Bringing Life Back to Tsē Zūl: Revegetation of the Faro Mine site
Each summer, more Kaska Dena return to Tsē Zūl (where the Faro Mine site and current remediation project are located) to continue a restoration effort years in the making.
Many participants come from Ross River to work in the annual planting program. Some participants join to earn a wage and gain some experience, while others come to reconnect with nature and with friends.
This work starts well before the planting season, when seeds are gathered by Kaska Dena from within Kaska Territory in the late summer and early fall. The seeds are grown for a 2-year period in Langley, British Columbia before being brought back to the site for planting. The 2024 season was the first time all seedlings planted were grown from seeds collected from Kaska Territory. That same year, the program reached a major milestone when the 100,000th seedling was planted at Tsē Zūl. The 2025 planting program took place in June, where planting was done beside the newly-constructed Tsē Zūl Camp that will house remediation workers. Seedlings planted this season include kehsese (Labrador tea), itl’et (low-bush cranberry), and Gula (Arctic willow).
The planting program is part of the Faro Mine Remediation Project’s Community-Based Revegetation Strategy. With support from Elders who guide the process, and training for every participant, the revegetation program is a community-based effort to re-establish Kaska Dena relationships with Tsē Zūl.
Photo gallery
Revegetation worker Aiden Smith prepares the soil for planting. (June 2025)
The revegetation team works across the hillside near the newly constructed Tsē Zūl Camp. Many say the work is demanding but meaningful, with some returning summer after summer, even bringing their friends along. (June 2025)
The revegetation team works across the hillside near the newly constructed Tsē Zūl Camp. Many say the work is demanding but meaningful, with some returning summer after summer, even bringing their friends along. (June 2025)
Seedlings grown in Langley, BC arrive in boxes ready for planting in the field. Each one was grown from seeds collected locally by Kaska Dena, part of a two-year cycle that starts and ends at Tsē Zūl. (June 2025)
Seedlings grown in Langley, BC arrive in boxes ready for planting in the field. Each one was grown from seeds collected locally by Kaska Dena, part of a two-year cycle that starts and ends at Tsē Zūl. (June 2025)
Commemorative plaque celebrating 100,000 plants being re-established at Tsē Zūl (2024)
Bernice Tom recalled her time spent in the Tsē Zūl area when she was young, and working on revegetation to help the land look more as it once did. (June 2025)
Shelley Inkster, Dena Cho Environmental and Remediation Inc.’s Field Lead, holds a seedling with the crew planting in the background. She likes working on this project because it’s a project done by Kaska Dena for Kaska Dena (June 2025).
It’s Jesse Shorty’s (left) first summer working on the revegetation project. His friend, Aiden Smith (right) invited him to join this year (June 2025).