2012 Conference Proceedings
Presentations, notes, videos, and other materials from Reclaiming the Sierra 2012: Green $olutions to Abandoned Mines are now available. If you have any questions about this content or requests for something you do not see here, please contact Kerry Morse.
Program and Abstracts
Click here to view the Reclaiming the Sierra 2012 conference program as a PDF.
Click here to view abstracts of presentations at Reclaiming the Sierra 2012.
Awards
At the Conference reception on Friday, May 4, three Sierra Crest Awards were presented recognizing “Visionary Leaders Helping Communities Reclaim the Sierra.”
- Rick Humphreys who recently retired from the State Water Resources Control Board
- Karuk Tribe accepted by Leaf Hillman
- California State Parks accepted by Marilyn Linkem, Sierra District Superintendent, and Syd Brown of State Parks
Science Poster Competition entries were judged by a committee of three and the following prizes awarded:
- First Place to Rebecca Bushway for her poster “Translocation of Methyl Mercury: A Novel Approach to Phytoremediation“
- Second Place to Harihar Nepal for “Mercury, Turbidity and Suspended Sediments from Malakoff Diggins in Humbug Creek“
- Third Place to Colter Cook for “Mercury Concentrations and Potential Repercussions for Local Inhabitants in Clear Lake CA“
Presentations
The following speakers made presentations at Reclaiming the Sierra on May 3 or May 5, 2012. Presentation slides (when available and permitted by the speaker) may be viewed by clicking the presentation title or speaker.
KEYNOTE: Mark Nechodom, Director of CA Department of Conservation
Green Solutions Workshop Track
Green Solutions to Abandoned Mines
Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin, CEO, The Sierra Fund
Framework for Responsible Mining – An Alaskan Perspective
Kendra Zamzow, Ph.D., Center for Science in Public Participation
Sustainable Remediation and Green Resource Extraction Practices of Acid Mine Drainage Sites
James Jacobs, Environmental Bio-Systems
PANEL: Green Solutions to Abandoned Mines
James Pompy, California Dept. of Conservation, Office of Mine Reclamation
John Lane, Teichert Materials
James Jacobs, Environmental Bio-Systems
Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin, The Sierra Fund
Policy & Coordination Workshop Track
Addressing Administrative Challenges to Abandoned Mine Site Cleanup
Stephen McCord, Ph.D., McCord Environmental & Delta Tributaries Mercury Council
Greg Reller, Burleson Consulting
Transport of Mercury Past a Recreational Dam on Deer Creek in Nevada County, CA
Justin Wood, Sierra Streams Institute
PANEL: Mercury and Reservoir Operations (1 hour)
Carrie Monohan, The Sierra Fund – facilitator
Tim Crough, Nevada Irrigation District
Andy Fecko, Placer County Water Agency
Stephen McCord, McCord Environmental & Delta Tributaries Mercury Council
Robert Shibatani, The Shibatani Group, Inc.
Case Studies & Remediation Technologies Track
Mercury Old and New on the Kuskokwim
Kendra Zamzow, Ph.D., Center for Science in Public Participation
Reclaiming Hydraulic Gold Mine Sluice Tunnels
Rick Humphreys
Marrall Chrome Mine Preliminary Assessment/Site Inspection, Tahoe National Forest
Rick Weaver, US Forest Service, Tahoe National Forest
Proposed North San Juan Mine
Tim Callaway, Shasta Gold Corp
Revegetation for Slope Stabilization and Erosion Control in CA Mine Reclamation
Leah Gardner, Office of Mine Reclamation
Remedial Technologies for Mine Wastes – an ITRC Web Based Guidance (1 hour)
Paul Eger, Golder Assoc., Inc.
Semi-Passive Bioreactors for Treatment of Acid Mine Drainage
Timothy Tsukamoto, Ph.D., TKT Consulting, LLC
Engineered Pumpable pHoam: A New Innovative Method for Mitigating Acid Rock Drainage
Paul Eger, Golder Associates, Inc.
Leona Quarry Reclamation: Soil Treatments, Native Plant Revegetation & Long-term Monitoring
Patrick Reynolds, H. T. Harvey & Associates
Max Busnardo, H. T. Harvey & Associates
Policy & Legal Workshop Track
A Short Course on CA Mining Law & CEQA (1 hour, for MCLE credit)
Ellison Folk, Shute Mihaly & Weinberger LLP
Update on 1872 Mining Law Reform, and How it Pertains to Californians
Elyssa Rosen, Pew Charitable Trusts, Campaign for Responsible Mining
Update on CA Suction Dredge Mining Regulation, Legislation, Litigation
Steve Evans, Friends of the River
Case Studies Related to Technical Tours
Malakoff Diggins/Humbug Creek Watershed Assessment
Carrie Monohan, Ph.D., The Sierra Fund
Three Centuries of California Gold
Michael Miller, Original Sixteen to One Mine
Assessment of Mercury and Mine Waste Deposits at Stocking Flat in the Deer Creek Watershed, Nevada County, California
Charles Alpers, Ph.D., USGS
Valerie Mitchell, Ph.D. and Perry Myers, CA Dept. of Toxic Substances Control
Installation and Operation of a Passive Treatment System at Empire Mine State Historic Park
William Agster, Golder Associates, Inc.
Reclamation of the Spenceville Copper Mine
Stephen Reynolds, California Geological Survey
Healthcare Professionals Workshop Track
Mercury Health: Information on Mercury in the Environment and the Human Body (1 hour, for CME or CNE credit)
Sherri Norris, California Indian Environmental Alliance
Angler Survey and Trails Assessment: Two Studies on Gold Country Exposure to Mining Toxins
Carrie Monohan, Ph.D., The Sierra Fund
Environmental Health History Pilot Study at Sierra Clinics
Becky Damazo, R.N., California State University Chico
Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit Training Program for Healthcare Providers
Anthony DeRiggi, M.D., Physicians for Social Responsibility
Community Workshop: Mercury and Fish
Fraser Shilling, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
- How did mercury get into the fish here?
- Is it safe for me to eat the fish I catch?
- Is it safe for my kids to eat the fish we catch?
- Where can I get information about which kinds of locally caught fish are safe to eat?
Gregory Weisswasser, N.D., Whitewater Naturopathic Medicine
- How can I test my body for the presence of heavy metals?
- Who should get tested and who should seek treatment for heavy metal toxicity?
David McGuire, M.P.H., Got Mercury Program
- Is it safe to eat fish I buy from the store?
- Where can I get information about what kinds of fish that I buy are safe to eat?
- How can I get involved in the movement to address mercury in fish?
Community Workshop: Mine-Related Property Concerns
Jason Muir, Holdrege & Kull
- What kinds of problems do abandoned mines cause for private property owners?
- How do I know if there was an abandoned mine on or near my property?
- Is it better to not know if there was a mine on my property?
- How can I get my soil tested to learn whether there are heavy metals?
Chauncey Poston, Nevada County Real Estate
- What are the responsibilities of agents and property owners to pass on information to prospective buyers?
Jason Fouyer, Cranmer Engineering, Inc.
- How do abandoned mines affect groundwater?
- How can I get my well tested and what should I test for?
- What can I do if I learn there are heavy metals in my well water?
Community Workshop: What to Do if a Mine is Proposed in My Community?
James Pompy, CA Dept. of Conservation, Office of Mine Reclamation
- What are the rules for siting a mine?
- What mitigation measures or financial assurances does a mine have to put up before it opens?
Tom Grundy, CLAIM-GV
- What are CLAIM’s concerns about the proposed Idaho-Maryland Mine (Grass Valley) & how were they voiced?
- What is the current status of the Idaho-Maryland Mine proposal?
Elyssa Rosen, Pew Charitable Trusts, Campaign for Responsible Mining
- What are some examples of new or reopened mines?
- What have people in those communities done to hold them accountable?
- How can I get involved in mining law reform?