The future use of the land currently being used by the Luscar and Gregg River mines was put on the table at a Jan. 27 open house in Hinton.

Collaboratively organized by the two mining organizations and the department of sustainable resource development (SRD), the evening hoped to gain public input into the future of the land which sits about 43km south of Hinton.

Currently, the two mines are still operating with reclamation of the land slowly taking place. While both are due to be closed, some land on the Luscar mine will remain in use until the Cheviot mine  which operates about 13km further south, closes in about 20 to 25 years.

Kathy Kiel, public affairs officer from SRD, said the evening aimed to take the various ideas that have been put forward, and take them to the public.

“Ask them what they think of them, and to provide input,” she said noting that the organizations were hoping to put forward a scenario for the public to give their opinion.

“They would like to provide a plan to guide the future development and land management in the area.”

The two mining companies, Teck Coal and Sherritt Coal, have been working with the government since 2006 to work out what the land could be used for once the mines were closed.

According to Marc Symbaluk, superintendent of environment for Teck Coal, it’s important the mining organizations know what the land will be used for in the future so they can assist with any access routes or in any other way. It may also help to make the systematic reclamation of land more effective.

“We start looking forward when we can start certifying some of those lands,” explained Symbaluk.

“It will be in portions... as those portions become available it’s certainly in our interest to ensure that there is a plan by the province,” he said, adding that the landscape was extremely unique and offered a variety of opportunities for the public.

In order to gauge public opinion, focus groups have been conducted by SRD to involve various stakeholders in the planning process.

According to Kiel, a variety of environmental organizations, Jasper National Park, Town of Hinton, snowmobile groups, outfitters, ecotourism tour operators, adventure companies, biologists and much more have been involved in the process thus far.

It is hoped a complete plan will be finished by 2010.

Anyone looking for more information should contact, Sharad Karmacharya at 780-865-6965 or via email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Watch next week’s Fitzhugh for full coverage of the open house