| Summary: | Airborne multispectral imagery of Highland Valley Copper Mine, near Kamloops BC was acquired in
July 2005, the fourth in a series of airborne remote sensing campaigns. A quantitative index of vegetation
biomass (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index or NDVI) and multispectral classifications are now
available for 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005 for reclamation sites at Bethlehem, Trojan, Heustis and
Highmont Tailings areas. Temporal trends can now be examined.
The remote sensing data show that 2005 was a “green” year. Most vegetation, whether dense, moderate
or sparse, was actively growing and green at the time of imaging. This is in contrast to 2003, which was
unusually dry. The four-year time series indicates an overall increase in vegetation density and greenness
since 2001, with the drought of 2003 having clear, short-term impacts on the vegetation.
On a more local scale, the area along Trojan Dam and the area to the north and west of Bethlehem
Tailings showed dramatic increases in vegetation in 2005.
Local analyses of reclamation sites at Bethlehem Northeast and Heustis demonstrate the usefulness of
imagery to supplement ground evaluation of individual sites. With boundary vectors for all reclamation
sites, these analyses could be extended throughout the mine to assist in reclamation assessment.
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