The Catenary Coal Company, located in Raleigh County, West Virginia, has been
recognized for its exceptional performance in mining reclamation. Subsequently, it
was nominated for the Interstate Mining Compact Commission’s reclamation award.
Catenary has taken an aggressive approach in the reclamation of its mined areas. As
a result, one of the finest wildlife habitats in southern West Virginia has been
established.
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aerial view of instream ponds and surrounding forested areas.
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| The permit for the Samples Mine Complex, as the site is referred to, constitutes 6,240
acres. Approximately 3,250 acres of the total permitted area have been
disturbed. Catenary has used the most advanced technology for the planning and
engineering of the multi-seam mountaintop mining operation. Miles of abandoned
highwall and neglected refuse area have been transformed into land with productive real
estate value. The primary post-mining land use has been committed to wildlife
habitat. |
Post-Mining Topography
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The Cantenary Coal Company has worked in conjunction with a regional biologist to
establish plans for seeding and planting, in addition to attracting and maintaining a
variety of wildlife species. The reclaimed areas have been revegetated with mixtures
designed to attract and maintain turkey, whitetail deer, bear, and water fowl populations.
photos showing examples of bear and deer species.
Numerous wetlands have been established in the attempts to attract migratory birds,
as
can be seen from the following photographs.
The second photograph shows several Canadian geese gathering in one of the water
sources. Ponds were constructed and stocked with fish. The following photos
demonstrate the process of stocking the ponds with aquatic species.
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| Among the species stocked in the four ponds were large mouth bass,
bluegill, channel catfish, bullfrog tadpoles, water fleas, snails, and clams. In
addition, various types of nesting structures were established on the ponds. In this
photograph, a floating goose nest can be seen.
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| Providing a nesting site away from the shore was a necessary precaution
due to the growing coyote, bear, and bobcat populations. |
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A wide variety of plant and tree species were planted during the revegetation stage of
reclamation. Some of the various species planted include Black Alder, Oak,
Crabapple, Autumn Olive, Grey Dogwood, and water grasses, among many others.
Critical planning in collaboration with the efforts of a wildlife
biologist has established a reclaimed area which has been regarded as one of the finest wildlife habitats in the region.
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