-Mining Ministry should look into reclamations at other area mines: Barisoff-

OSOYOOS TIMES-May 7, 2008-

By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times

The B.C. government's reclamation of the Lakeview Dividend Mine just west of Osoyoos is complete and a ceremony was held at the former mine site last week to celebrate the occasion.
The reclamation project started last November and saw 40,000 square metres of rock and earth used to fill the mine's main pit.
Left abandoned in the mid-20th century, the mine had become a popular party location for some of Osoyoos's young people and a major safety hazard in the eyes of the provincial government.
It was abandoned before the province introduced reclamation legislation in 1969.
We hadn't realized that the fencing had fallen into disrepair around it, said B.C. State of Mining Minister Kevin Krueger, as he addressed the small crowd of dignitaries and nearby residents who gathered on the mountainside on May 2.
Krueger said it was Penticton-Okanagan MLA and Oliver native Bill Barisoff who had informed the ministry about the dangers at the site.
We realized we had better do some things here, Krueger said.
The project was completed by Vancouver's EBA Engineering and local contractor Bob Knight.
This project kept getting more complicated, Krueger said, referring to the large bat population consultants found living in the mine's tunnels.
To maintain the bat habitat, several of the tunnels have been left intact with grates covering the tunnel entrances. This way people are kept out but bats can still enter the tunnels.
Krueger said the project was completed on time and under budget, with a final cost of $1.3 million.
He said $1.5 million had originally been budgeted by the province for the reclamation.
He added that taxpayers are not on the hook for reclamation projects as the money comes from government surpluses instead.
Coun. Allan Carswell spoke on behalf of the Osoyoos town council.
Certainly the safety of the site has been an issue for many years, Carswell said, thanking the provincial government and all those involved on behalf of the Town.
A trained geologist, Carswell said for him there was a degree of sadness in seeing the old mine filled in.
An old mine to a geologist is like a giant candy store, he told the crowd.
Barisoff also gave a short speech, saying there were other abandoned mine sites in the Osoyoos-Oliver area he hoped the ministry would look into.
The ground at the site is being replanted with indigenous vegetation by the Osoyoos Desert Society, with the cost included in the project's total budget.
The area will be fenced off to the public.
reporter@osoyoostimes.com