Hamm Companies honored with land reclamation award

Gary Hamm (right) of Hamm Companies received the 2019 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award by Kansas Department of Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz at the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association convention. Photo: Hamm Companies

Hamm Companies was awarded the 2019 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) at the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association Annual Convention in Olathe, Kansas.

The annual award is presented to companies that convey a positive image of mining in Kansas and excel in the implementation of mined land reclamation, according to KDOT.

Hamm was selected for the award due to its reclamation work on an 80-acre surface mine in Herington, Kansas, where the company operated a limestone quarry for 30 years, ending in 2010. While land reclamation of mining sites is required by law, Hamm worked with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism, the Wildlife Habitat Council, and the landowner to develop a sanctuary for both native plant life and indigenous wildlife.

The reclaimed property now includes four ponds; nearly 10 acres of food plots for wildlife; more than 50 wildflower species and more. The landowner, Delbert Presslor, died in 2017 just seven months before the completion of the project.

“Hamm Companies prides itself on being a steward of the land we quarry, so naturally the incredible opportunity to work with Mr. Presslor and the state of Kansas to turn the Herington site into a diverse wildlife habitat meant a great deal to us,” says Gary Hamm, strategic planning manager at Hamm Companies. “Not only was this project deeply gratifying for everyone involved, the fact we were honored by the state for our efforts makes it even more special.”