USIBELLI, CONTINUED from PAGE 23
is placed by the Truck-Shovel crews and the dozer fleet finishes with final regrade of slopes and the establish - ment of drainages. Furrowing is a proven erosion control method that is the final step before seeding occurs. UCM has utilized aerial seeding methods for the bulk of the reclamation work, followed up with hydroseeding and hand seeding select areas as needed. After the na- tive grasses are established, summer reclamation crews follow up several years later with supplemental seedling transplants. White spruce, birch, alder and willow are the primary species hand -planted and all seed stock is locally sourced from the Healy area, so it is already accustomed to the climate and growing conditions. Summer recla- mation crews are primarily tasked with trans-planting an average 25,000 seedlings during the brief summers. UCM’s longstanding reclamation goal is to put the land back to better than what it was before mining oc- curred. The secondary benefit of completing timely rec - lamation is to reduce the bond liability a mining area has. As mining progressed across the Poker area, regrade was completed in contiguous areas and seeded with the goal of reducing erosion and establishing vegetation back on the landscape. The main south half of Poker was ap- proved for Phase I bond release in 2011, which occurs after grading has been completed. This same 430 acres was ap- proved for Phase II release in 2016, and plans were made for the required vegetation study to commence in 2018. A joint meeting with DNR/UCM and the consulting firm
ABR was held in January 2018 to review the final bond re - lease standards and permit language which would facili- tate the Phase III bond release. The only other Phase III Bond Release area in the state of Alaska is located at another coal mining permit UCM reclaimed at Gold Run Pass. This area was approved for Phase III release in 2011 and consists of 94 acres. Being the first true Phase III release in Alaska, this set the precedent for future work. ABR was selected as the consulting firm to conduct the field work necessary to submit an application for final bond release. The field work, statistical meth - ods and final report from the 94 acres at Gold Run proved
Y E A R S 1996 - 2021
24
The Alaska Miner
Fall 2021
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