Coal Mining and Land Reclamation

Coal mining was a very important industry in Iowa as a fuel source. With the mining also came land destruction. Whenever a vein of coal ran dry, the coal mining companies closed the site. Several times this land was left abandoned and unused until the reclamation projects began. This video details the effort to reclaim the land used for a coal mine in Logan, Iowa. 

• How did the removal of fossil fuels, such as coal, from the Earth affect the environment?

• How can we continue to utilize the land that was once mined for coal?
• Why do we no longer mine for coal in Iowa? 

Students could:

• Complete a Notice/Wonder Chart while observing historic photos of land used for coal mining. 
• Compare and contrast what the land looked like before the reclamation and after the reclamation.
• Research effects on the land, environment and water sources when we utilize our state’s fossil fuels. Research should pertain to land usage/damage, land reclamation, and water sources.

• Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship | Abandoned Mine Land and Reclamation: Site outlining land reclamation in Iowa. 
• Iowa Outdoors | Reclaiming Iowa's abandoned coal mine lands: A century ago, southern Iowa was home to hundreds of surface coal mines. As the coal boom died so did the companies that mined for it, leaving those mines abandoned and open to the elements. Today, decades after the industry died, efforts slowly continue to clean up the deserted mines and reclaim the ground that was once rich with coal.