Community News

2023 – 2024 BASELINE DATA COLLECTION

What is Baseline Data Collection?
Baseline data collection is a fancy term for gathering detailed information about the current environmental conditions of a particular area. For the Eagle’s Nest Project, it’s the starting point for understanding the environment (water, air, flora and fauna), setting the groundwork for modelling potential changes as technical and project understanding work advances.
The data we collect today helps to further our understanding of current conditions and is the basis of identifying changes in the environment, either by direct, indirect or cumulative effects that may stem from the Project. The data can also be used to set realistic and achievable targets, triggers for mitigations and improve performance along the way. A strong data set helps us measure our effectiveness and success, as we have the ability to compare past, present and future results to evaluate how effective our programs are. This will support us in making informed decisions during project development.

What are we Doing at Eagle’s Nest?
Wyloo is advancing extensive baseline data collection to gain a deep understanding of the natural environment around the Project. We are also working with our Indigenous partners to understand their traditional views and interactions with the land, and to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into our efforts. Here are some of the ways we’re carrying out this work:

Biodiversity and ecology: we are studying both vegetation and aquatic (water and peatlands) ecosystems. This includes vegetation mapping and comparing it with existing provincial data to help us refine current data sets and further understand the diverse plant life and ecological inter-dynamics.

Wildlife species: we study all wildlife species that interact within the landscape, including caribou, wolverines, bats and nesting birds. The data we collect provides insights into habitat variety, migration patterns and seasonal use.

Air quality: we have set up stations to continuously monitor the air quality in and around our site, which will support our modelling efforts as we advance Eagle’s Nest.

Surface and Groundwater Quality: we evaluate the local water balance and quality monthly, conducting routine sampling at 27 groundwater wells, 28 surface water stations and four flow stations. These stations have been strategically positioned both upstream and downstream from the Project to understand and identify potential areas of influence and changes in the natural hydrologic environment.

Indigenous-led monitoring: as we advance our Project, we will establish an Indigenous-led monitoring program to ensure environmental monitoring activities are conducted either by or in active collaboration with our partner Indigenous Nations. This will also help to advance our understanding of cultural significance and knowledge sharing.

Directly involving community members in data collection and review of monitoring programs is part of our commitment to transparency and collaboration. Our intent is to integrate this data with input from communities to shape our Project design and share updates with you in our next newsletter.