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Show D4 Wednesday, March 1 Vernal Express 9, 2003 & ,V 4. v' " ,. ', YT.'v1' v .Jj? ' rSji.'A! ' ., ' 7m cr 3 nr- "' " - yafr1- m , 3 - L , . A v ""i - r- - A '. ,. J.JFVS " t y i ? ; w agp'' , , Vv rVr f S r - t Loretta Jenson (standing) recognizes Old Time Fiddlers June Murdock, Frank Reynolds and Gay Brady for time donated for the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program. rrT'V1 4 photo coutlasy Dennis QUnaa Into Huge loaders dump 13 yards of ore at a time into trucks at SF Phosphate. The trucks dump the ore a crusher, the crusher sends the rock size ore down a conveyor belt to the mill. 1SVP recognizes volunteers Old Time Fiddlers June Murdock, Frank Reynolds and Gay Brady, recently gave of their time to enter- - Mines. continued from page B2 employees are outside of the mine before detonation takes place. are studiously Employees schooled in safety precautions. Each new employee receives one week of safety training plus First Aid training and hazardous materials training. No new employee is ever allowed to work alone for the first six months. All employees wear hard hats, steel-toe- d boots, ear and eye protection and belts with lights. When underground, all miners also wear a unit that will convert carbon monoxide to breathable oxygen for a limited time. The culture of safety begins with the training but is improved by the themselves. Any employees employee, new or experienced, who does not adhere to the safety regulations is given additional training and more supervision. The dust from Gilsonite is lighter and chemically different from coal dust. It docs not cling to the lungs as coal dust does and therefore does no damage. In all the years of Gilsonite mining, there has never been a case of black lung disease. Protecting the environment American Gilsonite, being underground, does less reclamation than SF Phosphate. However, they commit each year to reclaim certain sites that have been mined, complying with reclamation laws. Within the mine, they do their engineering and planning in a manner to eliminate or limit the disturbance of the tain seniors at the Vernal Golden Age Center. Loretta Jenson of the Retired Seniors Volunteer Program (RSVP) would like to acknowledge all the hours the group provides. The band also plays on a regular basis at Uintah Care Center, Parkside Manor, Stewarts Care Center in Roosevelt and for various events and weddings. The group consists of other entertainers: Lamar Farnsworth, Gene Wallace, Lois LaRose, Sparky Hudson and Ivan and Clcla Pope. RSVP has been signing up memof volunteer hours that are reported nationally. Their hours help bring in grant money to our local area. If you or someone you know is 55 or older and is donating time to help others, RSVP encourages you to sign up with them. Call the of Basin Association Uintah Retired Seniors Governments Volunteer Program at 722 4518 ext. bers and keeping track 33. "self-rescue- surface. The surface at SF reclaextensive Phosphate requires mation, 40 - 80 acres each year, at a cost of about $2,500 per acre. Reclamation begins with the salvaging and stockpiling of topsoil. The overburden, which is removed after a blast, is placed for reclamation in the last area depleted of ore. If there is too much material for the site being reclaimed, it is saved for future use. Chert nodules are used for road construction in the mine and are sold to local contractors for mining use as gravel. Reclamation is planned to fit the natural landscape and to control runoff, often with the creation of ponds. Wildlife in the area is protected as much as possible and this includes a herd of elk that is fed by the company. Bobcats, fox, coyote, mountain lions, beaver, otter and fish thrive in the area. Caution is taken to never block animals from Robbln&rAdams Williamson migrating. A greater variety of vegetation appears after reclamation than before, including sweet clover, and alfalfa, juniper. sage Tumbleweeds move into the area immediately but die off quickly due to the seed mixture used in reclamation. The mine area receives a little more rain than Vernal but the drought has hurt reclamation efforts. The company must irrigate the meadow where they harvest hay for reclamation erosion control as well as feed the elk herd. Brush Creek is carefully protected from erosion. An undisturbed barrier strip is left between the mined area and the rim of Big Brush Creek Gorge. The tailings ponds are a mixture of fine sand and water with a Ph of nearly 7. The mixture is not dangerous to water fowl. There is zero discharge from the ponds into ground water. Sixteen wells are monitored for ground water quality and no data has shown any sign of ground water contamination. This is aided by the fact that the underlying formation has no flowing groundwater and the rock is not permeable. Materials are continually added to the tailings, being pumped into pipeline from the processing area to the ponds. As the level of the ings pond grows, so does the height of the dam, preventing overflow. Eventually, the dam will be 100 feet higher than it is now. tail- Best employees Dennis Glines, safety director at SF Phosphate, stated emphatically. "Without a doubt, we have the best employees around." Earl White, at mine American engineer "I worked have Gilsoniste, claims, all over the United States and the Uintah Basin has the best workers I have ever encountered." non-prof- it earns Arrow of Light of Light Raith Taylor Robbins-Adamson of Jim and Melissa Adams, received his Arrow of Light and Faith in God award Feb. 13. He is a member of Troop 1001 of the Ashley Creek Ward. Jason Ray Williamson, son of Cody and Krystl Williamson, received his Arrow of Light and Faith in God award Feb. 13. He is a member of Troop 1001 of the Ashley Creek Ward. s, First Time Single Expectant Mothers I S Educational Support Group ) LEARN ABOUT Xlintafi ScfiooC of (Music andC tfie (Arts A earns Arrow Parenting skills Healthy relationships music academy Welcomes Utah Valley Youth Symphony Stress management Also performing Uintah School of Music and the Arts Orchestra Balancing work fit home Women's wellness contact Sue Sawyer or Lynne Gagon at TriCounty Health Department Saturday, May 29, 2003 7:00 pm Vernal Middle School $5.00 in advance $7.00 at the door Tickets available at: Bitrercreek Books, Hallmark Chalet, Lucks Family Music, Bigfoot Fly Shop, Gales Office Supply, jubilee (Vernal 6c Roosevelt) Shirleys Country Corner in Lapoint, and Lapoint Country Store i J TS. TV 435-7- 8 T 3S4 7 or 43 T SH7K v-- TX STS. 7 STSJ POOR |