Yesterday we joined various outreach organizations to participate in a public fair for RFG 2018's Sustainability Sunday.

MineralsEd shared information on mine reclamation using an interactive copper mine model.

In the first photo you can see our open pit mine, up and running! There are access roads, a pit, a mill, a waste rock dump, and a tailings pond. We reviewed the mining and milling process from blasting and hauling, to the separation of concentrate from tailings by flotation.

Once the mine's ore body was depleted, we closed the mine and reclaimed the site. In the second photo you see the site restored to a more natural state to be used for wildlife habitat and recreation: 1. the buildings are removed, 2. the waste rock pile is covered with soil and re-vegetated, 3. the pit fills with ground and surface water, 4. the perimeter of the tailings pond is re-vegetated, fish are introduced, and water wells are tested for seepage, 5. a bird house is placed to encourage small birds 6. trees are placed upside down trees to provide predatory bird roosting.

To support the visitors, we provided copies of our activity book, "I am an Environmental Scientist" which you can find on our website at, https://mineralsed.ca/learning-resources/student-resources/mineralsed-career-series-books/