September 30, 2025
Last week I attended the BC Technical and Research Committee on Reclamation (TRCR) Symposium. We had a tour of the Copper Mountain Mine where we saw in progress reclamation activities. There were discussions with First Nations involved in the mine on both the tour and at the conference. There was a diverse series of talks on technical reclamation topics and community & First Nations relationships.
Two takeaways (among many) resonate with me:
1) It’s all about relationship. The multidisciplinary work of reclamation is founded on strong relationships among technical professionals, First Nations, communities, regulators, service providers (like nurseries that grow all the native plants used in reclamation), and mining companies.
2) Definitions of reclamation can depend on perspective. Western science and First Nations may have different views. As an example (thanks to Casey Cawston for illustrating this on the mine tour): trees might be growing on reclaimed rockfill slope after fifty or a hundred years, but it might take a few hundred to a thousand years for a productive, resilient, self-sustaining forest to re-establish; one that supports a diverse range of flora and fauna, including humans.
Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge and perspectives, in formal or informal ways, at this excellent event.