OSMRE Stories
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Stepping up to bat: How OSMRE helps protect endangered bat species
A bat dressed like a security guard stands in front of a mine opening closed off by a typical bat gate. A sign above reads “Bats only, no…
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Mining for Merit Badges: OSMRE at the BSA Jamboree 2023
As 15,000 scouts from around the country gathered for the 2023 National Scout Jamboree, many were unaware they were standing on former coal mines.
Roughly every four years, the Boy Scouts of America brings together thousands of scouts,…
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Ohio’s Largest Acid Mine Drainage Site is Getting Cleaned Up, Thanks to AMLER and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding
On June 29, representatives from the Department of the Interior and the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) joined the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Rural Action, and Ohio University for a ceremony…
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Iowa field day highlights new reclamation project funded by Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Marion County, Iowa, has a long history with soil and water conservation work. This county was the first in Iowa to put together a soil and water conservation district and held its first National Soil Conservation Day…
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OSMRE and partners get planting for Arbor Day
In the weeks surrounding Arbor Day, former coal mine sites in Appalachia sprout new seeds as volunteers from around the region gather to plant trees. Dense forests are a staple of the Eastern U.S. but have declined…
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Cleaning community waterways through the Watershed Cooperative Agreement Program
Watersheds are interconnected systems of rivers and streams that drain into the same body of water. Water from a small creek can travel dozens of miles and drain into a larger river or lake. As a result, watersheds collect runoff and pollution…
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Highlighting OSMRE employees for Women's History Month
Bobbi Martinez Hernandez Natural Resource Specialist – Western Region About:Bobbi lives in Denver and is a Colorado native. She has a 17-year-old foster son, a cat, a turtle, and five chickens. She holds a master’s degree in environmental…
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Black History and Coal Communities
(OSMRE graphic by Emily Isaac)“Those who have no record of what their forebears have accomplished lose the inspiration which comes from the teaching of biography and history” – Carter G. Woodson
Carter G. Woodson, the descendant of…
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OSMRE takes inspiration from nature to solve modern environmental challenges
What do wetlands and abandoned coal mines have in common? Although they appear to be complete opposites, there are several ways in which these features affect each other.
Wetlands…
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OSMRE and Partners Tour AMD sites
MACOUPIN COUNTY, Ill. – The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Abandoned Mine Land Program and Amanda Pankau, senior energy campaign coordinator with Prairie Rivers Network,…