Kansas Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer presented the 2017 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award to Mid-States Materials LLC of Lecompton, Kansas, on Jan. 12, 2018, at the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association meeting in Overland Park. This honor is awarded by the Division of Conservation in the Kansas Department of Agriculture to recognize a company which demonstrated excellence in implementing mined land reclamation and conveying a positive image of mining in Kansas.

Mid-States Materials, owned by Eric Bettis, operates eight quarry locations in northeast Kansas. They were honored for their reclamation project at Big Springs Quarry. The reclaimed area of Big Springs Quarry covers 80 acres in western Douglas County. A large pond was constructed and stocked with fish on the reclaimed property. Additionally, native grasses and wildlife plantings were installed making the 80 acres suitable for recreation and wildlife habitat. This reclaimed area is the last phase of a three-phase reclamation project. Mid-States Materials received the Governor’s Award for phase one and two in previous years. Big Springs Quarry is a surface mine that extracts aggregate materials from the earth and manufactures high quality materials for the local construction industry.

KDA’s Division of Conservation administers the Surface Mining Land Conservation and Reclamation Act as part of its mission to protect natural resources. It offers this annual award to raise the awareness and standards of reclaiming mined land and to recognize excellence.

For more information about the award or about mined land reclamation in Kansas, contact Scott Carlson with the KDA Division of Conservation at 785-564-6618 or scott.carlson@ks.gov.