Cloud Peak Energy, the third-largest US coal producer, is working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on ways to share information on the national award-winning shrub establishment techniques developed at the company’s Antelope mine, located near Douglas, Wyoming. As one approach to sharing, on May 19, 2011, Cloud Peak Energy personnel held a Shrub Reclamation Workshop for several agencies including the Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Participating agency representatives came from locations as distant as Washington, D.C. and New Mexico, and the workshop had more than 30 participants.
The workshop covered an ecological approach to post mining topography, topsoil lay-down and seed bed development and seeding techniques. Antelope employees Kyle Wendtland, Chris Fare and Nate Weinand, assisted by Tim Nelson, provided the presentations and demonstrations that allowed participants to see firsthand what they can do to successfully grow shrub species – on both reclaimed and native land. As a special guest, Chet Skilbred of Rocky Mountain Power provided significant background information on original development of shrub reclamation methods.
“We appreciate Antelope’s willingness to share this important information,” Scott Covington, US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist said. “It demonstrates their commitment to developing innovative techniques to address reclamation. The workshop was very informative – I learned a lot.”
“As part of our focus on environmental stewardship we want to be sure that this information is shared and readily available, to increase the success of shrub establishment and wildlife habitat development,” Cloud Peak Energy General Manager of Sustainable Development and External Affairs Bob Green said. “This was a strong interactive learning experience for all of us and an excellent example of cooperative efforts on habitat and resource conservation.”
Shrub establishment from seed has generally been a challenge for reclamation efforts in any industry. This has included efforts in the Powder River Basin where achieving consistent shrub results year after year has been elusive. “Native shrubs have specific habitat preferences and germination requirements, with naturally poor germination rates between 10 and 15%,” Antelope Mine Senior Environmental Engineer Kyle Wendtland said. “They are logistically and physically difficult to handle because of small seed size and the high percentages of impurities in commercially available seed supplies.”
Antelope mine developed a procedure to consistently re-establish shrub habitat from seed through a three-phase approach, involving the use of landform design and target seeding technology. “The specifics of the three-phased shrub establishment strategy can be applied throughout the Powder River Basin and elsewhere in Wyoming,” Wendtland added. “The use of these strategies will increase the ability to establish or improve habitat for wildlife species and expand species diversity on reclaimed lands.”
At the workshop Antelope mine demonstrated the techniques that have enabled it to establish consistent stands of targeted shrub species on reclamation even during drought years. Last fall, Antelope mine, located 89 km north of Douglas, was awarded a prestigious national reclamation award from the Office of Surface Mining and the National Mining Association for its successful shrub establishment on reclaimed land.
Cloud Peak Energy is headquartered in Wyoming and is the third largest US coal producer and the only pure-play Powder River Basin (PRB) coal company. As one of the safest coal producers in the nation, Cloud Peak Energy specialises in the production of low sulphur, subbituminous coal. The company owns and operates three surface coal mines in the PRB, the lowest cost major coal producing region in the nation. The Antelope and Cordero Rojo mines are located in Wyoming and the Spring Creek mine is located near Decker, Montana. With approximately 1,500 employees, the company is widely recognised for its exemplary performance in its safety and environmental programs. Cloud Peak Energy is a sustainable fuel supplier for approximately 4% of the nation’s electricity.
