Figure 4.— Aerial photograph of the West Decker coal mine in Montana, adjacent to the Tongue River Reservoir. Systematic 

 mining operations proceed radially outward. Regraded grass-covered reclaimed areas near the center are interrupted by 

 radially oriented haulroads in deep cuts. Spoil is continuously regraded and seeded after the overburden has been stripped 

 from the 52-foot coalbed. Irrigation is not needed, and grasses are quickly established. Extensive reclamation experiments 

 have been made here under the SEAM Program of the U.S. Forest Service. Some replanted areas have multiple test plots. 

 The East Decker Mine is across the reservoir at right center. July 1978. 



comply with SMCRA or its regulations; (6) ad- 

 ministering the program for the purchase and 

 reclamation of abandoned and unreclaimed 

 mined areas; and (7) assisting and monitoring 

 programs for the research and development of 

 improved surface mining and reclamation tech- 

 niques designed to reduce adverse environ- 

 mental and social effects. 



An essential feature of the SMCRA was the 

 call for cooperative development of legislation 

 and technical organizations at the State level to 

 support enforcement of Federal Government 

 regulations. The Office of Surface Mining's 

 regulations covering surface coal mining and 

 reclamation operations were published on 

 March 13, 1979 (U.S. Office of Surface Mining, 

 1979). 



Although practices at individual mines may 

 differ, reclamation now follows this basic 



scheme: the rough spoil is graded to approx- 

 imate the original landform conforming to ad- 

 jacent unmined terrain (fig. 14); the salvaged 

 topsoil is respread; the surface is prepared as a 

 seed bed, and measures are taken to supply 

 whatever is necessary or required for good seed- 

 ling development; the surface is planted; and 

 post-planting amendments are made as needed. 



At the time of the 1978 examinations of re- 

 claimed areas, most of the revegetated mined 

 lands examined were the result of reclamation 

 initiated a few years earlier (see table 1). Some 

 revegetation less than 5 years old was done in 

 accordance with the general goals of recent 

 legislation. The specific mandates of SMCRA for 

 diversity of native communities, productivity, 

 and cover, however, had not yet been met. 



Any predictions about meeting current goals 

 of reclamation are severely hampered by time 



