works, including information and warning for review and compliance with national standards, prior to the start of construction.
Finally, a maintenance plan, including traffic control operations and safe work practices for trails adjacent to roadways on shoulders to the Department of Transportation and Works, must be provided for review and approval prior to the start of construction.
The trail network, which will be located from L’Anse aux Meadows to St. Lunaire-Griquet, will include existing trails, roads and the construction of 18.5 kilometres of new trail.
Trail work on existing trails began this summer and new trails will be constructed next spring. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2019.
