Mine | Seed

The Formosa Mine site in Douglas County extracted copper, zinc, and thorium between 1910-37 and for several years in the early 1990s. It is Oregon’s most polluted Superfund site with cleanup efforts expected to exceed $10 million. Stormwater-driven contaminants have led to the discharge of millions of gallons of acid rock drainage and toxic metals into the upper reaches of the Middle Creek watersheds every year. One potential remediation strategy is to add limestone to alkalize the acid water which threatens the salmon, steelhead, and other aquatic life.

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While the politics of environmental cleanup continue, the revival of the mine site is supported by natural systems. Idaho Fescue is a local copper-tolerant grass and one of the first pioneer plants on polluted mine sites. The grass helps to build soil and provides food and forage, attracting birds, deer, and black bears back to the site. These animals in turn support seed transport of another native flora, the Osoberry tree, by eating its fruit and depositing the seeds elsewhere. The seeds of the Fescue and the Osoberry are part of a larger system that sustains wildlife and aids in growing a new future for a contaminated place.

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This exhibition was on display at the Hearth Gallery for Transpecies Design at the University of Oregon. for consideration at the 2023 Venice Biennale under Dean Adrian Parr.