CREEDE— The Headwaters Alliance formerly known as the Willow Creek Reclamation Committee will be hosting their second San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conference on May 2-4 in Creede at the Ruth Humphreys Brown Theatre.

The first conference was held in 2014 and was the fourth annual conference that allowed southwestern Colorado mining professionals, ecologists and other stakeholders to come together to discuss what they are doing within their communities to address mining issues and projects.

According to engagement coordinator Laurel Smerch, the conference is a platform for mining communities to discuss topics like water quality reclamation and resiliency. The primary goals of this annual conference are “To educate the public and other stakeholders on the science and policy of mining, mine lands remediation and water quality as it relates to non-point source pollution, improving mining practices and addressing water quality impairments through workshops, field tours, and presentations. Each year the conference is hosted in a different San Juan community to highlight the host area’s mining heritage and successes in conducing mine remediation and water quality improvement projects.”

This year the conference will focus on resiliency within mining communities by looking at the big picture and planning for the future through innovative ideas geared towards creating resilient communities.

The conference overview states, “a long-range view is necessary to build resilient communities and organizations, especially in today’s economy. Times of plenty make it easy to carry on with business as usual. However, disruptive events can impede operations and hinder progress for many years, shifting resources to recovery efforts and away from fundamental objectives. Realizing that very few disasters are completely unexpected or sudden, but rather predictable potentialities with long-term causes, we can proactively design and implement projects to avoid major setbacks and reduce negative consequences.”

The conference invites people to come and share their ideas for the future, share the challenges their communities face and focus on what can be accomplished through sharing unconventional or uncomfortable ideas that may produce beneficial outcomes for the communities they serve.

During the last conference, many Creede residents, organizations and professional representatives shared what it was like when the silver boom came crashing to an end in the early 80s, leaving Creede to depend on other means of income to survive. Many spoke of the Creede Repertory Theatre and how having something to draw income from tourism saved the small mountain town. Other Colorado communities were faced with similar challenges throughout the years and were able to sympathize with the events that followed the silver crash.

During this year’s conference, there will be two field tours depending on the number of participants. The first tour will be of the Summitville site located south of Creede and will include a tour of the new cleanup facility that is making headway in filtering contaminated water from the open pit site and disposing of toxic materials coming off the mountain.

The second tour will be of the Kerber Creek and Rawley 12 bulkhead site. The tour will include a history of the Bonanza Mining District and reclamation of the site. Tour leaders will provide before and after pictures in order to emphasize the changes that have occurred over the years and will visit other sites of reclamation in the area.

For more information or to register, please visit www.mountainstudies.org/sjmrc.