Grant: Engage Grants Program

Recognition of the environmental consequences of previous mining operations, site closures and remediation efforts has resulted in the implementation of more stringent procedures and guidelines by governmental bodies regulating the mining industry. Successfully meeting the demands of these new regulations requires the adoption on new remediation procedures. The objective of our proposal is to provide Flat River Consulting (FRC), a Canadian- based Company in Sudbury Ontario that specializes in mine site remediation and revegetation, with an a new approach to measure the success of restoration efforts in Northern Mine Sites. The success of restoration efforts is in a large part dependent mycorrhizal fungi; soil fungi that form intimate associations with the roots of almost all vascular plants(2). It is know acknowledged that plant communitystructure is determined in part by the presence and composition of mycorrhizal communities. Given their importance in establishing and maintaining plant community structure, the presence and structure of mycorrhizal communities will provide valuable insight into the success of remediation efforts. Assessment of mycorrhizal community attributes, however, are seldom undertaken in environmental monitoring studies. We propose to undertake a comprehensive ecological assessment of mycorrhzial status of a remediation site associated with the Colomac Mine, Northwest Territories.