Waterfowl and mammals harvested and trapped at various locations in the oil sands region and in reference locations are assessed for contaminant burdens and toxicology. Wildlife samples are obtained from local hunters and trappers. Tissue samples are analysed for concentrations of oil sands-related contaminants (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and naphthenic acids). Dead and moribund birds collected from tailing ponds are also evaluated for levels and effects of contaminants.

The United States population of California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) range from southeast Alaska to the Pacific coast of central Mexico. While this population does not breed in Canada, some sub-adult and adult males migrate northwards to British Columbia (BC) during the non-breeding season with an arrival in August–October and a departure in April–May. The population in coastal BC was assessed in 1985 and again in 2023 from dedicated over-winter aerial surveys. The most recent assessment used counts from 2020–2021surveys that were restricted to southern BC as few animals have been documented further north. Additional observations of California Sea Lions were collected while surveying sites for Steller Sea Lions. These opportunistic counts increased from approximately 1,000 animals in the mid-2000s to several thousand individuals in more recent years. Historically occupied sea lion rookeries and haul-out sites were surveyed with nearby areas monitored for potential shifts in distribution. This dataset contains counts that have been collected from sightings of individuals from 1971 through 2021and replaces a previous dataset limited to the 2016/2017 survey season.

Aquatic bird eggs are being collected for contaminants analysis. Egg collections in the Peace-Athabasca Delta area support Parks Canada’s activities at Wood Buffalo National Park and the multi-stakeholder Peace-Athabasca Ecosystem Monitoring Program. This monitoring activity employs repeated censuses of birds and builds on initial egg collections made in 2009 from Egg Island (Lake Athabasca) and Wood Buffalo National Park, with the goal of evaluating contaminant burdens, contaminant sources and changes in sources through time. Egg samples are collected from colonial waterbirds California Gulls (Larus californicus), Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus), Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis), Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and Common Terns (Sterna hirundo) and insectivorous birds Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), Cliff Swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) to monitor health and contaminant levels of aquatic and terrestrial birds in the oil sands region and in reference areas. The samples collected are analysed for oil sands-related contaminants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals such as mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As).

Tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nest boxes are installed in oil sands area and in reference locations to monitor contaminant levels and impacts on tree swallow nestlings. The exposure to tree swallow nestlings to air-borne oil sands-related contaminants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is assessed using passive air samplers. Measures of avian health are examined in relation to location of sampling and contaminants measured.

The health of individual amphibians, amphibian populations, and their wetland habitats are monitored in the oil sands region and at reference locations. Contaminants assessments are done at all sites. Amphibians developing near oil sands activities may be exposed to concentrations of oil sands-related contaminants, through air emissions as well as water contamination. The focus of field investigations is to evaluate the health of wild amphibian populations at varying distances from oil sands operations. Wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) populations are being studied in Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories in order to examine the relationship of proximity to oil sands activities and to prevalence of infectious diseases, malformation rates, endocrine and stress responses, genotoxicity, and concentrations of heavy metals, naphthenic acids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Plant health assessments and vegetation surveys are undertaken at both terrestrial and wetland sites in the oil sands region and in reference areas. Plant monitoring is being conducted for biodiversity and contaminants, and because plants are important both as wildlife habitat and as traditional-use species. Plant and soil samples are collected at monitoring sites near and at varying distances from oil sands operations. Plant tissues are being examined for levels of naphthenic acids (NAs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. Plant indicator species include Vaccinium spp. (blueberry), Ledum groenlandicum (Labrador tea), Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi (common bearberry), and Cornus canadensis (bunchberry). Soil samples from riparian banks and boreal forest locations are also collected for greenhouse studies. These experiments evaluate the uptake, distribution, and toxicity of the contaminants in plant tissue.

The Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus) is the largest species of sea lion with males weighing as much as 1,100 kg and females as much as 350 kg. In Canada, the Steller can be spotted along the rocky coast of British Columbia (BC). These highly mobile marine mammals typically travel alone or in small groups, but they congregate in large numbers at traditional rookeries and haul-outs during the mating and pupping season. Females generally live longer (up to 30 years) than males (usually up to 20 years). The population was severely depleted in Canada but following its protection in 1970, the size of the adult population has more than doubled. Trends in the abundance of Steller sea lions in BC have been assessed based on a series of standardized, province-wide aerial surveys conducted during the breeding season (27-June to 06-July) between 1971 and 2021. Additional ad-hoc surveys during the fall, winter, and spring periods were completed to assess sea lion distribution outside of the breeding season. Surveys targeted historically occupied rookeries and haul-out sites with nearby areas also monitored for potential shifts in distribution. Both datasets contain counts that have been collected from sightings of individuals from 1971 through 2021. The updated standard breeding season survey counts data file consolidates and extends two previous datasets – one covering 1971 through 2013 and the other covering the summer portion of the 2016/2017 surveys. The non-breeding season count data was previously limited to the fall-winter portion of the 2016/2017 surveys and the updated data covers the entire study period to date.

The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Québec BCR7 Scoter and Late Nester Survey used helicopters to survey late nesting waterfowl on 5x5 km (25 km²) plots in the Québec portion of Bird Conservation Region 7 (BCR7) in 2014. BCR7 extends across much of the Canadian shield and spans eight provinces and territories. In Québec, BCR7 is the largest of the BCRs, representing 37% of the province’s territory and spanning from Hudson Bay and James Bay in the west to the Labrador border in the east. This region represents the transition from boreal to arctic habitats, bordered by boreal forests to the south and treeless tundra to the north. The main goal of the QCB725 was to fill a monitoring gap for sea ducks and other late nesters on the taiga in Québec, and in particular scoters (genus Melanitta), as most traditional waterfowl surveys do not cover their breeding range or late nesting phenology. Complete bilingual metadata including detailed survey design, protocols and data dictionaries is available in downloadable files.

The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Québec Boréale Waterfowl Survey used helicopters to annually survey breeding waterfowl over five years from 1985-1989 on 10x10 km (100 km²) plots located within the Chibougamau region of Québec, a boreal zone at the heart of the American Black Duck's breeding range. The goals of the QCBO100 were to assess the impact of new hunting restrictions for the American Black Duck and to act as a pilot survey to help establish a standardized helicopter-based breeding pair survey for the Black Duck Joint Venture (BDJV) across the American Black Duck’s range. Similar pilot surveys were carried out in Ontario, the Maritimes, and on the island of Newfoundland, using different survey protocols in terms of plot size, selection, and survey frequency, providing an opportunity to compare result quality and cost. For further details and comparisons among these pilot surveys, see Ross et al. (2017). Complete bilingual metadata including detailed survey design, protocols and data dictionaries is available in downloadable files. Ross, R.K., Bateman, M.C. and Bordage, D. 2017. Experimental Helicopter-based Waterfowl Breeding Pair Surveys in Eastern Canada,1985–1989. Pages 83 – 94 in Bordage, D., Bateman, M.C., Ross, R.K. and Lepage, C. (editors). Helicopter-based waterfowl breeding pair survey in eastern Canada and related studies. Black Duck Joint Venture Special Publication. 236 pp.

The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Québec Nunavik Great Whale (Grande Baleine) Waterfowl Survey used helicopters to survey breeding waterfowl on 25 10x10 km (100 km²) in 1991 during both the nesting and rearing periods on square plots located within the Great Whale River wetland complex, a heterogeneous network of inland lakes, ponds, and river-associated wetlands distributed across the Grande rivière de la Baleine watershed in Northern Québec and Nunavik. The survey targeted three main species (Canada Goose, Black Scoter and Surf Scoter) but recorded observations of 25 waterfowl species in total. The primary goal of the survey was to model the habitat associations of the three target species, combining observational data with habitat characterization using remote sensing, and subsequently to assess the reproductive potential of these three species over a larger area. Complete bilingual metadata including detailed survey design, protocols and data dictionaries is available in downloadable files.