Gold Rush is an addictive reality show that debuted on the Discovery Channel in 2010. The show highlights the modern gold mining process, as well as the risks, rewards, and rivalries between the mining teams. Over the years, Gold Rush has highlighted the gold mining process in Alaska, South America, the Yukon and more. The mining crews invest millions of dollars in equipment, only to deal with regular mechanical failures and harsh weather that make their efforts more difficult.
However, aside from how much gold the stars find and how much it is worth, there’s often another common question fans are interested in knowing. What happens to the land at the end of the season? Throughout the season, the crews remove trees and other greenery as they tear up the Earth’s surface. Once they’re done, the land rarely looks the same as when they started and, as a result, fans are curious: what exactly happens once the digging stops?
‘Gold Rush’ Performs Reclamation Which Is Law
So to get straight to the point, after any land, not just on Gold Rush, has been mined, the area needs to be restored. This process is called reclamation, which is a simple term used for the act of restoring, reclaiming, or refurbishing a product. In this situation, it’s used to refer to the process of improving land by physically changing it to improve the value of the land. Reclamation is also a law and all mining companies are responsible for reclaiming the land they mine. The start of this law began in 1902 under the Newlands Reclamation Act. Originally, the Act applied to irrigation processes and petitioned benefited users to pay back the construction costs.
However, in 1977, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act was passed, which pertained more specifically to mining experiments involving coal or gold. Whoever knowingly breaks these laws can be subjected to a $2,500 fine or up to a year in prison. When it comes to the Gold Rush crew, the process is simple. They often buy or rent the land they’ll be working on. However, they have to finish mining and perform reclamation on the land before their lease is up. As a result, about two seasons ago, the Gold Rush crew had to cut their mining adventure short and reclaim the area sooner than anticipated to ensure the land would be restored before the lease ended.
What Is The ‘Gold Rush’ Reclamation Process?
The reclamation process is fairly simple, but perhaps not easy for the miners involved. The process’s goal is to restore the land to increase its value and/or make it usable. In Gold Rush, the team finds a location to mine. In most cases, they’re in Alaska, although they’ve mined in Oregon, Colorado, and a few other areas in the past. They spend months digging up the land, searching for precious gold nuggets. Once they’ve explored the land, or their lease is coming to an end, the reclamation process begins.
The reclamation process can include mountaintop removal, strip mining, or open-pit mining. The reclamation process can also include revegetation, recontouring, grading, topsoil replacement, and planting trees or other greeneries. This process can also include preparing the land for different uses, like for oil. By the time the crew is complete, the land should be as close to its original state, if not better, and should be ready to be used for whatever purpose it was restored for.
In the end, while Gold Rush may not share much information on the reclamation process, it is a legal and ethical obligation with serious consequences if not followed. Regardless of the crew or companies’ status or being on a TV show, it’s important for all mining companies to restore the land. Luckily, many of the Gold Rush stars do follow the reclamation process. In past interviews, Parker Schnabel shared more of his reclamation efforts. However, Tony Beets had a few environmental violations which resulted in a few fines. Overall, though, fans would likely be happy to discover that most lands were restored as best as possible over the years. Gold Rush is available to stream on Discovery Plus in the U.S.
