Powell River Project Programs, 2007 - 2008

2008 Powell River Project Research and Education Program Reports

Research:

Grading and Ground Cover for Reclaiming Mined Land for Forestry. James A. Burger, Department of Forestry

Long-Term Mine Soil Weathering and Treatment Effects on Total Dissolved Solids in Drainage Waters and on Soil Properties, Or Do Topsoil Substitutes Really Mimic Natural Soils? W. Lee Daniels, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences.

Evaluating Wildlife Response to Reclaimed Mine Lands in Southwestern Virginia. Dean F. Stauffer and Carola Haas, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences.

Herbaceous Crops for a Biofuels/Bioproducts Industry on Reclaimed Mine Lands. John Fike, John Galbraith, Chris Teutsch, David Parrish, Carl Zipper. Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences.

Education / Extension / Outreach – Va. Tech:

Area Extension Agent – Mined Land Development and Natural Resource Management. Jon Rockett, Wise County.

Enhancing Sustainable Beef Cattle Production on Reclaimed Surface Mined Land. John Hall, Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, and W. D. Whittier, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Teaching Environmental Issues, from Coal to Electricity. Barbara Altizer, Eastern Coal Council and Jon Rockett, Powell River Project / Virginia Cooperative Extension.

Education – Area Colleges:

Habitat Assessment and the Establishment of a Nesting Box Trail for Sialia sialis (Eastern Bluebird) In the Powell River Project Education Center. Carol A. Burkart and Anthony Russo, Mountain Empire Community College.

External Funding and Related Activities

Carbon Sequestration Project on Surface Mined Sites in the Clinch and Powell Valleys of Virginia. J.A. Burger, B. Amichev, and C. Zipper. Supported by The Nature Conservancy Clinch Valley Program.

Co-grazing Appalachian Pastures with Goats and Cattle: Effects on Pasture Quality, Animal Performance, and Farm Profitability. A.O. Abaye, J.M. Luginbuhl, C. Zipper, J. Rockett, D. Whittier.

Nutrient Sorption Potentials of High-Carbon Ash Materials. W. Lee Daniels, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences. Supported by Full Circle Solutions, Inc.

Determining the Ecotoxicological Recovery of Black Creek (Wise County) and Ely Creek (Lee County) after Watershed Restoration of Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage. D. Cherry, R. Currie, C. Zipper. Supported by Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy / U.S. Office of Surface Mining Applied Science Initiative.

Evaluation of Coal Mining Discharges for Toxicity in Clinch/Powell River Watersheds of Virginia to Replicate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Activities. D.S. Cherry, Biology, and C.E. Zipper, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences. Supported by Virginia Coal Association.

Mined Land Reforestation Conference. C. Zipper, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences; and J.A. Burger, Department of Forestry. Supported by U.S. Office of Surface Mining.

Reclamation of Mined Land Utilizing Native Warm Season Grasses. Samir Doshi and Saleem H. Ali, University of Vermont.