Mike Thornton-Minings Toxic Legacy

Although Mike Thornton has only been doing this for a year, I thought he did a very good job of speaking. His slideshow was laid out really well and his information was interesting. I had no idea that mining has had such a large impact on the Sierra Nevada, and can easily see why nothing is being done about it, because nobody is educated about it. The program Mike works with seems awesome and a great way to get people involved in cleaning up old mines. The topic that really sparked my interest was the Native American facts; fish as their traditional diet and basket weaving are both essential to their lives, and it seemed as though mining really took a toll on their lifestyle more than anyone elses. A simple solution would be for us to help cleanup mines that lead into water sources in order to lessen the amount of mercury in their water supply. I was also amazed that there are 47,000 abandoned mines in California! That is crazy! I think if more people were educated on this topic, more action would take place and the amount of toxic waste would definitely decrease. Also, the government should be getting more involved in researching mines and their location before selling land plots, as well as checking out the amount of mercury that is reused for roads, buildings, etc. After listening to Mike's speech about the mines, I still have a few unanswered questions: Where does the cleaned up toxic waste end up in the end? What are the effects of the mercury on the fish? And Coloma, toxic or no? I hope to become more involved in the cleanup and education of mines and felt really good about Mike and Gary's speeches!