Open Collections

Abstract

Copper Mountain Mine is challenged with reclaiming their post-mine landscape to support wildlife habitat values because of changing climate conditions and a future dry landscape following mining. To better understand how wildlife historically and currently use habitats around the mine, Associated Environmental Consultants Inc (Associated) is working with the mine to gather information from a variety of sources. Wildlife species occurrence and distribution was gained in part through information shared by the Upper and Lower Similkameen Indian Band (the sməlqmix people), whose territory the mine is on. Studies documenting ecosystem occurrence, condition, and distribution have been coupled with surveys evaluating wildlife habitat availability, suitability, and distribution for several regionally, scientifically, and culturally important wildlife species. Workshops and community input have been integral to understanding the land, as Indigenous knowledge far exceeds what can be studied by biologists over the life of a mine. Associated completed terrestrial ecosystem mapping (TEM) for the surrounding area, providing a basis for describing current structural stages and ecosystem occurrence, and offering another lens to understand wildlife habitat suitability for select species and their seasonal requirements. The TEM was then used to develop wildlife habitat suitability models for mule deer, black bear, bighorn sheep, elk, moose, and fisher. Projected shifts in climatic conditions of the region were estimated using ClimateBC (2024) projections for 2041–2070 and 2071–2100, indicating a trend toward a drier climate, notably from Interior Douglas-fir to ponderosa pine-dominated stands. The TEM was updated with these projected changes with the goal of planning appropriate reclamation for the future climate scenario. The challenge the mine faces is to develop a reclamation strategy that will see a dry reclaimed landscape succeed into a forested stand that meets the criteria for ungulate winter range for mule deer. Together, the TEM, the wildlife habitat suitability mapping, and the future climate scenario informs what habitat types and features exist prior to mining and what is achievable in a reclaimed, post-mine landscape. The focus of the reclamation work is now shifting from uniform forested environments to habitat patches that represent a diversity in plant species composition, distribution, and structure. Continued discussions with the sməlqmix people are essential to ensure all land components, not just those studied scientifically, are considered in end land use planning.