National Park Service / Coronado National Memorial, AZ

Harris Environmental completed surveys for beardless chinchweed (Pectis imberbis), a federally endangered plant under the Endangered Species Act (86 FR 31830), at the Coronado National Memorial in southern Arizona. We surveyed at Abandoned Mineral Lands (AML) features prior to re-capping for safety purposes. We also assessed each mine feature for structural integrity, removed surficial polyurethane foam material, and manually backfilled using surface waste pile materials from the original tailings and rocks from adjacent washes. These mines had been closed and capped by our team in 2010 but with subsequent weather, the openings had become exposed again, creating potential health and safety hazards. No mechanical tools with motors or engines were used in the 2021 endeavor because of the proximity to Mexican spotted owl (a federally threatened wildlife species under the ESA [58 FR 14248]) habitat.