In addition to working with geologists, engineers, technology and mining experts, Spirit Rock Resources also engages with forest management experts and community land steward experts for a true value accounting perspective that goes beyond the mineral wealth existing at project sites.Getty Images
As the mineral industry seeks to maximize opportunities while addressing issues, there’s an emerging approach that could be a game-changer. Embracing Indigenous leadership, incorporating traditional Indigenous knowledge and practices, and taking a holistic and comprehensive approach to working with natural resources will increase value propositions for mineral exploration and development, say the principals of Spirit Rock Resources (SRR), an Indigenous-owned and led corporation.
“As a society, we value knowledge, data and information. And yet there’s this data set, this knowledge that has been largely undervalued and untapped,” says Sonia Molodecky, SRR’s director and president. “Integrating Indigenous philosophy and perspective into mining exploration from start to finish will help us make more informed, smarter decisions.”
The focus of SRR is on gold and copper assets in the Tahltan Territory, northwest British Columbia, where it owns claims in the Golden Triangle, explains Jerry Asp, chairman and CEO of SRR and an elder of the Tahltan Nation.
The former president and founding member of the Tahltan Nation Development Corporation, one of the largest Indigenous-owned and operated heavy construction companies in Canada, Mr. Asp served as vice president of the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association for 19.5 years. Over the past 40 years, he has helped build a legacy, including a $120-million community trust fund, bringing prosperity to the Tahltan people, forging equitable partnerships and leveraging business opportunities while managing natural resources by “working with the land,” as the Tahltans have done for tens of thousands of years.
The biggest difference in this development approach “was the fact that we succeeded at incorporating traditional knowledge on the same level as Western science,” says Mr. Asp, who was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2020. “I’ve never been opposed to mining. I’ve just been opposed to bad mining. Let’s do it right.”
Jerry Asp" ...we succeeded at incorporating traditional knowledge on the same level as Western science. I’ve never been opposed to mining. I’ve just been opposed to bad mining. Let’s do it right.
Chairman and CEO of Spirit Rock Resources and an Elder of the Tahltan Nation
SRR is working “to put into practice stewardship responsibility throughout the mineral exploration cycle,” says Ms. Molodecky. “We’re looking at different ways to ensure there’s abundance now and for future generations.
“We are working not only with geologists, engineers, technology and mining experts, we also have forest management experts, community land steward experts and people who are helping us to develop a payment-for-ecosystem-services (PES) program as part of our mining company,” she adds. “That allows us to value not only the mineral wealth that exists at our site but also the ecosystem services and offerings that Mother Earth provides.”
Determining a comprehensive value assessment is critical, Ms. Molodecky emphasizes. “Trees cut down are used to build houses for local communities, regenerated soils build food security, and plant medicines are used to bring human well-being. Rather than just looking at one aspect of our natural wealth at our claim site, we’re taking a true value accounting perspective.”
The company plans to couple the traditional edge with current technology by recruiting members, particularly youth of the Tahltan community, to undertake exploration.
“They’re in their glory,” says Mr. Asp. “They love the opportunity of applying new technology while staying on the land.”
These social aspects complement SRR’s ecological approach, says Ms. Molodecky. “We are reinvesting our profits into local community and ecosystem stewardship initiatives such as renewable energy, food sovereignty and, importantly, the health of salmon populations. We truly believe that mining and the wealth generated from mining [represent] a means to build healthy communities and people who can be prosperous today and in the future.”
Ms. Molodecky and Mr. Asp will lead a session on Indigenous-led mineral exploration on March 4 at PDAC 2024.
Produced by Randall Anthony Communications with the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada. The Globe’s Editorial Department was not involved.