Nevada educators gathered for a second day of earth science activity on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 in the cafeteria at Faith Lutheran High School in Las Vegas. After a busy and information-filled day one at the Southern Nevada Earth Science Workshop, teachers were eager to jump into what was sure to be an exciting day two, even if it took a cup of coffee or two to prepare for it.
The first hour of the day welcomed presentations from members of the Nevada Division of Minerals (NDOM) and Nevada Mining Association (NVMA), both of whom were introduced by NVMA Education Chair Patti McClelland. First to speak was Bill Durbin, geologist and chief of NDOM Southern Nevada operations, who presented on the reclamation process of mines. 
His delivery was precise and his passion was clear as he spoke through facts and figures, giving exact numbers of reclaimed land and land that has yet to undergo its transformation. There were a good amount of questions from an obviously-engaged audience, which were well-received and equally well-answered.
Durbin’s presentation was followed by brief introductions to individuals who work in mining. A panel of four represented various areas of the overall mining community, from mine site economists to equipment vendors, including Rita Kay Menesini, community relations coordinator at Nevada Copper’s Pumpkin Hollow Mine project outside of Yerington, Nev. There was a wildly engaging question and answer session that covered everything from what four-fifths of an ounce of gold really looks like to how large is a $5 million haul truck. When asked about education and careers in mining, Menisini responded, “You’re building a city, so there’s every opportunity when it comes to jobs. When it comes to high school, I can’t express [the importance of] math and science more.”
The morning’s presentations concluded with NVMA President Tim Crowley giving an overview of mining’s many contributions to Nevada . His frankness was met with admiration and a relative flurry of questions from the audience as the presentation drew to a close. One noticeably-engaged teacher, Paul Merkel of Grant Sawyer Middle School in Las Vegas, admitted that he initially came to the workshop because of the teaching credit he was granted for attending.
“I taught earth science for eight years at the high school level and I’m now teaching P.E., so I’m looking at getting back into the earth science field,” said Merkel.
When asked what he was looking forward to taking back to his classroom, Merkel replied, “The information. The wealth of resources we got in our packets and the power point presentations – just the wealth of information.”
The day was only just beginning, however. After a short break, teachers were instructed to board one of three busses that were parked outside the cafeteria. They were off to get a firsthand lesson in mine reclamation, the process of restoring land that has previously been mined to a natural or economically usable state. Their field trip was about to begin.
The tour included an overview of Barrick Gold Corporation’s Bullfrog Mine, a few miles outside of Beatty, Nev., in the historic Bullfrog Mining district. The Bullfrog Mine won a Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Award in 1997 for overall mine reclamation and another in 2001 for post-mining land use. It was an active open pit and underground mine in operation for 10 years until 1999. The mine produced more than 2.3 million ounces of gold and 3 million ounces of silver. Teachers had the opportunity to get out and ask questions of their guide, Tim Buchanan, director of corporate social responsibility for Barrick North America.
After their tour of Bullfrog, teachers boarded the bus and were off for the historic ghost town of Rhyolite, Nev. Greeted by the self-proclaimed ‘Mayor of Rhyolite,’ Karl Olson, teachers were given a history of the land. Rhyolite, maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), was the third largest town in Nevada in 1908 and remains one of the most photographed ghost towns in the West. Much of the buzz around Rhyolite is due to landmarks such as Tom Kelly’s famed Bottle House (pictured), which was rehabilitated in 2005 but remains an icon of Rhyolite. The landscape of Rhyolite is dominated by various geologic formations and dotted with historic abandoned mine workings.
A note from the Nevada Mining Association: Thank you to all who attended the workshop. Please consider us a resource and feel free to always refer to our Educational Activities Page or contact our Education Committee for updates on future events.