The objective of the Driftpile Reclamation Project was initially to bring local Elders and youth together to talk about how First Nations people’s knowledge of plants and forests could be applied to improve the reclamation of disturbed land in the area.

The program was designed to not only provide an opportunity for Elders and young people to share knowledge about identifying and collecting reclamation plants in the wild, but to also gain experience in raising them in a nursery and ultimately planting the seedlings on reclaimed land.

Learning the Cree names and medicinal uses for these local plants was an added bonus for many of the participants.