Healing the land, 1 tree at a time: Kaska lead revegetation project at Yukon's Faro Mine

It's been a quarter century since the Faro Mine closed in the Yukon, and a massive cleanup project at the site is now underway. Part of that is a revegetation project to grow native trees and plants on the site.

The mine is located on unceded Kaska territory and the revegetation project is being led by Kaska youth and elders. Before the mine, the mountains, forests and rivers were key harvesting areas. 

"We'd go down to Blind Creek with my grandfather," said elder Louie Tommy, who was raised in the area. "We'd make a fish trap and harvest salmon."

The trees and plants that were essential for food, medicine and ceremony, are the exact trees and plants today's Kaska youth and elders are trying to get back into the ground at the Faro Mine site.

The project is being led by Dena Cho Environmental and Remediation Inc. — an environmental management company owned by the Ross River Dena Council — and it's multi-layered. There is tree planting and seed collection. They are also teaming up with geologists, ecologists and biologists to monitor contamination in the plants. 

That's important because what they are planting will be a future source of food for both wildlife and people.

It's a mix of western science and traditional knowledge. Cassia Jakesta, the project lead, says they tapped into that traditional knowledge right from the beginning of the project. 

"We would include Kaska protocols when it started and give thanks and offer tobacco and be mindful of plants we were collecting," Jakesta said.

The young planters also learned the Kaska words for what they are planting — for example, gadze, for lodgepole pine.

Shelly Inkster, a tree planter from Ross River, says she also learned the importance of Kaska people leading this effort. 

"We had no choice in this, the mine was here whether we want it or not. And the Kaska people are going to take it in their hands and fix this big hole in the ground," Inkster said.

According to the federal government, which is ultimately responsible for the overall Faro Mine remediation project, there is no set date when all the work will be complete. Remediation is expected to go on "indefinitely." 

As far as the revegetation project, this is the third year, and every year they are planting more and more. And those involved are learning more along the way. 

When the mine was built, it was one of the largest open pit mines in the world. The site is about 25 square kilometres. For the young planters and elders, getting the land back to what it was before can feel like an impossible task.

Norman Sterriah is a Ross River elder whose family was relocated from his traditional land when the mine was created. He sees the Faro Mine and its toxic legacy as an example of "what can go really wrong."

Sterriah, however, says he feels optimistic about the future. 

"I am proud to see my young people, the young land stewards from my community, go out and rehabilitate these important areas," he said.

Last year's seedlings of white spruce — or ts'u — have now grown as high as the planter's knees. And while there is a long way to go to heal the land, there is also a glimmer of hope for those small trees and the Kaska people, the original stewards of the land.