The Problem with Mines

Monday, July 20, 2015

Woke up in Wellpinit and had (surprise!) cereal for breakfast!

This morning Warren had arranged a bunch of cool activities for us to do. First, we went to the highschool to hear some presentations from Warren and people from the Midnite Mine. But we had to wait on people arriving so the students played some games with some DNR employees and students.

Students "sweeping the teepee".

We learned alot this morning about the history of fish populations and how they were decimated by fish wheels. Warren mentioned that 80 million pounds of fish were taken out of the Columbia each year mostly to canneries. He also talked about IRMP (integrated resource management plan). This plan is where all departments give input to all proposed ventures on the reservation.

After Warren, the Midnite Mine workers talked about the Superfund site. The mine was found in 1955 and mined until 1982. Around this time the price of uranium plummeted and the site was basically abandoned. It sat stagnant, leeching toxins into the surrounding areas until recently when cleanup began.

Group photo was taken after the talks

After the group photo, we took a trip to the Midnite Mine clean-up site.

Group walking up a "borrow" site where land was used to fill other sites.

View of the evaporation reservoirs from atop the "borrow" site.

Lou Miller (consultant) gives students a bit of history and work being done on the site.

Old uranium mine at Midnite Mine site on the Spokane Indian Reservation.

Students blogging after the visit to the uranium mines.