Thanks to the Herald for the kind words regarding my retirement from the Animas River Stakeholders Group. My contributions pale in importance to those of the dozens of volunteers, including my wife and family, who gave thousands of hours in service to improving water quality throughout the Animas Watershed.
It has been a fun and challenging experience collaborating with the many local, state and federal agencies, mining companies, and concerned citizens. Although we’ve come to a crossroads in future management of mine cleanup, I’m confident that significant progress will be made.
Working together at the local community level has led to the development of new technologies and expertise to remediate damages from over a century of mining. Hopefully, there will always be meaningful opportunities for citizen participation in resolving the problems that affect our lives.
Bill Simon
Hermosa
