Terrestrial Wildlife in the Post-mined Appalachian Landscape: Status and Opportunities

Abstract

Coal mining is an anthropogenic stressor that has impacted terrestrial and semi-aquatic wildlife in the Appalachian Plateau since European settlement. Creation of grassland and early-successional habitats resulting from mining in a forested landscape has resulted in novel, non-analog habitat conditions. Depending on the taxa, the extent of mining on the landscape, and reclamation practices, effects have ranged across a gradient of negative to positive. Forest-obligate species such as woodland salamanders and forest-interior birds or those that depend on aquatic systems in their life cycle have been most impacted. Others, such as grassland and early-successional bird species have responded favorably. Some bat species, as an unintended consequence, use legacy deep mines as winter hibernacula in a region with limited karst geology. Recolonization of impacted wildlife often depends on life strategies and species' vagility, but also on altered or arrested successional processes on the post-surface mine landscape. Many wildlife species will benefit from Forest Reclamation Approach practices going forward. In the future, managers will be faced with decisions about reforestation versus maintaining open habitats depending on the conservation need of species. Lastly, the post-mined landscape currently is the focal point for a regional effort to restore elk (Cervus canadensis) in the Appalachians.

Multiscale influences on Elk (Cervus canadensis) calving site selection across a fragmented Appalachian landscape

“…Surface mining activities, especially mountaintop removal/valley fill mining, have modified much of the topography of the region (Pericak et al 2018), leading to flatter terrain and the loss of natural ridgetops (Maigret et al 2019), while reclamation processes have led to extensive early successional vegetation cover on these post-mining landscapes (Lituma et al 2021). Common tree and shrub species on minelands include White Pine ( Pinus strobus ), Black Locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia ), American Sycamore ( Platanus occidentalis ), Autumn Olive ( Eleagnus umbellata ), Blackberry ( Rubus sp.…”

Developing evolutionary anthropology in local ecosystems

“…The concept of “weed species” 66 means that a given species can adapt to and even thrive in and around human communities. Macaques, black bears, and foxes are notoriously “weedy” and seemingly adapt to human habitats with relative ease 67 and many fruitful studies, in our opinion, might investigate the similarities and differences among species regarding their prosperity in anthropogenic realms 67 . These studies would fall under the purview of “ethnoprimatology,” 68 which interrogates the commonly held epistemological tradition that humans and nonhuman primates can and should be studied separately; rather, ethnoprimatology argues that interdependence not independence is the proper framework to study sympatric humans and nonhuman primates 68 .…”

A multi-criteria decision framework to evaluate sustainable alternatives for repurposing of abandoned or closed surface coal mines

“…Numerous examples exist of how abandoned mines can be utilized for beneficial purposes such as creating habitats for wildlife (Lituma et al, 2021), eco-tourism opportunities (Gandah and Atiyat, 2016), recreational parks (Wanhill, 2000;Ballesteros and Ramírez, 2007), solid waste management (Deng et al, 2020;FIGURE 5 Classification of the closed surface coal mine repurposing alternative.…”