Reclaiming Iowa's Abandoned Mines

Coal was once a major industry of Iowa. The last mine was closed in 1971.  Historically, Iowa mining companies mined much of the landscape in southern Iowa. However, the lack of regulations allowed the land to be cleared of minerals, leaving only heavy metals and abandoned mines. Current efforts are being made to save the land in southern Iowa.   

• How have human interactions changed the environment of Southern Iowa?

• What has happened to the environment of Southern Iowa? Why did this happen? 
• In what other ways can human impact on the environment be reduced in Southern Iowa?

Students could:

• Research and share different natural resources used by humans and if there has been any environmental impact by using these other natural resources.   
• Design a solution to reduce the negative effects of humans on the environment. 
• Develop criteria to evaluate different solutions to environmental issues based upon environmental needs, human wants, and cost effectiveness. 
• Create a representation (graphical, mathematical, spreadsheets, etc.) to represent the carrying capacity of a surface mined area in Southern Iowa. 
• Discuss and determine the relevant factors that affect biodiversity in a surface mined ecosystem.  
• Evaluate the current clean up efforts of surface mining areas and suggest improvements on the system based upon the different components of the ecosystem.  

• American Geoscience Institute | Interactive Map of Coal Mines in Iowa: This is an interactive map of the coal mines located in Iowa. Users can click on different mines throughout the state of Iowa to find out specific information about the mine including years of operation.  
• American Geoscience Institute | What are the Main Methods of Mining?:  This resource describes the different methods of mining and contains links to different pages that show the possible environmental impacts of mining. 
• US Energy Information Administration | Coal Mining and Transportation:  This resource from the Independent Statistics and Analysis US Energy Information Administration explains how coal is processed and transported as well as how coal is mined.  
• US Environmental Protection Agency | Basic Information About Surface Coal Mining in Appalachia:  This resource from the United States Environmental Protection Agency discusses the environmental impacts of surface coal mining in Appalachia.  
• National Public Radio | Coal Mining: This collection contains several different coal mining stories from environmental issues to the illnesses of coal miners and their insurance issues.