Cherokee ? Some residents are criticizing three planned reclamation projects on formerly mined land at a wildlife area in southeast Kansas, contending they might not be necessary and could harm endangered species.

But officials with Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism say the projects planned at the Mined Land Wildlife Area in Cherokee and Crawford counties will improve safety, recreation and wildlife habitats.

Residents who attended a meeting about the projects last week questioned why the public was not asked for input on projects planned for the wildlife area, which has 14,500 acres open to the public, The Joplin Globe reported.

“How do we have a say in what you are wanting to do instead of you coming to us now and saying this is a done deal?” said Pepper Martin, who lives near Cherokee. “How do we know when you’re going to have a project that we can have a say in what we want done?”

The area includes numerous strip-mine lakes and abundant wildlife, making it popular with anglers, campers, hunters, trappers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Some roads provide access remote fishing areas but several of the interior roads pose “significant safety hazards and maintenance problems,” said Manager David Jenkins.

Federal law requires improvements on former mining lands. The projects are financed by mining companies, which pay 28 cents per ton for surface mined coal, 13 cents per ton for coal mined underground and 8 cents per ton for lignite.

The federal government distributes 80 percent of those funds to states with approved reclamation programs. Kansas has the fourth largest inventory of statewide reclamation projects in the country, with most abandoned mining lands in Cherokee, Crawford and Bourbon counties in southeast Kansas.

The proposed projects include such things as filling in areas where water is close to the road, adding rock barricades, installing new parking areas, creating or improving boat ramps, eliminating erosion, widening interior roadways, building wetlands and planting warm season native grasses.