Regions: North Slave Region, South Slave Region
Tags: mining, water quality, mining impacts, fish sampling, caribou, traditional knowledge, environmental change
| Principal Investigator: | McCullum, John (1) |
| Licence Number: | 13863 |
| Organization: | Environmental Monitoring Advisory Board |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2005
|
| Issued: | Jun 29, 2005 |
| Project Team: | Matthew Kennedy (Aquatic Biologist, Hatfield Consultants), Technical Advisor, Community Participants, Youth |
Project Description: The purpose of this study is for the communities most affected by the mining operation of Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. (DDMI) to be able to collect and apply traditional knowledge to assess southern caribou migration, water quality and the quality of Lac de Gras fish before, during, and after mining operations. A Helicopter, float planes, and boats will be used to transport equipment and individuals to and from the research site. Caribou migration monitoring will be by community participants doing observation in the field. Water quality sampling will be done using standard Van Dorn type bottles. Community participants will select sampling locations and take samples under the supervision of Diavik environmental staff using an on-the-job-training approach. Fish will be captured using standard nets and/or by angling at sites selected by community participants. Approximately 20-30 lake trout and round whitefish will be caught. The participants will then prepare and eat the fish, recording their observations. This program will be carried out by trained biologists, community participants and aboriginal youth. DDMI will provide support staff, which will include locally hired Aboriginal community members from across the North. The study will be conducted at Lac de Gras from July 26 to August 18, 2005.
