Pinyon Plain Mine (formerly Canyon Mine) offers a unique study opportunity. It is located on a traditional cultural property in close proximity to tribal sacred areas and cultural resources. Also, the mine is still under development, without ore production, so it offers the opportunity to establish pre-mining baselines, and will then permit study continuation throughout active uranium ore production, and into closure and reclamation. Three small pilot studies focused on the effects of mining on cultural resources are planned near Pinyon Plain Mine (formerly Canyon Mine):
Effects of mine shaft ventilation on airborne contaminant levels:
Effects of ceremonial burning of vegetation on airborne contaminant concentrations
Survey of mining-related metals in ceremonial and food items (for example, elk tissue1)
Ongoing
Task 5a: Compile/evaluate existing and newly collected monitoring data from various agencies/sources Task 7a: Conduct species surveys Task 7c: Collect/analyze samples from biota with focus on trust resources
1
Cleveland, D.M. and Hinck, J.E., 2021, Elements in elk tissues harvested in pre-uranium mining and non-mining areas, 2019: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9517UK2.
Danielle Cleveland
Supervisory Research Chemist
Columbia Environmental Research Center
573.876.1858
dcleveland@usgs.gov
Kate Campbell-Hay
Research Chemist
Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
303.541.3035
kcampbell@usgs.gov
Katie Walton-Day
Hydrologist
Colorado Water Science Center
303.236.6930
kwaltond@usgs.gov
U.S. Forest Service (USFS) | |
Savannah River National Laboratory |