Nine scouts earn mining merit badges; West Virginia University hosts fifth Merit Badge University
Authored by: Staff
For the fifth time, the West Virginia University (WVU) Mining Engineering Department and the Student Chapter of the SME sponsored the Mining in Society merit badge at the WVU Merit Badge University.
Including the nine Scouts who completed the 2024 cycle, 46 Scouts have completed the Mining in Society merit badge in this program with the assistance of 19 WVU mining engineering students.
The West Virginia University, the Mountaineer Area Council and the Pittsburgh Section of SME annually host the Merit Badge University in Morgantown, WV. Four Mining in Society merit badge requirements were completed at the mine and four at WVU. Mining engineering students Miranda Gaul, Ethan Mann, Connor Keddie and Braden Kiesel assisted Dan Alexander, merit badge councilor, for the day’s activities.
Russell Bolyard, general manager, and Ryan Rohrssen, production manager, at LP Mineral hosted the Scout tour of the Humphrey Surface Mine. All mine visitors must undergo hazard awareness training and wear appropriate personal protective equipment for the areas of the mine in which they will travel. Scouts were wearing hard hats and boots for the Saturday mine tour (requirement 3).
The Scouts viewed contour mining on a cold, snowy day. Coal from three seams including underground pillars in the Pittsburgh Seam and limestone are mined here (requirement 5).
An advantage of visiting a mine is that the Scouts can ask questions about what miners do in their jobs (requirement 8). Both Bolyard and Rohrssen worked in many different roles during their careers.
In addition to mining coal and limestone, Humphrey Mine recovers waste coal fines from the slurry pond filled during the 50 years the underground Humphrey Mine operated. What was a waste product then is now a useful energy supply for electricity generation.
The Scouts saw a more than 30-m (100-ft)-deep void left after recovering millions of tons of coal fines. When complete, this area is planned to be developed into a residential/commercial area serving Greater Morgantown, WV. For reference, the University Town Center mixed-use retail development was constructed over the nearby Arkwright Mine disposal area in Granville, WV.
It is important for Scouts to see how the mining industry makes use of mined materials and returns the land to productive use. This end-of-mine-life process is like the “Leave No Trace” value Scouts apply to their camping adventures (requirement 6).
In the afternoon, Scouts completed requirement 1 by using the 10 mineral kits produced for academic use by the Pittsburgh Section of SME. Each Scout kept their mineral kit and explanatory booklet for later use or sharing with their family and other Scouts. The mineral kits contain samples of bituminous and anthracite coal, limestone and marble, gold and iron, and copper ore, zeolite and gypsum.
Requirement 2 emphasizes that mines are built where minerals and solid fuels occur. Mann and Gaul led the Scouts to find where mines are located in the tri-state area.
Everyone watched a video on “STAY OUT – STAY ALIVE” at https://youtu.be/524kW3jG5-8, the story about how active and especially abandoned mines contain hazards, from moving large equipment to snakes. Miners are trained to work safely, and visitors are always escorted while on mine property. Abandoned mines could have vertical shafts, rotting boards, unstable rock formations, lack of oxygen, and leftover explosives. Even water-filled quarries can conceal rock ledges, old machinery and other hazards. Learning about these hazards is covered in requirement 4.
Mining in the future is likely to include methods and locations not used today. For example, some countries are exploring the moon and asteroids for metals, water and building materials. Likewise, oceans contain dissolved minerals in the water, nodules and mineral-rich hot vents on the deep ocean bottom, and diamonds in near shore submerged sands. Requirement 7 encourages Scouts to investigate future mining opportunities, including mining landfills and recycling.
