EVALUATING MINE RECLAMATION HABITATS AT THE LANDSCAPE L FOLLOWING MOUNTAIN-TOP REMOVAL

摘要

Present-day regulations of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Actwere based largely on the technologies andmining methods of the late 1970's. Thusreclamation management practices today may notfully address the landscape changes that arepossible now from mountain-top removal andassociated contour mining operations. Thisstudy has sought to evaluate the changes inhuman and natural resource systems associatedwith large-scale mining in the Coal RiverValley region of south-central West Virginia.The Coal River Valley region was studied at alocal to a landscape-scale using ground-levelsampling, aerial photomaps and constructed GISmaps, starting from a site-specific-scale ofnatural and restored habitat types. Sixwatershed-drainage areas were selected forstudy. Three of these represented contourmining primarily and three other drainageareas encompassed mountain-top removal mining.Landscape components were characterized byoverlaying slope, elevation and contour datafrom maps onto aerial photomaps. On-the-groundsampling was used to distinguish restorationhabitat types. The site-specific measurementswere obtained using transects placed acrossthe man-made landforms (i.e. backfill,valleyfill, field, pond and drainage ditch) ofthe reclamation sites in each of the sixwatershed drainage areas. All of the measuredsites had been revegetated with a seed mixturefor a wildlife management plan and ranged inage from 2 to 12 years of vegetative growth atthe time of the study. Percentage cover byherbaceous and woody species was determined intwo-meter square quadrats placed mechanicallyalong all transect lines to quantify thevarious site-specific vegetation types. Based on the site-specific evaluation,distinguishable habitats were found on each ofthe man-made landforms. The percentage ofmountaintop removal habitats with non-nativespecies has increased over the last decade.Percentages of total area mined in the regionover thirty years were calculated, yielding adetermination of changes in traditional land-uses.