Wild Boar Receives National Recognition for
Reclamation
Peabody’s Wild Boar Mine was recognized as the 2026 recipient of the Distinction in Reclamation
Award from the American Society of Reclamation Sciences. This honor celebrates the outstanding
work of Peabody’s reclamation team and highlights a project that demonstrates both technical
excellence and long-term impact.
“This award is a significant recognition of the important work our reclamation teams do every
day,” said Jim Grech, Peabody President and Chief Executive Officer. “Their commitment to
restoring land with care and operational excellence reflects the pride we take in our work at
Peabody and the positive impact we deliver to the communities where we operate.”
Big Creek is an intermittent stream that becomes perennial as it leaves the project area. Before
mining, the creek reflected decades of prior impacts. The affected portion included a
28,960-acre watershed and approximately 23,100 linear feet of channel that had limited access to
its floodplain, shaped by agriculture as well as both pre- and post-SMCRA mining. Only 13 acres
of jurisdictional wetlands were identified, just eight of which were natural.
Transforming Big Creek required careful planning, coordination, and execution over nearly a
decade. The project was governed by two separate U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404
permits, requiring precise alignment between mining progress, mitigation measures, and
reclamation timelines, all while maintaining continuous channel flow. The effort went beyond
simple replacement: in addition to the 1:1 reconstruction of every linear foot of stream
disturbed, the team enhanced sections of the creek that were avoided during mining and restored
portions of the channel from a dredged ditch back to a preexisting paleochannel.
Mining through the channel began in 2015, and in 2024, water was reintroduced into 37,300 feet of
completed and restored stream. The result is a significantly more stable creek system that can
once again access its floodplain and deliver higher overall ecological function than existed
prior to mining. Today, Big Creek stands as a clear example of reclamation that far exceeds
permit requirements and industry standards.
The American Society of Reclamation Sciences’ Distinction in Reclamation Award is among the
industry’s highest honors.