Reclamation consultants got started in the 1970s

Instrumental in developing practical regulatory requirements and operational practices 

Len Knapik assessing grass growth and rooting depth on a reclaimed industrial site, Strathcona County. 2006 
Soils take hundreds to thousands of years to form and are vulnerable to degradation from erosion, contamination, industrial disturbance and urban development. Soil is a mixture of minerals, organic materials, air and water, responding to climate, organisms, relief, parent material and time. 

Daniel Hillell in Out of the Earth provides this insight: “Perhaps our most precious and vital source, both physical and spiritual, is the most common matter underfoot which we scarcely even notice and sometimes call “dirt”, but which is in fact the mother-lode of terrestrial life and the purifying medium wherein wastes are decomposed and recycled, and productivity is regenerated”.

Reclamation consultants got started in the 1970s

Instrumental in developing practical regulatory requirements and operational practices 

Reclamation consulting began in Alberta during the early 1970s with several pioneer companies providing early leadership. In 1972 Alberta Research Council (InnoTech Alberta) initiated a reclamation program headed by Terry Macyk, for McIntyre Mines Ltd. It developed cost effective methods of establishing self-sustaining vegetation in harmony with adjacent undisturbed areas. Plots were established to determine suitability and adaptability of introduced and native plant species, and fertilizer response. Research results were transferred to the operational scale annually. 

RM Hardy & Associates was formed in 1973. Led by Don Dabbs it focused on reclamation planning for the Canadian Arctic Gas Project. In 1976 Dr. Walt Younkin, Harvey Martens, John Hastie and Duane Johnson established a soil and vegetation monitoring program at the Great Canadian Oil Sands mine and in 1978 prepared a development and reclamation plan. Similar plans were established for Cardinal River Coal mine and Imperial Oil’s Cold Lake oil sands project and pipelines throughout Alberta. Carl Warner joined in 1982 and led reclamation efforts throughout the 1980s and 1990s including establishing soil reconstruction plots at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake mine. The group now operates as Wood Environment & Infrastructure Solutions. 
Len Knapik assessing grass growth and rooting depth on a reclaimed industrial site, Strathcona County. 2006 
In 1984 Jim Lore and Associates Ltd. was founded, with Jim Lore, Sheila Leggett and Collette Dufour providing land assessment and reclamation consulting services to the agricultural and energy sectors. A particular focus was the monitoring, remediation and reclamation of sulphur affected soils at gas plants around Alberta. The flare pit remediation and reclamation initiative of the early 1990’s broadened the company’s contaminant assessment and reclamation services to the oil and gas industry. The company was renamed 3D Reclamation in 1996 and eventually merged with Groundwater Solutions to become Matrix Solutions Inc.
Pedology Consultants was established in 1975 by Larry Brocke and Leonard Leskiw, with Al Twardy and Len Knapik joining later. Pedology’s first project was a soil survey and soil handling plan for Luscar at the Cardinal River Mine, mapping soil depths and quality for salvage and replacement and slope steepness. 

In 1986 the partnership was dissolved and each established their own companies. Leonard Leskiw took over Pedology’s files and operated Can-Ag Enterprises; Larry Brocke established Western Soil and Environmental Consultants with Bob Valleau; Len Knapik incorporated Pedocan Land Evaluation; and Al Twardy established Mentiga Pedology Consultants. 
Similar projects were conducted at Gregg River, Wabamun, Grande Cache, Obed, Forestburg and Sheerness. In the 1990s, soil surveys for reclamation certificates were conducted at several mines — especially rewarding to be part of the full cycle, pre-disturbance to reclamation. During the 1980s, soil and vegetation research plots were established by mining companies, or with the Reclamation Research Technical Advisory Committee, to refine reclamation practices.  

Since the 1980s many consultants continued reclamation work on coal and oil sands mines, pipelines, oil and gas well sites and sand and gravel pits. 
Examining natural soils and vegetation in the oil sands region. circa 1980s
Len Leskiw, in foreground, doing an environmental assessment. circa 1980s
The number of soil reclamation consultants increased dramatically from less than ten to several hundred by the 1990s. The early soil quality guidelines developed in the 1970s were updated and proved to be an effective reclamation planning tool for all types of industrial disturbances.

In 1986, Ross Eccles and Jeff Green formed the Delta Environmental Management Group.
Initially offering wildlife-focused services, Delta produced a number of guidance documents on creating or rehabilitating wildlife habitat in agricultural settings. In the early 1990s Delta was retained by Alberta Environment to identify and design wildlife habitat compensation projects for the Old Man River Dam project. During this period Delta broadened its services into long-term environmental and reclamation planning for NOVA’s natural gas pipeline expansions in Alberta. 
After merging with The Axys Group of companies to form AXYS Environmental Consulting in 1994, Axys continued to work on reclamation techniques for pipeline right of ways in southern Alberta (e.g. Express Pipeline), retaining the services of Marilyn Neville who provided particular expertise in dryland reclamation. In the early 2000s, AXYS acquired C.A. Jones and Associates, furthering broadening its services into mine reclamation.
Measuring depth of soil decomposition after using a paratill tilling machine to lift and bend subsoil to remove hardpans. 2003