This study is divided into three sections—resource use, traditional land use, historical resources—each with different objectives, methods, and results. The objective of the Resource Use study was to "identify legislative framework for land and resource use management at the provincial and municipal levels; determine types of land uses, human activities and natural resources present in the local and regional study areas; and update previous resource use compilations." The section made use of a literature review as well as personal communication with governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations. It details development management plans, policy documents and associations; environmentally important areas in reference to the proposed development; mineral and surface materials; access routes; local agriculture; forestry; hunting, trapping, and berry picking; water use; fishing; non-consumptive resource use; and overall aesthetics of the region. The objectives of the traditional land use portion of the study were to "review and summarize existing traditional land use information, collect traditional land use information relevant to the proposed development to supplement existing baseline information, identify some potential issues and concerns of affected trapline holders, and provide a preliminary list of concerns that can be used in baseline scoping and selection of valued social or environmental components for the impact assessment." Both a review of background literature and interviews with members of Fort McKay First Nation and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation were conducted. The interviews were conducted in stages. Shell Canada interviewed people holding traplines within the lease area for the Jackpine Mine project in late 2001 and early 2002. Transcripts of those interviews were provided for review in advance of the interviews conducted regarding the Muskeg River Mine project. Shell also drafted the interview questions for the new development; those interview questions were reviewed and refined by both Golder Associates and FMA Heritage. All interviews (six in total) for the Muskeg River Mine Expansion were with members of Fort McKay First Nation who held traplines in the project area. The interviews took place in September 2004 and were intended to be an extension of earlier interviews conducted for the Jackpine Mine project. The traditional land use section consists of an overview of the cultural and historical setting of the region, an outline of the methodology, an overview of traditional land use studies available for Aboriginal communities in the area, as well as development-specific assessments that include traditional land use components. Recurring concerns from the latter, as well as the 2001-2002 Shell interviews, are summarized. The results of the 2004 Muskeg River Mine interviews are then summarized for each trapline holder. The Historical Resources component of this study included a Historical Resources Impact Assessment of the proposed ten-year development areas and a field overview of the proposed postten-year development areas. A total of 58 previously recorded sites were revisited and 63 new sites were identified. All were precontact archaeological sites.