This presentation will delve into state-of-the-art conservation, reclamation, and repurposing practices over the past 120 years of Minnesota’s iron mining history. From lean ore stockpiling techniques to the creation of award-winning mountain bike parks, this talk will demonstrate how innovations in mine land management have led to resource conservation, community betterment, ecological restoration and improvements in the social license to operate.

Pete Kero Bio:
Pete is the visionary behind the award-winning Redhead Mountain Bike Park in Chisholm, Minnesota, a project which repurposed several former iron mine pits and stockpiles into a destination-quality regional park for mountain biking, hiking, non-motorized water recreation and all-terrain vehicles. The project has been featured in Outside Magazine and the nation-wide documentary film Biketown. His book Minescapes: Reclaiming Minnesota’s Mined Lands won a 2024 Minnesota Book Award.