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LAND RECLAMATION IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

LAND RECLAMATION IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. Pete Stahl Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center Department of Renewable Resources College of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Wyoming. Reclamation of Degraded Lands. OVERGRAZED RANGELAND. NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION.

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LAND RECLAMATION IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

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  1. LAND RECLAMATION IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES Pete Stahl Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center Department of Renewable Resources College of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Wyoming

  2. Reclamation of Degraded Lands

  3. OVERGRAZED RANGELAND

  4. NATURAL RESOURCE EXTRACTION Jacobs Ranch Surface Coal Mine Jonah Field Natural Gas Well Bighorn Basin Bentonite Mine Pit

  5. LAND RECLAMATION RELATED LEGISLATION COLORADO 1965, voluntary reclamation MOUs between state and miners (not effective) 1969, Colorado Open Cut Land Reclamation Act (no funding or enforcement) 1973, Open Mining Land Reclamation Act Established permitting process, required bonding and more rigid performance timelines and standards. But not hard rock mines WYOMING 1973, Wyoming Environmental Quality Act; established WYDEQ Lands affected by mining should be reclaimed to: - highest previous use, a state similar to surrounding terrain, reestablish wildlife, aquatic habitat and resources 1975, WYDEQ-LQD publishes Rules and Regulations for surface mining Wildlife habitat commensurate with or superior to premining habitat. 1977 SURFACE MINE CONTROL AND RECLAMATION ACT OF 1977 The single most important piece of legislation dealing with reclamation of land disturbed by resource extraction

  6. WYOMING SURFACE COAL MINING RECLAMATION SUMMARY

  7. BOND RELEASE ON COAL MINED LANDS IN COLORADO AND WYOMING WYOMING Total Disturbed Land 166,009 acres Phase II Bond Released 10,375 acres (6.2% of total) Phase III Bond Released 5,752 acres (3.4%) COLORADO Total Disturbed Land 22,221 acres Phase II Bond Released 13,784 acres (62% of total) Phase III Bond Released 8,623 acres (32% ) Sources: OSMRE Annual Evaluation Report for the Regulatory Program Administered by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Evaluation Year 2011 OSMRE Annual Evaluation Summary Report for the Regulatory Program Administered by the State of Colorado for Evaluation Year 2010

  8. JONAH FIELD GAS WELL PAD RECLAMATION SUMMARY Source: Jonah Infill Data Management System, Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office, http://my.usgs.gov/jio/home

  9. BOND RELEASE ON NATURAL GAS WELLPADS IN WYOMING JONAH FIELD Number of Disturbed Locations 2,565 Total Disturbed Land 5,943 acres Land Undergoing Reclamation 4,238 acres (71%) Bond Released 17 acres (0.2%) WAMSUTTER FIELD Number of Disturbed Locations Total Disturbed Land Land Undergoing Reclamation Bond Released Sources: Jonah Interagency Mitigation and Reclamation Office

  10. LIMITATIONS TO SUCCESSFUL RECLAMATION IN THE WEST Extremely Challenging Environments: Semiarid to Arid Ecosystems Short Growing Seasons - High Elevations Weakly Developed, Problematic Soils (salty, sodic, salty/sodic) Plant Communities Uniquely Adapted, Reestablishment not mastered Seed Availability Weeds Cheatgrass and Halogeton Knowledge and Knowledge Transfer (COMMUNICATION)

  11. SOIL MANAGEMENT Stockpiled soil reapplied to a gas well pad in the Jonah Field

  12. HABITAT RESTORATION Sage Grouse Hen on a successfully Reclaimed Bentonite Mine Pit

  13. RECLAIMED BENTONITE MINE PITS BIGHORN BASIN, WY • Solid Bars-Reclaimed sites • Slashed Bars-Reference sites

  14. RECLAIMED BENTONITE MINEPITS BIGHORN BASIN, WY • Solid Bars-Reclaimed sites • Slashed Bars-Reference sites

  15. RECLAIMED BENTONITE MINE PIT (1983) THERMOPOLIS, WY No Sagebrush in Seed Mix

  16. Title: Reclamation in the Western United States Basic Message: We are pretty good at Land Reclamation and Habitat Restoration in the western U.S. (e.g. surface Coal Mines successfully meeting the strict requirements of SMCRA; Reclamation of lands impacted by the Dustbowl). Reclamation has definitely been problematic in some areas,including the western Gas Fields, however, for a number of reasons: - No Ten Year Rule (plant community succession; soil development; learning curve) - New People, New Places - Extremely challenging environments Semiarid to Arid Ecosystems, Very short growing seasons Problematic Soils Salty, Salty/Sodic - Invasive species CHEATGRASS HALOGETON - Climate Change - Knowledge transfer - Seed Availability - Problematic Regulations

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