Molybdenum

Climax Molybdenum Company, Urad Mine, Colorado - More than 39,000 trees and shrubs were planted since 1974 to return the land to a natural state.

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Other Metals

Babbitt. Wildlife abound on this former exploration site. A shaft was sealed and ore processing sites stabilized.

Big Bend National Park, Texas.  Mariscal cinnabar mines operated between 1900 and 1943. Quicksilver was produced until the 1950s, leaving shafts and adits unsecured. Openings were closed and made safe for visitors.

Bingham Canyon More than a century of hard-rock mining in Bingham Canyon, Utah, has made Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation’s cleanup task an ongoing process.  An interesting fact is that there are only two man-made objects visible from outer space: the Great Wall of China, and the Bingham Canyon Mine. The mine is more than 2-1/2 miles across at the top and more than a half-mile deep, and is one of the engineering wonders of the world.

Bridge Hill Ridge Mineral Sands. Australia. Trees and other vegetation were replanted as mining progressed.

Cabacal Copper & Gold Mine. Brazil. Waste dumps and slopes were stabilized and recontoured to blend with terrain. Rainwater drainage systems were constructed and surfaces revegetated.

Cove3 AML Area (Arizona). The Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation & Enforcement presented the 2003 People’s Choice Award, as well as the 2003 Western Regional Reclamation Award, to the Navajo Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program for exceptional reclamation in the Cove AML area.

Falconbridge Corporate Environmental Standards. This leading producer of nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum is also a large recycler and processor of metal-bearing materials. They also adopted highest environmental standards for all their operations.

Flambeau Copper/Gold Mine. The mine was returned to approximate original contours with over 10 acres of high quality wetlands and a 130-acre prairie ecosystem.

Hurricane Creek Bauxite Mine. The use of chicken litter as a soil amendment has been deemed a success at this site.

Kennecott Utah Copper. Over $230 million and innumerable man-hours have been spent on the cleanup of historic mining sites, many of which were created prior to Kennecott’s involvement in the Oquirrh Mountains. 

Kennecott Tailings Storage  Kennecott Utah Copper’s tailings are the uneconomic by-product of the ore crushing, grinding, and flotation concentrating process at the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine.

Kennicott, Alaska, Copper Mine and Mill. Mining and processing ceased in the late 1930s. The company voluntarily cleaned up residual petroleum products, asbestos and contaminated soils, then donated the land to the National Park Service.

Nevada Copper Company. A copper smelter, concentrator, and tailings site in operation from 1908 through 1989 was successfully reclaimed and won awards. 

Reynolds Metals. 3C Bauxite Mine. The basic plans for reclamation was for development of pasture lands and wildlife habitat.

Socorro West Mine Safeguard Project - Big-eared bats have new homes in abandoned manganese mines. Opening are closed with bars that leave space for bats to get through.

Steep Rock. Steep Rock Lake was a natural lake until it was drained to mine the iron ore for a reliable supply of iron during World War II.  After 40 years of successful production and economic growth for the area, it is returned to its natural state,  hosts wildlife and provides recreational facilities.

Sunrise Mining District, Wyoming. The area has seen active mining for 1000s of years. Many hazardous shafts, adits, and exploration pits were identified and closed or reclaimed. Copper and iron ore were mined in the area. Native Americans return annually to collect the rich red (iron) pigment called ochre for use in religious ceremonies.

Uranium Geology. The U.S. Geological Survey with other Department of Interior bureaus is investigating inactive and abandoned uranium mines to identify and mitigate environmental problems.