Sandy Mactaggart Sanctuary Reclamation Project | ReGen

For a number of years we have been seeking partners for the restoration of a barren area in this beautiful sanctuary. The site consists of tailings left behind from strip mining. With no topsoil, only clays and slag, it has proven highly resistant to natural reclamation.

In 2024, Ledcor was awarded the contract to build the nearby Capital Line light rail transit extension. A copse of aspen forest was on the proposed right-of-way, and we asked permission to remove the vegetation that would survive transplant and move it to the bare area in the sanctuary. Ledcor embraced the idea, and with approval from the University of Alberta and the City of Edmonton, stewards of the sanctuary, we began reclamation efforts. Thanks to the support of volunteers—including Ledcor staff, residents of the Meadows of Twin Brooks, and Shrubscribers—we successfully transplanted 45 plugs of aspen, wolf willow, wild rose, and snowberry, amongst other species.

When we surveyed the area in 2025, we found a 95% survival rate of the primary trees and shrubs in each plug, and a 100% survival rate of the native forbs and grasses. We continue to monitor the site, learn from the results, and expand the restored area with native species generously donated by local householders.

Looking ahead, we hope to develop this site further as a research project—testing innovative approaches to reclamation and fostering deeper community engagement.

We dedicate this work in healing the land to all peoples within the Treaty 6 area.