The Koocanusa Project lies in an area of wooded slopes, open grassland (from previous logging) and valleys with streams, and so like with any other exploration project, impacts on wildlife has to be considered.
The BC Government lists several species of note that are present in the area, with a focus along Gold Creek. Where possible, we are avoiding a conflict between these known zones and staking activity but are aware that ranges are not fixed and so need to be considered in the future.
The species mentioned are listed below:
Grizzly Bears
The local Grizzly Bear population is part of a transnational group that ranges across the Canada-US border and is largely fragmented due to human activity.
The BC government outlines an area of Grizzly habitat that passes between the Lilo and Twin 5 areas of the property and as such further staking in that zone will be restricted to avoid future habitat conflicts.
We understand however that ranges are not fixed and so are using documents produced by the “Trans-Border Grizzly Bear Project” which offer further insights into the local population. Their goal is to use scientific research to reduce human-caused mortality, enhance and re-establish inter-population connectivity, improve habitat security and educating the public.
To date, no Grizzly bears have been sighted at Koocanusa, although we remain diligent in order to protect the animals and not to disturb their natural activities.
Snowberry
A member of the honeysuckle family and is an important plant for browsing animals such as deer, sheep, elk and moose. The berries are high in saponins which are toxic to some animals but are consumed by bird species and bears. The shrub can provide good cover which is important for ground nesting birds, rabbits or other small mammals.
Balsamroot
A member of the sunflower family and grows in clumps up to 75cm tall. It can take 5-10 years to establish itself but once settled becomes a strong and drought-resistant plant, and can withstand “top burning” through forest fires. It is a food for grazing animals and its tough leaves make it resistant to trampling.
Balsamroot also has uses amongst First Nations, as a food source or as a cure for headaches when the roots are burned.
Lewis’s Woodpecker
This is a large species of woodpecker, measuring up to 11 inches in length.
It is locally common and the species is ranked as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It has a wide range of food habits, from the traditional “boring” into trees, to catching flying insects in mid-air and consuming berries and fruits. They nest within hollow dead tree branches and typically lay between 5-9 eggs per year.
Western Screech Owl
This is a small species of owl, which comes in several colour morphs varying from grey to brown. It is locally common and the species is ranked as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. This owl species breeds in open wooded areas and along forest edges, using holes in trees as natural dens, including those opened by woodpeckers.
They feed on small animals such as mice and frogs, but can also swoop to catch insects in flight. They have excellent night vision and are most active at dawn, dusk or during the night.
Williamson’s Sapsucker
This is a medium-sized species of woodpecker, found in open coniferous forest areas. They nest within tree hollows and often return to the same location each year.
The species is ranked as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but due to logging is “under pressure” in areas of British Columbia.
Sapsuckers feed on conifer sap as their main food source, but also take insects and berries outside of the breeding period.
Water Protection
Selenium
Lake Koocanusa is a waterbody formed in 1972 when the Libby Dam was constructed in Montana, blocking the Kootenay River and forming a lake almost 150 kilometers long and straddling the Canada-USA border.
The lake has recently come under scrutiny due to elevated levels of selenium entering along the Elk River. The selenium originates from waste rock piles around the Teck coal mines located over 100 kilometers to the east. Sampling programs in Idaho in 2019 found that certain fish species had elevated selenium in their reproductive organs, well in excess of EPA limit.
At the mouth of the Elk River in BC, the levels started to exceed guidelines in the 1990s and today is four times the highest allowable levels set by the Province. The levels become more diluted towards Gold Creek but still hover around the acceptable limits.
BC, Montana and First Nations scientists are in agreement that the desirable level should be one part per billion, half of the current BC guideline.
Teck recognizes the issue and has robust plans to create water treatment facilities to reduce the selenium leaving their workings and entering waterways. This is covered in their “Elk Valley Water Quality Plan”, where the construction of two water treatment facilities would treat 17.5 million liters of water a day initially, rising to 47.5 million liters a day by 2021.
Mercury
Mercury is an element that has been noted historically in the project area, specifically in showings of the mineral cinnabar.
Mercury is generally liberated from rocks when they are broken up. The element settles into water where bacteria change it to methylmercury which in turn is taken up by aquatic organisms. The mercury binds in the muscles of fish and so gradually accumulates, and cannot be removed by cooking or cleaning.
Mercury is generally rare geologically, but in areas around gold mineralization can build up to significant levels. Occurrences of cinnabar were noted during prospecting in the area in the 1960’s to the 1980’s around the Frankie showing in the north-eastern part of the Koocanusa Project.
Mitigation
Recognizing these factors is the first step in a process. No work has been completed historically to understand the distribution of both selenium and mercury within the rocks of the immediate project area, or if it is entering the drainages and waterways. Gold Creek passes through the project and enters Lake Koocanusa about 11 kilometers downstream.
Current understanding is that the incidence of these elements is negligible, but Aeonian is undertaking additional geochemical studies on rocks collected from the site in 2020 to gain a better understanding of potential. Future work on site would involve the collection of water samples from drainages to test what, if anything, is actually entering the waterways through natural erosional processes.
We will update this section as information becomes available.