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Seeds collected from Snap Lake mine will help grow an estimated 2,000 shrubs that will be planted on site during a revegetation program planned for during the fall 2024.

The seed collection program took place Sept. 12-19. The team comprised Melissa Turcotte, program lead from environmental consultant Arktis Solutions; Sarah Weaver, an environmental student from Yellowknife; Leona Apples, a Tlicho representative; and Shawna Catholique from the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation.

Lisa Tran, Regulatory Specialist with the De Beers Group environment team, said: “To ensure that shrubs we plant are native to the area, De Beers and the Snap Lake Environmental Monitoring Agency agreed that a seed collection program would be the best approach.”

CLICK HERE to see a video about the program on YouTube.

The collection team focused on seeds from four shrub species: Dwarf birch, Northern Labrador tea, Lingonberry/bog cranberry; and crowberry. The goal was to collect approximately 11 kg of berries and seeds from the plants.

The seeds were collected from five areas at the site, the west end of the airstrip, the access road to the former emulsion plant, south of the main laydown area, the area around the fresh air raise and along the lakeshore close to the accommodations facility.

To facilitate this work, Arktis developed a field guide that includes photos and descriptions of the target plants.

The revegetation program is one of the final stages of active closure at Snap Lake mine. In addition to the shrubs, over 600 kg of grass seed will be sewn around the site, including Alpine bluegrass, Rocky mountain fescue, spiked trisetum, and Tickle grass.

De Beers also undertook a seed collection program to support the closure of Victor mine in Northern Ontario. That program included youth from the nearby Indigenous community of Attawapiskat.