Before I go much further with mining, Land Use Reclamation for a local economy is important.

Understanding mining will bring about an understanding of the damage to the land. So, let's keep the idea mining's damage can be mitigated.

Using Google Earth to Determine Land Use (click here)

To keep the focus of open minds to the direction to take mining, it is reclamation. Rock is finite, why should land use be wasted on one purpose of rock extraction?

This is Google's "Earth." There are settings that can be used to retrieve a picture of land use. City planners can use this tool to understand where land use is today. Where mines apply in current land use, that doesn't mean loss of the land is forever. There are methods in Conservation Restoration that can return land to the city, town or hovel. With 'safe use' in mind, the damage of mines can be ended and land use returned. 

Mines have a lot of toxins affiliated with them and that has to be the prime consideration when returning land to better use.