Colorado Independent: If you know what to look for, you can spot the old well pads in the hills above West Elk Mine. The reclaimed patches of land, carefully restored to their original contours, stand out only as a lighter green against the dark, dense forest. The trees, the Forest Service promises, will grow back later.
Otherwise, to the casual hiker, this tract of Gunnison National Forest offers few hints of the massive coal mine hundreds of feet below. The landscape is lush, the sky clear blue. Only the low thrum...