Eco Reclamation Today

Mining remains an essential part of an industrial economy. Coal provides electricity and warmth, iron supplies reinforcement for buildings, sand and gravel create cement, and copper serves as a conductor for electricity in wiring. All of these resources come from the ground produced through the mining process. Though people use these products everyday, many times they forget where the resources come from and the effects the mining process has on the environment as a whole. Mining conducted improperly and without regard to the earth leaves an area barren and unusable. This land becomes useless and dangerous to human health and wildlife. Mining companies, organizations and the federal government began implementing a process known as land reclamation in order to combat land degradation and environmental hazards.

Land reclamation strives to transform used mined land into usable land, benefiting future generations. Examples of this process include mine sites transformed into parks, lakes, cattle fields, nature reserves, new water sources and recreational areas. Reclamation projects also include restoring old abandoned mines that previously posed as health hazards to local residence. In an effort to chronicle the reclamation process, EcoReclamtion Projects created a directory of reclamation projects found around the United States.

The directory includes projects from companies like Phelps Dodge and CEMEX. Other projects include work conducted through organizations such as the US Forest Service and Earthwatch. The profiles contain an overview of the project, links to additional resources concerning the mine area groups involved in the process. A timeline detailing land reclamation policy and an essay detailing the benefits of reclamation augments the body of information discussed above.