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Because of outstanding reclamation practices at the Black
Mesa and Kayenta mines in Arizona, Peabody Group was awarded an Excellence in
Reclamation Programs Award in 1998 by the U.S. Office of Surface Mining.
| On the northernmost edge of Arizona’s Colorado Plateau, the terrain
is marked by rolling hills, long valleys, rough canyons and deep gorges.
Pinon, juniper and sagebrush speckle this dry landscape, where annual
precipitation averages a meager 10 inches. The site conditions and
climate provide habitat for a wide variety of plants, many of which have
cultural significance to Navajo and Hopi who have lived on the land for
generations. At the Black Mesa and Kayenta mines, which operate on the
reservations, reclamation specialists work hard to preserve a
traditional American Indian lifestyle. Mined lands are returned to hardy
rangeland scattered with specific sites for gathering cultural plants
and herbs that native people use for medicine and ceremony. |
Senior Environmental Scientist Vern Pfannenstiel (right) inspects
progress of pinon growth
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Unlike any other reclamation program in the Southwest, the
company’s pioneering efforts to establish culturally-significant plants and
herbs are recognized throughout the scientific community. Concentrating on
collecting and using local and regional native seed for use in Peabody’s
reclamation efforts is comprehensive and unlike any in the reclamation industry.
The broad, ecologically-based program has expanded 10-fold since 1995.
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