Jamac Painting & Sandblasting Ltd. (Jamac) retained AJM to provide environmental consulting for the Bleriot Ferry Rehabilitation Project near Munson, AB in 2023. Critical deliverables were to include:

• Environmental Construction Operations (ECO) Plan; 

• Bird Management Plan (BMP), including a Wildlife Survey and Sweep of the area; and 

• Weed Survey and Weed Infestation map. 

AJM crafted an ECO plan compliant with current laws, regulations, permits, and the ECO Plan Framework. It covered all environmental aspects identified by the Environmental Risk Assessment, including Clubroot and Whirling Disease control methods, a Temporary Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, and a Bird Management Plan (BMP). The plan, once reviewed and revised in response to the Project administrator's feedback, included a Clubroot Management Plan adhering to Alberta Agriculture standards and a Whirling Disease protocol based on AEP guidelines.

AJM was contracted by TC Energy in 2023 to provide environmental monitoring support for the construction of the Turner Valley, Longview, and Lundbreck sections of the Foothills West Path Delivery natural gas pipeline system in southwestern Alberta. 

The scope of work provided by AJM included: 

• Early season raptor surveys to follow Restricted Activity Period (RAP) timing; 

• Pre-construction migratory bird nest sweeps; 

• Amphibian mitigation guidance and salvages; 

• Mountain Goat and Bighorn Sheep surveys and mitigation on Lundbreck; and 

• Assisting Environmental Inspectors with implementation of Environmental Protection Plans. 

AJM assisted TC Energy in complying with the Migratory Birds Convention Act, the Alberta Wildlife Act, and Species at Risk Act. AJM implemented mitigations for many migratory bird species including two species listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA); the olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) and bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). AJM provided environmental support to support pipeline development while providing appropriate mitigations to meet regulatory requirements. Additionally, AJM aided TC Energy of implementation of the Environmental Protection Plan developed for this pipeline project.  This project was a Canada Energy Regulator (CER) regulated project. 

Cenovus Energy Inc. (Cenovus) retained AJM to conduct a bathymetric survey of five waterbodies located at the Foster Creek Thermal Project (FCTP). Cenovus operates the FCTP steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) scheme for the recovery of bitumen, consisting of well pads, pipelines, a central processing facility, and associated infrastructure. The project was completed to assist Cenovus with a revised thermal screening to meet the Directive for the Assessment of Thermally-Mobilized Constituents in Groundwater for the Assessment of Thermal In Situ Operations.

The scope of work included the following:  

• Site selection and methodology development; 

• Field data collection; and 

• Data analysis and reporting.  

AJM successfully proposed the development of a mobile fish habitat application for the Water Strategy Department at Teck Coal Ltd (Teck). The app is intended for Teck personnel and contractors collecting field data related to aquatic habitat and riparian vegetation. Key features of the app include GPS integration, photo capture, customizable forms, offline data collection, offline maps, collaboration and sharing, data export and reporting, and user management. The app is being developed by AJM’s programming team for iOS and Android for broad utilization. The app will integrate with ESRI’s ArcGIS Survey123 and Field Maps apps. The project's overriding objective is to provide Teck with a mobile app that enables efficient and accurate data collection in the field, alongside real-time monitoring and data visualization through a custom dashboard.

AJM Environmental Inc. was retained by a major exploration & production company to assess whether satellite-derived image analysis could be used to enable the early detection of tree stress caused by infrastructure within two of their steam-assisted gravity drainage projects. The critical deliverable for this project was a report that detailed:

• An analysis of the benefits and limitations of different analysis frameworks (indices and classification analyses);

• An assessment of the benefits and limitations of different sources of imagery;

• An assessment of the predictive accuracy of different image analysis techniques; and

• Recommendation for ongoing analysis.

Farmboy Landscaping and Maintenance (Farmboy) retained AJM to provide ongoing wildlife and aquatic services for various road and bridge construction projects from 2021 to present. AJM’s support includes but is not limited to Environmental Construction Operations (ECO) Plan development, wildlife surveys and sweeps, migratory bird nest sweeps, water quality monitoring (total suspended solids testing), monitoring water diversion activities, QAES support, and fish salvages.

AJM has developed a strong working relationship with one of its international oil and gas exploration and production clients to assist their development team with overcoming environmental and regulatory challenges and approvals with new energy development projects, specifically on the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Suffield in southeastern Alberta.  

The current scope of work includes:

• Desktop review of background environmental data;

• Scouting of best routes and locations for placement of pipelines and well sites;

• Completion of field assessments including wetlands, wildlife, and vegetation;...

AJM was contracted by the City of Calgary’s Parks and Open Spaces Unit to produce a ten-year Habitat Management Plan for Douglasdale Natural Environment Park, a 47ha park located adjacent to the Bow River in southeast Calgary. The primary objective of a Habitat Management Plan is to outline a clear strategy and timeline for the management of the ecological health and function of the park, and to ensure that biodiversity and climate resilience outcomes can be achieved more effectively. 

The scope of work included reconnaissance site visits to the park and a thorough desktop review of background data, including ecological surveys, health assessments, biophysical impact assessments, historical aerial photos, and GIS data. AJM worked in collaboration with the City of Calgary to incorporate contributor engagement from various stakeholders, including public park users.

AJM was contracted by TC Energy to provide environmental consulting services for the construction of the Elko and Yahk sections of the Foothills West Path Delivery natural gas pipeline in southeastern British Columbia (BC). The Elko and Yahk sections are approximately 32km and 12.5km in length, respectively, and are located in the mountains adjacent to the towns from which they are named. The technical scope of the services provided by AJM on these projects included:

• Pre-construction wildlife sweeps (including migratory bird nest sweeps) on both the Elko and Yahk sections;

TC Energy retained AJM Environmental Inc. (AJM) to provide construction monitoring support for development of their KXL pipeline in southeastern Alberta. This scope of work included migratory bird nest sweeps, sensitive raptor nest monitoring, amphibian salvages, snake relocation and monitoring, and verifying rare plants and rare ecological communities.

AJM was approached by Paskwa Consultants Ltd. to perform a statistical analysis of vegetation survey data related to leafy spurge treatments on short notice. Data from eight sites, each with pre- and post-treatment surveys, were analyzed to assess the impact of different control methods on vegetation composition.

AJM conducted the following analyses:

• Comparison of leafy spurge cover;

• Comparison of functional group cover;

• Bray–Curtis Dissimilarity Analysis; and

• Shannon–Wiener Diversity Analysis.

Trout Unlimited Canada hired AJM to assess the Upper Trout Creek watershed for reclamation planning of aquatic and riparian habitats. Recommendations by Qualified Aquatic Environmental Specialists (QAES) focused on bank reconstruction, vegetation, erosion control, and channel re-alignment to mitigate impacts on fish habitats from human activities (e.g., OHV trails, cattle grazing) and natural events (e.g., flooding, bank erosion).

Cenovus Energy Inc. retained AJM to develop and complete an Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA) regulated Wetland Monitoring Program (WMP) for three of their steam assisted gravity drainage recovery projects: Christina Lake Thermal Project (CLTP), Narrows Lake Thermal Project (NLTP), and Foster Creek Thermal Project (FCTP). AJM started completion of this monitoring in 2016 and has been completing them annually since that time.  

The scope of work includes the following:  

• WMP proposal development for submission and approval by the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER);

• Site selection and establishment; 

• Annual hydrology and vegetation monitoring; 

• Data analysis; and 

• Reporting, including comprehensive monitoring reports every three years for submission to the AER. 

AJM's involvement in integrity dig projects encompasses identifying environmental prerequisites for wildlife, wetlands, aquatic life, vegetation, and soil within Alberta. Initially, a thorough desktop review is performed to ascertain these requirements. The identification of wildlife requirements is conducted in accordance with the Public Lands Act, Wildlife Act, Species at Risk Act, and Migratory Birds Convention Act. Supporting field assessments for these acts involve Wildlife Surveys, Wildlife Sweeps, and Migratory Bird Nest Sweeps.

Design and implement a snake monitoring project for the Keystone XL pipeline in Alberta. Focus species are the prairie rattlesnake, bullsnake, and two garter snake species. Project includes study design, field assessment to identify hibernacula at three major river crossings, and the monitoring of snake populations one-season prior to construction, and for one season after. The objectives of the monitoring project are to quantify the effects, if any, of the Keystone XL pipeline construction on snake populations in the immediate vicinity of the pipeline and use the data to inform future construction design and mitigation strategies.

As part of the Federal recovery strategy for Bull Trout, an at-risk species, AJM Fisheries Biologists collaborated with the Ontario and Prairies/Arctic Region of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to deliver on an innovative research project exploring the thermal tolerances of the threatened species. AJM was engaged by DFO’s Freshwater Institute to support project planning leading up to the collection of gametes (egg and milt) from a spawning population of Bull Trout in southern Alberta. AJM Biologists then led field crews (including DFO Biologists) in the safe and effective capture (and eventual release) of multiple adult fish from an adfluvial spawning population. Once captured, adult Bull Trout were processed by AJM Biologists for the collection and in-situ fertilization of eggs and milt. Post-collection and fertilization, gametes were prepared for immediate air transport to incubation and rearing facilities in Winnipeg. After hatching, juvenile Bull Trout will be reared by DFO Research Biologists and tested for temperature tolerances. Resulting information will be important to help understand the potential threat of rising water temperatures on Alberta’s Bull Trout populations.

Once constructed, this will be Alberta’s first pumped hydro energy storage project and will generate to 75 MW of electricity upon demand, placing power into the local grid during periods of high demand and reduced supply. Our work included providing aquatic assessment services specific to the project’s proposed disposition crossing of an unnamed tributary to Canyon Creek and to support planning of water withdrawal from the Athabasca River. We provided recommendations on project design and led environmental mitigation efforts to protect critical habitat and fish species at risk. We used eDNA techniques validate the potential presence/absence of fish within the aquatic habitat and piloted an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) to collect relevant aerial imagery of aquatic and riparian habitat. The aerial imagery was used to assessment and quantify the potential impacts to riparian habitat of the unnamed tributary.

AJM implemented biological and operational effectiveness monitoring timed to coincide with important life history periods of fish species in the Highwood River and varied flow conditions within the Little Bow Canal. Field data was complemented by desktop analysis, comparison of field-based observations with reference to the fish exclusion system’s design, and consultation with operations personnel. Biological effectiveness monitoring was based on capture and recapture events. Active (e.g., electrofishing) and passive (e.g., fyke net) capture methods were used by AJM to sample fish populations upstream and downstream from the exclusion structure. Operational effectiveness was tested by a combination of site inspections conducted during varied environmental conditions and operation constraints, evaluation of historical deficiencies, and interviews with operational staff. Based on our interpretations, several recommendations were proposed for the improved operational performance of the system.

AJM conducted preconstruction wildlife sweeps for the Connacher Dilbit Lateral Pipeline in the Boreal Forest, south of Fort McMurray in Northern Alberta. AJM biologists performed wildlife sweeps across 12 km of pipeline right-of-way (RoW). These sweeps adhered to the Government of Alberta Wildlife Sweep Protocols and the Government of Alberta Sensitive Species Inventory Guidelines. Additionally, AJM complied with the Migratory Birds Convention Act 1994, Migratory Birds Regulations 2022, Species at Risk Act 2002, and the Alberta Wildlife Act 2022. The sweeps, conducted in early December, focused on significant wildlife features like stick nests and beaver lodges/dams.

Through projects with various First Nations on Alberta’s East Slopes and in the Oil Sands region AJM has field validated existing eDNA tests for native and non-native salmonids. These projects have been funded by both Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). Results include more accurate maps of species distribution, evaluation of fish entrainment in irrigation infrastructure, identifying previously undocumented populations of listed species at risk, surveying overwintering habitat, and evaluating fish passage upstream of culverts to identify potential fish habitat restoration opportunities for clients.