FALL 2011 OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MINING AND RECLAMATION reclamation The Wilds: Center for restoration, conservation, and outreach Reclamation is a serious business in North Dakota Returning heavy mineral sands to productive agricultural use THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER AFTER WE’RE DONE. WE WILL LEAVE THE LAND IN A CONDITION EQUAL TO OR BETTER THAN WE FOUND IT. This pledge is core to our mission. Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) has a long history of restoring superior rangeland, magnificent wildlife preserves, sturdy hardwood forests and pristine wetlands, often returning land to a higher use. We are the world’s largest private-sector coal company and a global leader in clean coal solutions that advance energy security, economic stimulus and environmental improvement. We are proud to be globally recognized for environmental excellence, earning the industry’s top honors for best practices in reclamation and good neighbor partnerships around the world. And we are pleased to support the American Society of Mining and Reclamation. PeabodyEnergy.com CoalCanDoThat.com reclamation matters is published by: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba contents Canada R3L 0G5 President’s Message – Eddie Bearden PRESIDENT: 4 David Langstaff ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Message from the Editor – Jeff Skousen 6 Jason Stefanik EDITOR: Early Career Message – Abbey Foster Wick 7 Lyndon McLean ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES: Awards 8 - 11 Cheryl Ezinicki Ross James Colin James Trakalo 2011 Exhibitors’ Photos 12 - 15 PRODUCTION SERVICES: Reclamation is a Serious Business in North Dakota 16 S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com The Wilds: Center for ART DIRECTOR : Kathy Cable Restoration, Conservation, and Outreach 19 LAYOUT/ DESIGN: Dana Jensen Returning Heavy Mineral Sands Mines to ADVERTISING ART: Productive Agricultural Use 24 Deryn Bothe ASMR in 2012 – Tupelo, Mississippi 30 © 2011 DEL Communications Inc. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, Aquafix Systems Inc. 6 Lexington Mine Reclamation Services 9 omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by ArborGen Inc. 26 MVTL Laboratories 18 contributors or advertisers are not Pawnee Buttes Seed Inc. 25 necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, Biomost, Inc. OBC officers or employees. Powder River Coal, LLC Peabody Energy IFC Ernst Seeds 28 Publications Mail Agreement #40934510 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Presto Geosystems 5 DEL Communications Inc. Golder Associates Inc. 5 Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Rocky Mountain Bio Products 29 Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 0G5 Granite Seed Company 27 Email: [email protected] Shooting Star Native Seeds 4 Hedin Environmental 28 DEL Skelly and Loy, Inc. 11 Communications Inc. Inter Mountain Labs 31 Trihydro 31 PRINTED IN U.S.A. | 09/2011 RECLAMATION MATTERS ◆ Fall 2011 3 ASMR PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Gratitude and Anticipation Eddie Bearden, President of ASMR know it’s still a couple of months until has accepted another year as past president young (or those of you who are still stu- the official Thanksgiving holiday. But since Kim cannot do so. dents), how you anticipated the end of the Iit’s never untimely to offer thanks when The NEC members also deserve a word school year? Or remember how you and to whom they are due. of thanks. Many hours were spent in con- looked forward to Christmas, or your As an organization, ASMR owes a big ference calls this past year as we struggled birthday? Here are some things to antici- debt of gratitude to Kimery Vories. Kim with the operations of the Society. Other pate for ASMR. was elected as president for the 2010–2011 folks to thank are those of you who will You should all be aware by now of our year and served admirably from the meet- step up and allow your names to be placed Early Career Professionals group. Anticipate ing in Pittsburgh until right before the Bis- on the ballot for NEC members in the fu- becoming involved with this group, marck meeting when he had to resign his ture. It’s somewhat intimidating when you whether you have fewer than 10 years in position. He spent countless hours plan- pause to think about accepting the chal- your career or if you have many more than ning agendas, running meetings and con- lenge, but it’s also very rewarding when 10. I remember how important it was to me ference calls, and just thinking about how you can serve. One area the NEC is asking as a young soil scientist to get some career to improve our organization. for volunteers is to help guide the invest- suggestions from someone with more ex- Another person we need to thank is ment policy for the Society. Remember perience or to just have an older soil scien- tist show some interest in me as a person. Dennis Neuman, who served as president that the Society would cease to exist were Another thing to anticipate is a new Ex- before Kim. He did a fantastic job of rep- it not for volunteers. ecutive Secretary. You each should have re- resenting our Society as president in 2009. And now let’s think about anticipation, ceived a letter from Dick Barnhisel an- Many of you may not be aware that the specifically as it relates to ASMR. Anticipa- nouncing that he will be retiring from the past president continues to serve on the tion means “an expectation, foreknowl- position in a couple of years, and the NEC for a year, and Dennis has done so in edge.” We all anticipate various events in search is beginning to find a replacement. a very involved manner. And now Dennis our lives. Remember when you were Anticipate recruiting someone new to the Society. Remember our goal for the year – Recruit One Member. If each of us would recruit just one new member for SHOOTING STAR ASMR, we would double our size. This is important not only for the sake of grow- NATIVE SEEDS ing but because many of us are reaching retirement age and becoming less involved in the Society. NATIVE PRAIRIE GRASS AND WILDFLOWER SEEDS Our society has a few needs I would like to address. One of the main things we Production and sales of native seed need to do better (and have needed to im- Installation and management of prairies and wetlands prove since I have been involved in the reclamation business) is to publicize our Native seed mixes for CRP, CREP, DOT, BWSR, successes. When I was a reclamation spe- reclamation, residential, commercial, and public projects cialist working for TXU, I told everyone who would stand still long enough to lis- phone: 507.498.3944 ten that we needed more exposure in both 20740 County Road 33 Ɣ Spring Grove, MN 55974 the mining and reclamation process. And [email protected] yet, when my sons were playing soccer or www.shootingstarnativeseed.com I was asked by someone at church what I 4 AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MINING AND RECLAMATION ◆ Fall 2011 do for a living and I told them I work in the data, and he could be convinced and regulatory leaders – those who mining reclamation, they frequently ex- that you were doing the right thing – if know us best – love us, but others think pressed surprise that we have mining in and only if the data supported it. He we’re the worst thing to ever walk the Texas! That still occasionally happens, eventually became a strong supporter – face of the earth. So we will always have and I usually point out that about 40% but then he retired, and we had to start areas for compromise. Let’s all work to- of their electricity comes from burning all over with someone new. And the di- gether and try to educate ourselves and coal, most of it mined locally. rection of our government changes others so we can reach our mutual One way to publicize our story – and every few years. Some governmental goals. ■ something Texas has done well for many years – is in sponsoring teacher work- shops. The workshops in Texas began in GOLDER ASSOCIATES INC. 1991 and are funded solely by mining companies. The teachers spend an entire √ 150 OFFICES WORLDWIDE √ MINED LAND RECLAMATION DESIGN week (Sunday evening through Friday √ 45 OFFICES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. √ DESIGN-BUILD SERVICES EXPERTS IN PASSIVE TREATMENT OF MINING INNOVATIVE FOAM TECHNOLOGY FOR ACID noon) learning about mining and recla- √ √ INFLUENCED WATER ROCK DRAINAGE MITIGATION mation from exploration all the way √ ACTIVE TREATMENT SYSTEM DESIGN through final bond release. Many folks from the mining community come to- gether to share their expertise and experi- ence with these teachers. To date, we have trained more than 900 teachers about Contact Jim Gusek at [email protected] coal mining, mining of industrial miner- als, and uranium mining. The Texas Min- ing and Reclamation Association (TMRA) GEOWEB® estimates over a million students have The Presto system been reached with the mining and recla- ...is the ultimate economical and mation message via these teachers. environmental solution to You would think by now that we challenging slope and would have the mining and reclamation geomembrane protection business well in hand, right? But think problems. again – there will always be retirements, so new people come into the field every year. I once wished for a brain transplant (or at least an information dump) from some of the folks I worked with who had decades of experience and knowledge.