Following is information about a few of the many mined land reclamation success stories. Note the differences in the pictures between how the land looks during mining and how it looks after mining. The reclaimed mine lands are usually more attractive to wildlife and human uses than before mining started. Clay Minerals Continental Brick paid extraordinary attention to detail in the mining of clay and shale and utilizing the mined area for productive future use. Harbison-Walker Refractories Co., Sanders Fireclay Mine, Kentucky.
Lush vegetation covers the entire site.
Year round maintenance is required to prevent erosion and ensure the continual vegetative state. Vegetation on this reclaimed land provides food for wildlife including Canadian geese, turkey, and deer. Wyo Ben has been mining bentonite in the Big Horn Basin for over 40 years. They have continually been leaders in reclamation practices. Water quality changed dramatically, turning a formerly dead river into a high quality trout fishery.