GEOMORPHIC RECLAMATION PUZZLES & POSSIBILITIES

Dr. Tom Hunt, Director of Science

Applied Ecological Services, Inc.

Professor Emeritus

University of Wisconsin - Platteville

Change: Land Cover/Land Use

WDNR

Wisconsin’s Changing Landscape150+ Years

WDNR

Mining as a Land Use: Emblazoned on The Badger State Seal

Puzzle PiecesPopulation Growth

Standard of LivingMedical Advances

Changing DemographicConsumptive Lifestyles

Present & Future Decision-makers Disconnected from Materials Cycle (Last Child in the Woods)

MiningAgricultureForestryFishery

Squandering Resources/The Building Over Paradox?

Puzzle Pieces

Public Hostility Toward Mining (NIMBY)Perceived environmental crises create exhaustion, psychological stress, and opposition

Increased Pressure on Industry and AgenciesFind Viable Walk-Away Solutions to Operational and Environmental Issues

Role of Reclamationists, Miners, Agency Staff, Consulting ProfessionalsSustainability of Industry and EnvironmentUnderstand Site Threats & Capabilities (Capability Brown)integrating the physical, biological, cultural, economic sense of place is the crux

Possibilities

What Can Be Done?Much Depends on Perspective – Outlook – PhilosophyWhat Guides Your Reclamation

Some guided by land as a commoditySome guided by pocketbookSome guided by scienceSome guided by minimum regulatory requirementsSome guided by land ethicMost guided by a blend

WHY RECLAMATION?AESTHETICSFISH & WILDLIFE HABITATACCELERATE SUCCESSIONAL TRAJECTORYCREATE RESILIENT SYSTEMS (biodiversity)SOIL HEALTH (building/rebuilding soil)PHYTOREMDIATIONEROSION CONTROLLEGAL REQUIREMENTGEOMORPHIC FUNCTION & STABILITY (hydrology & materials)ECOSYSTEM SERVICES (O2, pollinators, temperature modulation, water purification…)

What Can Be Done?Site Analysis

Establish Your Baseline – image acquisition/basemapAppraise your mineral wealthIdentify risks, limitations, hazards, and capabilities (Economic, Cultural, & Environmental)

Business PlanKnow what you can and can’t do – there is no substitute for good business management Financially, physically, practically

Visualize the desired outcome & know your benchmarkGap analysis

Approved post-mining land use plan – primary driver

Possibilities

Residential/Commercial

Wildlife HabitatUpland Game Birds Non-game Song Birds

Mudd/Chikowski BMC

Agriculture/ForestryPOOP & STOMP

Geomorphic Reclamation; Opportunity to Fully Embrace Nonmetallic Reclamation Guidelines

Climate Weather patterns, hardiness zones, microclimate

Hydrology Resilient reclamation = water, water, water

Geomorphic Features Slope, aspect, relief, erosivity, shaping

Soils Characteristics, topsoil, subsoil, distribution, handling

Made structures Roads, highways, rail, ports

Biota T&E species Habitat

Extensional landscape compatibility

Hydrology: Watershed/Catchmentappropriate hydrologic unit of analysis

Portion of watershed showing process of rainfall, interception, evaporation, transpiration, infiltration, percolation, groundwater flow, overland flow, subsurface flow, surface storage, detention storage, and channel precipitation

Depicts series of storage and flow processes: boxes are storage, arrows are flow: illustrates terms and simple mathematical modeling

Geomorphic Reclamation

Mimics the native landforms and gives reclamation a natural lookReengages the Geomorphic processes giving landforms shape (slope complexity, aspect, drainage)Function of how properties of rock and soil (hardness, cohesiveness, etc.) interact with the forces of erosion to establish stable and diverse landforms

Benefits

Varied Landscape Suits More Species

Improved Water Quality

Increased Ecological Value

Increased Post Mining Land Use Options

Elimination of Rock Lined Ditches

More Natural Looking Landscape

Reduced Lifecycle Maintenance Cost

Capture Site Imagery

AES Imaging Plane & Multi-Spectral Sensor

MappingMulti-Spectral Imagery Interpretation

8” Resolution IR 8” Resolution RGBMulti-Spectral

High Quality Imagery is Necessity

High Quality ImageryLow cost high resolution image capture

Fills data gap between remote sensing and ground surveying

Real time monitoring mechanism for resource extraction activities

Collects precise information at low altitudes

On-demand aerial data collection

Stunning detail: identification of six inch-features

Imagery Products3-d images of the surface features: areas of disturbance, roads, stockpiles, drainage patterns, storage tanks, vehicles & equipment, perimeter fencing, etc.Vertical and horizontal measurements of surface features (area, volume, off-site impacts, etc.)Exhibits developed in conjunction with photography interpretation and geographic information systems (GIS)

Topographic Mapping and Volume Estimating

Data Compilation and Preparation

Slope and Topographic Position Index (TPI)

Low Slopes (Green)

Mudd/Chikowski BMC

Sub Watershed Collected in Channel

Inlet to Channel

Switchback desig

Split the Peaks

Reverse Drainage

Mudd/Chikowski BMC

Mudd/Chikowski BMC

N 21%NE 12%E 3%SE 4%S 30%SW 9%W 5%NW 16%

N 5%NE 4%E 5%SE 0%S 24%SW 9%

LAND ASPECT: DIVERSE vs MONOTYPIC

NATURAL LANDFORM Creates Landscape Resilience

CONVENTIONAL LANDFORM

Resilient not Static

The finished site needs to be in steady state hydrologic equilibrium

Landforms should erode roughly at the prevailing rate of the surrounding landscape

Streams in hydrologic equilibrium do move and erode

Biota – ResilientHabitat Design

Establish baseline information

Develop bio-criteria for assessment of ecosystem health

Establishing habitat goals and objectives aimed at reclaiming an ecosystem

Determining if current and future reclamation efforts are promoting a "more natural" or "unnatural" assemblage of plant and animal communities

Soil Density Soil PrepNuclear Density Probe Vibratory Ripper

Mulch Stockpile, Research Plots & Tree Nursery

Hydric Soil Storage Experimental Wetland

Revegetation TechniquesDrilling & Mulching

Revegetation TechniquesTree Spade & Whips/Tree Guards

Revegetation TechniquesPlugging Hydric Species

Geomorphic Drainage SwaleZone Planting Technique

ReclamationMonitoring

Restored Wetland Biofilter

Wildlife Habitat

Goals describe the habitat

Objectives describe the parameters and life cycle of target species

Design criteria describe look and feel of the habitat

Criteria for Ruffed Grouse Habitat

• Expand aspen stands.

• Target three age classes: <5 yrs for brood; 6-25 yrs for nesting, cover, and wintering adults; and >25 yrs for winter food and brood cover.

• Develop dense vertical thickets of hazelnut, sumac, black berries, and young oaks.

• Consider conifers for winter cover.

• Intersperse stands.

UWEX G3578

Landscape Context & Compatibility

Mining: A Transitional Land Use