Peanut Mine honored for excellence in reclamation

The Crested Butte Land Trust and Peanut Mine, Inc., were honored on October 27 in Durango when the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety received the U.S. Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement National Award of Excellence for the Peanut Mine Reclamation Project.

The Peanut Mine Project was recognized as the best inactive mines reclamation project in the country for 2008.
The Crested Butte Land Trust thanks all of those who have contributed to this important project, including students and staff at the Crested Butte Community School, Spallone Construction, which did most of the reclamation work, and more than 75 volunteers who planted more than 4,500 trees.
Jim Starr and John Hess, board members of the Crested Butte Land Trust and Peanut Mine, Inc., along with Steve Renner, senior project manager for the Colorado Inactive Mines Program, were present to accept the award. All three of these individuals contributed significant time and effort to the project; Renner is credited with designing and managing the reclamation project. Loretta Pineda, program administrator for the Colorado Inactive Mines Program, supported Renner by finding additional funding when it was needed.
Financial contributors to the project include the Environmental Protection Agency, the Colorado Department of Health and the Environment, the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs Energy Impact Fund, Gunnison County, the Town of Crested Butte, the Gates Family Foundation, the Crested Butte Land Trust and many individual donors.
The Peanut Mine Reclamation Project shows how community involvement, innovative partnering between public, private and government groups, and careful planning can combine to produce exemplary reclamation. As a result, 16 acres of mine and mill wastes are now reclaimed and three new acres of wetlands have been established at the entrance to the Lower Loop Trail system.
Five awards were presented to the Appalachian Region, the Mid-Continent Region, the Western Region, the National Category II Award and the National Award of Excellence, which was awarded for the reclamation at Peanut Mine.
The awards were presented by Brent Wahlquist, director of the Office of Surface Mining, and Loretta Pineda.