| Peabody Group’s Big Sky Coal Mine near Colstrip, Montana, has been
nominated for the 2000 Office of Surface Mining Reclamation Excellence
Award. On reclaimed range at the Big Sky Mine it’s hard to distinguish
which sandstone monuments were carved by man or millennium. The mine’s
environmental team was the first in the industry to restore natural
buttes that rise above the prairie using the upper portion of the old
mine highwall. Creating bluff extensions is just one of the innovative
techniques employed to restore mined lands to a productive condition.
Using a two-phase seeding protocol for warm season grass, forb and shrub
establishment is one of the methods used to improve results. Big Sky
also has a tree and shrub planting program aimed at restoring woody
habitat and ponderosa pine while improving community diversity. As a
result of Big Sky’s efforts, native wildlife populations have returned
to reclaimed areas relatively quickly, and livestock grazing on
reclaimed lands demonstrates further success. |
Reclamation Manager
Reg Hoff (left) visits with a local rancher who runs cattle on reclaimed
lands at Big Sky Mine
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