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W I N T E R 2 0 1 4
The Symposium included a four-day program commencing
September 22 with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for 18 peo-
ple to fly into northern B.C. to either see the Kemess Mine rec-
lamation program or take in a full-day workshop on the design
of mine-waste cover systems. On September 23, a full-day field
trip to the Pinchi Lake Mine was held, along with a visit to the
acclaimed Fort St. James National Historic Site and dinner at
the Nak'albun Elementary School. Papers were then presented
on September 24 and 25 at the Prince George Civic Centre.
Field trips
The Kemess Mine was an open-pit copper and gold mine at
the head of the Finlay River in the Omineca Mountains of
the northern interior of British Columbia. It was operated by
Royal Oak Mines from 1998 to 1999, when it was bought by
Northgate Minerals. Northgate operated the mine until its clos-
ure in 2011, when Northgate was taken over by AuRico Gold.
AuRico is implementing a closure reclamation program for the
mine, which was the focus of the tour. The end land-use object-
ive is wildlife habitat; a successional reclamation approach will
promote ingress of native vegetation (rough and loose), and use
the planting of key pioneering species and native plants to the
greatest extent possible.
The Pinchi Lake Mine is located on the north shore of Pinchi
Lake, approximately 25 kilometres northwest of Fort St. James.
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