The Public Service Commission is nominating the Falkirk Mine for a national “Excellence in Coal Mining Reclamation Award” – given by the federal Office of Surface Mining.
PSC Chair Randy Christmann said it’s for 730 acres of land donated by Falkirk to the North Dakota Department of Transportation, called the “Coal Lake Wildlife Management Area.”
"Falkirk preserved significant natural and cultural resources, by forgoing coal extraction in sensitive areas," Christmann said. He said that included a Native American burial site, and the surrounding woodlands. And he said this made possible a shift from the “no-mow” zones on Highway 83.
"Nobody could mow those ditches (on Hwy 83), so that wildlife could live there," Christmann said. He said the "no-mow" zones were dangerous for drivers and for wildlife.
"I used to driver there," Christmann said. "And think of all the damaged autos and all the insurance claims, as well as the possibility of human injury," Christmann said.
Christmann said there used to be jokes about driving in that area.
"If you were going through New Salem to the Hazen area, that was one way to avoid that area," Christmann said. "If you drove through Washburn, that was what a lot of people called 'the killing zone,' because there were so many carcasses there."
Christmann said it’s better to have wildlife management areas that are not bisected by a major four-lane highway.
