The roar of a World War Two Stearman biplane echoed across the valley and bounced off the walls of the Craigmont open pit.
Although the casual observer may have questioned his senses, it was not the case where the clock had been turned back; instead, it was the beginning of a program to turn back the clock. The date was October, 1969, and the biplane had been converted to carry a payload of 1,800 pounds (820 kilograms) of fertilizer or 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) of grass seed.
The first attempts to restore natural vegetation to the land which Craigmont's operation disturbed began in 1969. The now-dormant open pit allowed the seeding of the waste dumps. As well, to improve stabilization, the completed portion of the face of tailings dam was seeded. In both areas, the seed and the fertilizer were applied with an aircraft, a common method at the time due to its convenience, its ease of application and expedience.
Use of the Merrit airport was impractical because of it distance from the site and the fact more than 50 trips would be needed to seed and to fertilize the planned 223 acres (90 hectares) of the first phase. An airstrip was built on a waste dump and all of the tailings dam and half the waste dumps were seeded using a special mixture of annual ryegrass, boreal fescue, crested wheatgrass, rhizoma alfalfa and other grasses. . . |
