This summer, and for the last several past, my grandfather's not here to clean up after us. He’d be glad to know that we’re making smaller messes and fewer of them. We’re more concerned with resiliency and respect than sparkler shows. We’re seeking what’s important and impacting that which we can. But despite our tidying, the mess around us grows. 

Now, fifty years since mineral veins were first identified here, mining companies are moving back in. Survey has indicated high contents of cobalt, copper, and zinc, “battery minerals” which are increasingly required in electric vehicle production.