| Pre-Conference Tours |
Zortman/Landusky, Kendall Mine, Spring Creek Watershed Restoration (fish hatchery), Judith Gap Windmills
Date: Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31
Length: 2 days (leave at 8:00 am Saturday from hotel – return at 5:00 pm Sunday)
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The Zortman/Landusky Mines started as underground workings in the late 1880’s. After many years of inactivity, the mines were reopened as cyanide heap leach operations in the 1970s and operated until the late 1990s. Reclamation has been completed, but water treatment is ongoing at the Zortman/Landusky Mines. This tour will showcase the successful reclamation at the mines, explain state-of-the art water treatment activities, and discuss continuing problems with acid water in Swift Gulch, draining the north side of the Landusky Mine. On the second day, the tour resumes by visiting the Kendall Gold Mine, also a historic underground operation that was later reopened as a heap leach mine from the 1980s until its closure in 1998. In 1997, the company earned the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Health of the Land Award, the highest environmental award given by that agency, for its successful program to reintroduce the endangered Peregrine falcon at the Kendall Mine site and to preserve the historic Kendall town site. Additional stops include the Brewery Flats Restoration Project and the Judith Gap Wind Farm.
Leaders and Organizer:
Peter Bierbach, Bureau of Land Management
Number of Participants: 12 to 20
Cost: $180.00 Transportation, lodging and meals (except Saturday evening) included
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Wetland Mitigation near Laurel and Roundup, Montana
Date: Sunday, May 31
Length: 1 day (leave at 8:00 am from hotel - return at 5:00 pm)
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This tour will visit three wetland mitigation sites in the general Billings area. Two sites were historically used as aggregate borrow sites, while the third is a retired sewage treatment lagoon. Of the two borrow sites, one has naturally revegetated on its own and is currently being redesigned to expand mitigation acreages, while the other site was totally regraded and replanted in 2005. Widely fluctuating water tables, conflicts with adjacent aggregate operations, invasive species and public use are ongoing issues with both sites. Efforts to establish emergent wetland communities have been slow to develop, though wildlife use is at target levels.
Leaders and Organizer:
Phil Johnson, Larry Urban, and Tim McNaboe, Montana Department of Transportation
Number of Participants: 10 to 20
Cost: $TBD (lunch/snacks included in cost)
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Coal Mine and Coalbed Methane Development and Reclamation – Powder River Basin in Montana and Wyoming
Date: Saturday, May 30 and Sunday, May 31
Length: 2 days (leave at 8:00 am Saturday from hotel – return at 5:00 pm Sunday)
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This two-day tour will include stops at active coal mines to discuss permitting and reclamation issues, visits to coalbed methane areas where disturbance, reclamation, and water management. The Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana is the largest coal producing area in the nation.  Highlights of this tour include sagebrush reclamation for wildlife habitat; diversion and reconstruction of the Tongue River at allowed mining, and coalbed methane production areas to learn about the approach to, and footprint of, development. Stops will include the Big Horn National Battlefield and the Rosebud Battlefield to discuss energy development issues relative to preservation.
Leaders and Organizer:
Chris Yde, Montana DEQ, Dave Schellinger, Wyoming DEQ, and John Wheaton, Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology
Number of Participants: 12 to 20
Cost: $180.00 Transportation, lodging and meals (Saturday evening BBQ) included
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| Post-Conference Tours |
Pryor Mountains (Montana) Environmental Disturbances, Rehabilitation, and Recovery
Date: Thursday, June 4
Length: 1 day (leave at 7:00 am from hotel - return at 6:00 pm)
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Geology, ecology and natural resources of the Pryor Mountains and surrounding areas of Montana and Wyoming will be discussed and briefly visited during this one day tour. Special features of the Pryor Mountains include proximity to the largest bentonite reserves in North America, limestone canyon lands and uranium deposits, ancestral wild horse herds, diverse and exceptional wildlife and floral populations, abrupt transitions from xeric to coniferous forest ecosystems, regional oil and gas fields, and a rich history of human use.
Leaders and Organizer:
Steve Regele, R&R Environmental Consulting and Peter Bierbach, Bureau of Land Management
Number of Participants: 12 to 20
Cost: $80.00 (lunch/snacks included in cost)
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Historic Hard Rock Mine Sites and an Active Gold Mine in Western Montana
Date: Thursday, June 4 and Friday, June 5
Length: 2 days (leave at 8:00 am on Thursday from hotel - return at 6:00 pm on Friday)
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The legacy of historic and current metal mining is visibly evident in Western Montana. Much progress has been made in eliminating or significantly reducing impacts to soil systems, surface waters, and groundwater at these historic and active mine sites. Learn first-hand from the experts about metal mine history,  current mining activities and reclamation by participating in this 2-day, 1-night field tour to Butte and other historic and active hard rock mine sites in western Montana. The agenda includes a tour of Butte to observe the legacy of large mining operations in an urban environment, visits to historic hard rock mining sites in the mountains of Western Montana, and a visit to the Montana Tunnels Gold Mine, a large active mine near Helena, Montana.
Leaders and Organizer:
Mike Browne, US Forest Service and Robert Rennick, CDM
Number of Participants: 12 to 20
Cost: $180.00 Transportation, lodging and meals included in cost
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