Presentation Summary

Reclamation practitioners are great at wearing multiple hats; on any given day we may play the role of a soil scientist, vegetation ecologist, farmer, construction foreman, or land agent. Real success in our field depends on bringing all those skills together to engage and collaborate with stakeholders in a meaningful way.

Reclamation requires interaction with different parties including landowners, contractors, other consultants, regulators, and clients, making it a complex endeavour at the best of times. For a site to be reclaimed and proceed to reclamation certificate, all parties need to understand the goal of equivalent land capability and (hopefully) be in consensus about how to achieve it. This is sometimes easier said than done as various stakeholders may have different interpretations of what equivalent land capability means and how to get there. Unfortunately, even with the best intentions, a lack of effective communication and engagement can compromise the success of a project.

In this presentation, we will review some case studies of past projects from both private and public lands to highlight how communication and engagement (or lack thereof) led to either success or failure. The discussion will include the impact of a willing landowner, the varying expectations for sites within forested grazing leases, and regulatory engagement during the reclamation of a mineral pad in peatland.

About the Speakers

Chris Tenszen, B.Sc., Practice Area Lead, Reclamation and Restoration at Trace Associates Inc.

Chris Tenszen (B.Sc.) is the Practice Area Lead, Reclamation and Restoration with Trace Associates Inc. Chris has lived and worked in all four provinces of western Canada and spent time abroad in Australia. He worked as a tour guide in the mountain parks and a fishing guide on Lake Athabasca before settling down for post-secondary and starting his career in environmental sciences. He earned a diploma in Conservation and Restoration Ecology from Lakeland College in 2007 and upgraded to a degree in Land Reclamation from the University of Alberta in 2011. Chris has over 15 years of environmental consulting experience serving primarily the oil and gas sector. His area of expertise is ecological restoration. Since 2007 he has helped reclaim thousands of hectares of land, including cropland, forested land, peatlands, and native grassland. Chris is passionate about sustainability, conservation, and enjoying the outdoors. When he’s not working, you’ll find him outside somewhere, either skiing, hiking, fishing, golfing, or camping. He is based out of Trace's St. Albert office and lives in Edmonton with his wife, two kids, and four cats.

Sahra Deagle, B.App.Sc., Environmental Scientist at Trace Associates Inc.

Sahra Deagle (B.App.Sc) is an Environmental Scientist with Trace Associates Inc. (Trace). Sahra has seven years of consulting experience and her primary roles at Trace include conducting fieldwork, technical report writing and review, and project management associated with reclamation and remediation projects in the upstream and midstream oil and gas industry. She also has experience supervising earthworks for remediation projects, sampling surface and groundwater, and conducting environmental site assessments. Sahra is based out of Calgary, Alberta and is always keen to get outside and explore the natural world around her whether that be on foot, horseback, bike, or skis.

Event Information

Date: February 16, 2023

Venue: The Bow, Mountain View Room, 500 Centre St S, Calgary, AB T2G 0E3 (View Map)

Time: Virtual 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM MST, In-Person 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM MST

Registration Fee(s): 

*Corporate members, please log in to your corporate member account to manage employee accounts and provide access to your team members to register at the member rate. To inquire, please contact us.

Registration Deadline: February 14, 2023

The webinar access information will be available to you upon successful registration for the event. Please note that for group registration for the weblink; each individual attending must register. We will have a registration desk set up in front of security and will hand out security cards for entry. 

Refund policy: No refunds may be processed on or after the registration deadline for in-person registrations.

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