Environmental baseline studies at the Côté Gold Mine were conducted in 2012-2013 and 2017 and have established a comprehensive understanding of the wildlife communities within the site footprint and surrounding areas through a suite of field surveys.
In 2021 Côté Gold established a Biodiversity Monitoring Program, aimed to monitor trends in biodiversity. The Biodiversity Monitoring Program includes:
As part of the Biodiversity Monitoring Program, incidental wildlife observations from site personnel are also collected yearly and have been gathered since the onset of construction in 2020.
The Côté Gold Mine closely monitors breeding birds on site, particularly during the breeding bird season (April-August).
To mitigate impacts to migratory birds, their nests and eggs, Côté Gold's Environment Department performs nest surveys at active work fronts during the breeding bird season.
If nests are observed, construction activities are modified, buffer zones are established, and ongoing nest monitoring occurs.
A great emphasis has been placed on progressive reclamation and rehabilitation to minimize the overall footprint of the site. To date, progressive reclamation has occurred primarily by hydroseeding selected areas with native species and salvaging topsoil and overburden for future progressive reclamation.
In the fall of 2023 and 2024, on-site crews transplanted alder and willow trees harvested from Site. Live staking is a natural way to help with erosion issues that may occur and provide bank stabilization on shorelines.
