Protecting biodiversity at our mine sites and in surrounding habitats is a critical part of Hecla’s planning process and operational plans, which include comprehensive land and habitat management activities.
Just as we minimize environmental impacts when operating our mines, we are also committed to returning the land to other productive uses when the mines close and safeguarding the biodiversity of our surrounding ecosystems.
Our sites begin planning for reclamation and closure at the beginning stages of our projects and are required to maintain approved reclamation plans as the project progresses. Hecla’s Manager of Closed Operations is responsible for proposing reclamation initiatives and overseeing the employees working on the day-to-day maintenance at our closed sites. Hecla maintains approximately $190 million in surety bonds to ensure that closure and reclamation occur at all of our sites.
The Troy mine in Montana is a closed mine where we have completed most stages of reclamation. The work takes place under a closure plan that has been approved by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the U.S. Forest Service. We continue to meet and exceed the ongoing monitoring requirements of the plan, related to water quality, air, subsidence, and third-party engineering inspections of our tailings storage facility.
Workers began the process of moving and placing almost 450,000 cubic yards of soil over 308 acres and partnered with tribal nursery to collect native plant seedlings and plant more than 200,000 trees and shrubs.
A self-sustaining native forest community and wildlife habitat is already growing and coming to life.
Now that reclamation of the tailings storage facility is well underway, Highlights of our work in 2024 include closing adits at the mine site itself and implementing important steps in a long-term strategy for water management, including installing pipes and drains.
In Durango, Mexico, the San Sebastian site has returned almost all of the affected land to a condition suitable for agricultural use. In 2024, we placed topsoil and surveyed to ensure we had restored the land to the same topography as before our mining operation.
At the Keno Hill Silver District in Yukon Territory, we began work on a comprehensive reclamation plan in other areas of the District to remediate environmental impacts that predate Hecla’s local operations. Hecla now manages the reclamation projects and is operating in a way consistent with current mining standards and Hecla’s values. In 2024, we completed planning for water reclamation work at the property, specifically management of drainage waters.
Reclamation is an important part of our work at Lucky Friday on the tailings ponds. In 2024, we completed closure on a tailings pond, using the hydroseeding method after topsoiling the site. Hydroseeding is a cost-effective method of reclamation that stabilizes soil and prevents erosion.
Hecla’s biodiversity footprint is not restricted to our mine sites – the actions we take can extend to habitats and species that live and migrate beyond our direct operations.
As part of the permitting process, we conduct detailed studies that consider potential impacts on biodiversity and incorporate reduction and mitigation measures into project plans, as well as studying and monitoring our impacts. We make an effort to consult with local communities and members of Indigenous Peoples for guidance and input about local species of plants and wildlife.
Some Hecla operations are situated near species that require accommodations for migration or nesting. Greater sage-grouse and woodland caribou are among the neighbors we pay special attention to, along with bald eagles, other raptors, and other migratory birds.
At Midas in Nevada, we conduct several types of surveys prior to an exploration disturbance or new drill pads to minimize environmental disturbances. We conduct biological surveys to assess habitat impacts for pygmy rabbits, bats, raptors, sensitive plants, and migratory and nesting birds. In Alaska, we monitor the health of salmon waterways through regular sampling. At Fire Creek, Hecla follows a Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat Improvement Plan that we developed in collaboration with the BLM and the grazing permittee. The Plan includes onsite habitat improvements to offset mine and exploration disturbance.
Hecla Quebec continues to be a partner of a joint research project between the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) and Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), to host the Chair on northern biodiversity in a mining context. The mission of the project, supervised by the Industrial Research Chair, is to understand mine footprints over the mine life cycle and develop developing strategies to minimize impacts on biodiversity of plants and animal species in the northern Quebec region.
In northwest Montana, Hecla owns approximately 8,600 acres of land, of which approximately 6,400 acres have been acquired with the goal of preserving the forest and associated watersheds as habitat for wildlife such as deer, elk, moose, and endangered species such as grizzly bears. Over the past decade, we have donated approximately $700,000 to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to support a Grizzly Bear Management Specialist. We continue to make annual contributions. In 2024, a grizzly bear was captured and released on Hecla land in Montana as part of ongoing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service monitoring efforts in the area.
In 2024, our Casa Berardi operation continued to participate in a partnership with the governments of two Canadian provinces (Quebec and Ontario), companies from the timber and mining industries, an environmental protection organization, two universities, and five First Nations communities. Partners collect and share data on the Detour Kesagami herd of woodland caribou, an at-risk species. The approach aims to integrate traditional knowledge in woodland caribou habitat management and mitigate land impacts. Hecla participates in knowledge-sharing activities to support the Caribou Index, which will benefit its local biodiversity management plan.
