PEORIA MAGAZINE May 2023

S P O T L I G H T

STRIP MINES ARE GOLD MINES FOR RECREATION The Peoria area offers an abundance of opportunities to fish, hunt or just watch wildlife

BY JEFF LAMPE ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT SHEPLER

S ome of the most desirable land in central Illinois for home sites and recreation was once viewed as worthless. “Wasteland” was the actual word used in plat books of the 1960s and 1970s to describe land that was surface mined for coal. Also known as strip mining, the process of peeling back 75 to 100 feet of rock and soil to reach the coal below can leave ugly scars on the landscape. Those gashes are still visible on properties mined prior to the state’s 1962 Open Cut Land Reclamation Act and the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. On pre-reclamation properties, you’ll see rocks scattered on the surface and lakes that are bordered by rocky outcroppings jutting up in rows where the coal was removed. Lands mined after 1977 are harder to identify as coal mines, except for the presence of narrow, deep lakes surrounded by rolling, grassy hills and trees. Those differences aside, nearly all former strip mines share a common trait: They are meccas for wildlife and for human recreation.

Whether you like fishing or hunting or prefer paddling and wildlife watching, some of the best places to spend an enjoyable day outdoors in central Illinois are in strip mine country. Peoria residents are blessed to live within 40 minutes of an abundance of such properties in Peoria, Knox, Fulton and Stark counties. Another blessing is that while most of the state’s 200,000 acres of former surface mines are privately owned, there are also many nearby areas open to the general public ( see sidebar ). We are entering a perfect month for fishing strip mines, which are typically deep, steep-sided bodies of water with limited underwater structure. But in May, when you can find underwater structure — rock piles, downed trees or weedy flats — you should find fish. Chances are, if you’ve got a friend who regularly shows off pictures of big bass, bluegill or crappie, they either own a strip-mine lake or have access to one. It’s no coincidence that several Illinois record fish were hauled out of lakes created by mining. That list includes Ed Walbel’s 13-pound, 1-ounce record largemouth bass and

26 MAY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE