Aerial view of the Flambeau Mine at the time the mine pit was at its greatest depth of 220 feet.

Located about 1.7 miles south of the City of Ladysmith in northern Wisconsin, the Flambeau Mine was the first metallic mine to be permitted under Wisconsin's modern mining laws. A total of 181,000 tons of copper and 334,000 ounces of gold were produced from the open pit mine between 1993 and 1997.

The Flambeau open pit was mined to a depth of 220 feet. After mining was completed in March 1997, the open pit was backfilled with nearly 5,000,000 cubic yards of mined rock and soils, and a comprehensive reclamation plan was implemented.

Community Relations

Flambeau, together with the local governments of Rusk County, the City of Ladysmith and the Town of Grant, worked cooperatively to ensure area communities maximized all available economic opportunities before, during and after mining.

Flambeau's partnership with a local high school greenhouse continues to be successful. Because of this success, a second local school greenhouse is expected to participate, beginning in 2002. Students have the opportunity to help with the Flambeau Mine site revegetation program and perhaps visit the site in the future and show where they planted the wildflowers raised in the school greenhouses.

Local high school students prepare for the planting of wildflowers at the Flambeau Reclamation Site.

Thousands of plants and wildflowers were raised in a local high school greenhouse donated by Flambeau and transplanted at the reclamation site by the students.

At the request of local governments, and with the approval of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 32 acres of the reclaimed site have been reserved for future economic development and leased to the Ladysmith Community Industrial Development Corporation. The former mine facilities were subsequently subleased to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to be used as the Department's Ladysmith Service Center. The WDNR and another company share the former water treatment building from which all process equipment has been removed.

Flambeau continues to be involved in the community through a number of other charitable and civic causes. During 2000, Flambeau donated a high-capacity portable pump to a local volunteer fire department and funded four local high school scholarships.

Local high school student assists in the revegetation efforts at Flambeau.

Keeping Its Promise

Evident throughout the history of the Flambeau project, and now during final reclamation monitoring, is Kennecott's commitment to environmental protection, worker safety and the needs of the local communities. Flambeau is committed to continuing its long-standing practice of interacting constructively with the local communities. Direct communication and following through on commitments have been key to Flambeau's ability to build strong community partnerships and working relationships.

Throughout every stage of the construction, operation, and reclamation of the mine, the Flambeau River has remained fully protected.

Sediments, fish, crayfish and water quality have been extensively monitored in the Flambeau River at various locations with no measurable impacts from the project.

The Flambeau Mine has been in full compliance with all local, state and federal environmental laws, permits and standards through every stage of the project.

The Flambeau Mine was engineered to use best practices in order to produce the minerals needed by society while protecting the environment. Flambeau has kept its promise, and these practices will serve as proven examples of environmentally responsible mining.

Independent consultant samples sediment in the Flambeau River.

Environmental Practices

Today, the reclaimed mine site is composed of 125 acres of tall grass prairie, 15 acres of woodlands, and over 10 acres of wetlands. Revegetation of the mine site began in 1998 following backfilling of the open pit and recontouring the site. Over 100 native plant species were installed either as seed or plants on the reclaimed mine site. Local high school students have been involved in the reclamation of the Flambeau Mine since 1997, and each year students raise native plants in the school greenhouse and transplant them on the reclaimed mine site.

Health and Safety

Over the life of the entire project Flambeau employees worked without incurring a lost time injury and without significant environmental incidents. During 2000, there were no employee or contractor injuries or environmental incidents. The Wisconsin Safety Council honored Flambeau in previous years with the Wisconsin Corporate Safety Award for exemplary safety practices.

Year 2000 Activities

During 2000, Flambeau continued to monitor and report on the success of reclamation activities and carried out maintenance activities to ensure sustainability of the reclaimed areas.

Prescribed burning of the grassland prairie began in the spring of 2000 and will continue on an annual basis for another nine years. A controlled burn of one-third of the grassland prairie will be conducted annually to stimulate the growth of native prairie plants.

Trail System Completed

The four-mile trail system on the reclaimed mine site, resulting from a partnership between the City of Ladysmith and Flambeau, has been in place on the reclaimed mine site since the fall of 1999. The trails serve multiple functions, including site access for continued monitoring and maintenance. The primary function of the Flambeau trail system is for public use. Non-motorized recreational activities will include walking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, bird watching, wildlife observing and identifying wildflowers and other native plant species that are thriving in the grasslands, wetlands and woodland communities.

Flambeau conducted its second "open house" in August 2000, providing about 100 members of the local communities an opportunity to hike the four miles of trails and see for themselves the success of the reclamation program.

During the community open house, an ecological expert provided guided tours to point out birds, native plants and other features of the site. Visitors commented on the outstanding job Flambeau has done in reclaiming the mine site. Many of the visitors are eager for the site to open so the public can begin using the trails.

In the fall of 2000, Flambeau partnered with the local Audubon Society and conducted a bird-watch day as part of a global partnership with BirdLife International. Seventeen birders hiked the reclaimed mine site with an Audubon birding expert. The bird watchers commented that they look forward to the reclaimed site being open to the public so they can have more sighting opportunities for birds. Flambeau will continue to partner with local communities to provide recreational resources on the reclaimed mine site and surrounding company land.

Over 30 acres of reclaimed grassland was successfully burned in April 2000. click here for a larger version

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Local citizens see firsthand the successful reclamation at Flambeau while inspecting a site near one of the walking trails during the August 2000 "open house." click here for a larger version

Detailed ecological planning at Flambeau resulted in the successful establishment of vegetative communities that are now home to a diverse population of wildlife.

Results of Monitoring

Monitoring of the site's surface reclamation is conducted in late spring and late summer and will continue for at least four more years.

The diversity of plant species is measured in 300 one-meter square study areas scattered across the site. Monitoring during 2000 has shown that over 200 native plant species are thriving on the reclaimed mine site, and the breeding bird survey showed that 36 bird species are using the site. Also, seven butterfly species were found using the reclaimed mine site.

Besides birds and butterflies, other animal species including frogs, toads, turtles, foxes, snakes, rodents, weasels and an abundance of insect life have been observed using the site. After only three years, the reclaimed mine site is flourishing with native flora and fauna.

A turtle lays her eggs at the edge of a walking trail constructed on the reclaimed Flambeau mine site.

The 2000 vegetation monitoring program has shown that the reclaimed Flambeau Mine site is meeting the success criteria necessary for Flambeau to submit the Notice of Completion to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The site has been found to meet the following stringent performance standards established as part of Flambeau's Mine and Reclamation permit:

• Greater than 70 percent vegetative cover:
  Vegetative cover across the reclaimed mine site is actually greater than 95 percent.
• A minimum of 15 planted native species in the grassland and woodland:
  There are 23 planted native species thriving in the prairie grassland and 35 planted native species in the woodland.
• A minimum of 12 planted native species in the wetlands:
  There are 67 planted native species in the wetlands.
• The native species diversity must be at least 80 percent of the target planted species:
  The percentage of target planted species found in the grassland is greater than 88 percent, 100 percent in the woodland, and greater than 82 percent in the wetlands.
  
• A minimum of 80 percent of the tree species must survive:
  All of the tree species planted on the reclaimed mine site can be found growing in the woodlands.

A Canadian Goose is observed in one of the constructed wetlands at the Flambeau reclamation site.

As was the case throughout the project, strict permit criteria enforced by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources govern the Flambeau Mine site reclamation activities, including the monitoring of ground water. Flambeau will monitor ground water for the next 40 years.

During 2000, Flambeau conducted a comprehensive assessment of the ground water quality in areas within and surrounding the backfilled pit. The results of the 2000 ground water assessment support the original predictions made during the permitting of the Flambeau project, which indicated that Flambeau would not exceed the permitted ground water quality standards at the compliance boundary, and the surface water quality in the Flambeau River would remain protected.

In addition, environmental monitoring data from the reclaimed site continue to support the original analyses. This conclusion is based on the following:

• Ground water elevation measurements show that regional ground water, including ground water in the backfill area, is again flowing below the ground surface toward the Flambeau River as predicted.
• Ground water in the backfill area is in equilibrium with calcite and gypsum, indicating complete neutralization of the potential acidity in the backfilled rock.
• Consistent results in samples collected from 1998 through 2000 demonstrate that the concentrations of dissolved metals and sulfate are stable in the ground water in the backfill area.
• consistent with the quality of ground water in the backfilled pit, while all other monitoring wells show no change in water quality relative to historical trends.
  
• Calculations also show that after the ground water table is completely recovered, the movement of water from the backfilled mine pit will not have a measurable impact on water quality in the Flambeau River.
• Surface water quality data show that the pit backfill is not affecting water quality in the Flambeau River.

Water Resources Protected

The ground and surface water assessments are consistent with the commitment Flambeau has made to remain in full compliance with its permits and to protect the environment.

Kennecott Minerals Company and Flambeau took its commitment to protect the Flambeau River a step further during 2000. In a letter to the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Kennecott committed to protect the undeveloped river frontage on the Kennecott-owned property along the Flambeau River to preserve it in its natural condition for future generations to enjoy.

Year 2001 Outlook

Before Flambeau submits the Notice of Completion for site reclamation to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, it must remove the perimeter fence and electrical source serving the irrigation system for the woodlands.

Upon removal of the fence and electrical service in the spring of 2001, Flambeau will submit the Notice of Completion to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Flambeau will also continue with prescribed maintenance, monitoring and reporting activities throughout 2001.

Contact and Feedback

Ms. Jana E. Murphy
Reclamation and Environmental Manager
Tel: 715-532-6690 Ext. 2
Fax: 715-532-6885
email: murphyj@kennecott.com

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