26 July 2020
A family of geese was safely moved to a new home at Gahcho Kué Mine thanks to a coordinated effort from the mining and environment teams.
On July 18, the family of Greater White-fronted Geese, including two parents and two goslings, was spotted on a haul road. Mine staff had been aware of the geese since they had been identified in an undisturbed area of tundra near the welding shop about a week earlier. The area is close to where the new Tuzo mining pit is being prepared.
“We shut down the road so no trucks would be hauling through there so we could escort them to a safe place,” said Allison Baetz, Environmental Officer.
It took the environment team, with help from other employees, about 45 minutes to slowly usher the family to a safe area of water and tundra, not far from where the old exploration camp used to be located. The environment team is continuing to monitor the wellbeing of the geese. Greater White-fronted Geese nest in the Arctic tundra and migrate in the winter to the western and gulf coasts of North America, flying as far south as Mexico. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “White-fronted Goose family bonds can last longer than in most geese, and some young stay with their parents through the next breeding season. Parent and sibling associations may continue throughout their lives.”