creating environmental improvements through biodiversity

in 450 chapters. Partnership is integral to Trout Unlimited’s approach to restoring abandoned mines and
raising public awareness.
Each project is unique. So, too, are the partners, their roles and the site-specific conditions. In some
cases Trout Unlimited is the leader, providing management, funding and staff to implement a project. In
other instances, Trout Unlimited’s role is supportive in nature, providing sampling and vegetation-planting
volunteers.
Most important to any project is funding. In many situations Trout Unlimited provides the forum for various
partners and funders to get together. Despite the fact that there is no specific dedicated US national
programme for cleaning up abandoned mines, several government programmes at the federal, state and local
levels can be used for restoration, research, community outreach and education.
Finding like-minded organizations is the key to forming partnerships for cleanup. A watershed is a good
geographic basis for integrating different landownership and land-use patterns. This approach partners
conservationists with land management agencies as an integral part of the restoration process.
Technical assistance reflecting the current state of knowledge can be obtained through many partners. State
abandoned mine programmes and federal land managers have on-the-ground expertise possibly in the same
watershed with similar environmental conditions. Scientific organizations also provide a wealth of information
for the potential project proponent.
Since the initiative’s inception, other non-governmental groups and volunteers have been used to speed up
and expand the scope of the restoration process. Trout Unlimited has encouraged local communities to be
actively involved in working on smaller, non-Superfund abandoned mine sites within watersheds that contain
or are immediately adjacent to Superfund sites. Action on abandoned mine sites across a range of watersheds
by local communities and grassroots conservationists helps to reinforce the work being carried out on
Superfund sites.
Specific volunteer activities at restoration sites include sampling and monitoring water, re-vegetating,
planting grasses, moving rocks and conducting channel surveys. Capacity-building techniques are used to help
volunteers work with the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies.
Important project mechanisms in dealing with abandoned mines are volunteer-led conservation, familiarizing
people with the issues at stake and maximizing the options for public participation in restoration. Community
involvement has helped bring increased public attention to the issues. Lessons, information and recent
research gathered from project sites within Trout Unlimited’s initiative are being used to support and inform
new laws and policies, including federal funding programmes to help protect taxpayers from cleanup costs.
Sustainable Aggregates Creating Environmental Improvements through Biodiversity
DIVERSE PARTNERSHIPS FOR RESTORATION: AMERICAN FORK CANYON,
UTAH
The Place: The American Fork Watershed in Utah has opportunities for conservation and recreation for
the local community. The watershed lies close to the major population centres of Provo and Salt Lake City,
and 1.2 million people visit it for outdoor recreation. The watershed also provides a critical habitat for native
Bonneville cutthroat trout.
The Problem: Although active mining operations ceased many years ago at the American Fork site,
abandoned mines on both federal and private lands still threaten fish and wildlife and human health.
The Partners: The goal of reclaiming the affected lands and surrounding watershed will be driven by
a diverse partnership that includes private landowners, local land users, mining and related industries,
conservation organizations, local/state/federal agencies and Trout Unlimited chapters – all of whom are
dedicated to working together to restore one of Utah’s most popular recreational areas. Trout Unlimited
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