continue until the entire mine permit reaches final bond release. The first area mined at Poker was an extensive north-facing slope which predated the SMCRA laws put in place by the federal government in 1977. UCM was not technically obligated to reclaim this area to meet the new federal guidelines, but still chose to exceed the new standards in its efforts to fully reclaim the area disturbed be-
fore 1977. This falls into line with the successful reclamation completed in its birthplace, the Healy Valley several miles to the south of Poker. One of the easiest reclamation tricks is to move material one time to final placement which the drag - line does efficiently. Additional fill
USIBELLI, CONTINUED from PAGE 20
economically mined from the early 1970s to 2000. UCM began its concerted recla- mation program in the early 1970s and by 1973 had successfully seeded 1,600 acres of formerly mined land. By 1977 that number had grown to 2,300 acres. This effort also had the added bonus of providing valuable in- formation for then soon-to-be-built Trans Alaska Pipeline System which borrowed techniques used by UCM in reclaiming its own footprint. As operations shifted focus north to Poker, monitoring began on the new- ly reclaimed land and wildlife quickly found the area to be excellent habitat both for summer and winter browse, with large Dall sheep and caribou herds re-establishing in the area. Coal mined from Poker Flats has a long history of supplying the essen- tial energy utilized in Interior Alaska to fuel power plants for electricity and heat generation. It was also the source for export sales being an extreme- ly low sulfur coal, highly valuable to other countries. The 1970s were a time of exciting change for UCM, with the expansion of its operations into the Hoseanna Valley by acquiring permits and leases that would soon become the Poker Flats Mine. In 1976, the haul road and Poker Shop and office complex were built, followed by the construction of the iconic “Ace In the Hole” Bucyrus Erie 1300W Dragline, with a 33 cubic yard bucket capable of moving 35,000 cubic yards of overburden in a 24-hour day. The dragline arrived by rail and truck, took nearly two years to ful- ly assemble and immediately began overburden stripping. Poker Flats fed the soon-constructed tipple on the west side of the Nenana River which was completed in 1981. The Poker permit has been renewed every five years by DNR and several expansions continued mining operations until the nearby Two Bull Ridge permit was ap- proved in 1997 when mining was ini- tiated in 2000. Reclamation of the Poker Flats Permit began long before the first truck load of dirt was moved. Soil, water and vegetation studies were conducted to provide a baseline guide for what future reclamation ef- forts would achieve. Concurrent rec- lamation work began and continued after coal mining ceased, and will
CONTINUED on PAGE 24
CIRI invites you to explore our land!
Much of CIRI’s 1.6 million acres of mineral estate was selected for its resource development potential. Contact us if you’re interested in mineral, gravel, oil and gas, or timber opportunities.
(907) 263-5197 resources@ciri.com
23
Fall 2021
The Alaska Miner
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