Human alteration to land can have wide-spread effects on several scales, from social impacts on local communities to microscopic changes in organisms. For example, mining activities can have negative impacts on landscapes and the organisms that inhabit them by affecting local biodiversity and ecosystem function. This poses issues for the people, animals, and plant life nearby. This project investigates the impact on various plant species within and outside of the Pahtavaara mine, an inactive gold mine in arctic Finnish Lapland. This study is inspired by local reindeer herders, two of whom collaborated closely on the NSF grant that funded this research. They are interested in the effects of mining on the forage quality and potential heavy metals in leaves grazed on by reindeer. I worked with the NNA Fennoscandinavia research team this past summer to collect three sets of data. We took transect biodiversity data, physiological leaf trait values, and heavy metal concentrations of leaves within and outside of the mine. Biodiversity provides context for ecosystems in Lapland, physiological leaf trait values examine plant function, and heavy metal concentration investigates potential cumulative effects that impact reindeer and herders over time. Determining these consequences of mining in an arctic case study is critical as the Arctic experiences several stressors from global climate change to increasing industrial activity that is harming communities and ecosystems. It is important that researchers and community members work together to understand effects on our landscapes in order to advocate for change.