Owners of the Mid-State rock quarry near Big Springs in Douglas County have been recognized for their reclamation efforts on that land.

Gov. Sam Brownback awarded Mid-State Materials LLC, of Lecompton with the 2013 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award. The award is given to companies that excel in implementing mined land reclamation and who convey a positive image of mining in Kansas.

Mid-State Materials operates eight quarry locations in northeast Kansas. The Big Springs Quarry is a surface mine that extracts aggregate materials from the earth and manufactures high quality materials for the local construction industry.

The reclaimed area of Big Spring Quarry covers 50 acres in western Douglas County. Cole Andersen, environmental manager for Mid-State Materials, stated “that the intent of Mid-States Materials reclamation is to return the land to suitable use for agriculture, recreation and wildlife habitat.” A few of the completed projects were wildlife food plots, reintroduction of quail and the construction of several ponds.

The award was presented Jan. 17 at the Kansas Aggregate Producers Association meeting in Overland Park.