Water-pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) in Kejimkujik National Park: critical habitat description

PARKS CANADA AGENCY

SPECIES AT RISK ACT

Description of critical habitat of Water-pennywort in Kejimkujik National Park of Canada

Water-pennywort (Hydrocotyle umbellata) is a species listed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act as threatened. It is a small vascular plant that is part of a larger group of taxonomically unrelated species known as Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora. Critical habitat for Water-pennywort is identified in the Recovery Strategy and Management Plan for the Multiple Species of Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora in Canada.

Notice is hereby given that, pursuant to subsection 58(2) of the Species at Risk Act, critical habitat of Water-pennywort in Kejimkujik National Park of Canada is described as any portion of the lakeshore along Kejimkujik Lake, as identified on the National Topographic Series map 21 A/6 (Edition 93-E-1, published in 1999), where the following biophysical attributes occur: low gradient, gently sloping, broad shore slope and width in a narrow band above or below the waterline (where water level fluctuates), sandy or fine gravel substrate, acidic and low nutrient soil, and naturally fluctuating water levels. This identification applies to both occupied and unoccupied habitat, as Water-pennywort populations along Kejimkujik Lake are known to move around and colonization of new areas occurs naturally over time in suitable habitats.

Critical habitat is also identified at the individual scale as the area of the lakeshore occupied by the plants and the extent of the habitat surrounding the plant(s) that contain the same key habitat characteristics as that in which the plant is growing. This critical habitat pertains to those areas where individuals occur and do not fit the biophysical attributes listed in the above paragraph. Further details regarding Water-pennywort critical habitat can be found on the Species at Risk Public Registry Web site.

LINDA FRANK
Field Unit Superintendent
Mainland Nova Scotia Field Unit
Parks Canada Agency

[45-1-o]

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