Preparing the Future Generation

WARM was founded with the goal of training the future generation in mine reclamations. To facilitate this, students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of learning experiences:

Field Trips

Throughout the field season students are exposed to a variety of mine sites in the Southern Rockies and are able to network with mining professionals. Past field trips have included the Los Ochos Mine in Gunnison County, the Pitch Mine in Saguache County, the Revenue-Virginius Mine in Ouray County, and multiple mines in the Bonita Peak Superfund site in San Juan county.

project work

Master of Environmental Management students at Western Colorado University are required to complete a 600 hour community based project during their second year. Through these projects WARM students gain hands on experience in project management, data collection, laboratory procedures, data analysis, and technical writing. In addition to providing a platform for graduate students to learn, these projects also have opportunities for undergraduate students to participate in data collection and laboratory work.

Internships

During the summer months, WARM students have the opportunity to participate in internships. In the summer of 2021, an undergraduate WARM student had the opportunity to intern in the field with the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. During the summers of 2018 and 2019, WARM students held internships with the USGS working in the San Juan mountain range helping to collect data for a 3D geologic map of the Silverton Caldera.

Professional conferences

WARM students delivered presentations at the 2018 and 2019 San Juan Mining and Reclamation Conferences about the work that our organization does. In addition to providing opportunities for students to present, WARM also financially supports students who are interesting in attending these types of conferences to learn about new techniques in mine reclamation and network with professionals.

mine reclamation course

In the Fall 2020 and 2021 semesters, WARM offered an interdisciplinary course on mine reclamation taught at Western Colorado University. The course was designed to be appropriate for both upper division undergraduates (junior and seniors) and as an introductory course for graduate students. In future years WARM would like to offer the course to students at Fort Lewis College, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado Mesa University, and to professionals in the industry to further the collaborative bond with Western Colorado University.