Mid-States Materials, LLC received the 2025 Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award from the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation on January 8, 2026.

This award recognizes companies that excel in implementing mined land reclamation and convey a positive image of mining in Kansas; Mid-States Materials was recognized for their reclamation work on the Big Springs Quarry near Lecompton. The quarry is 2,000 total acres, and 160 acres were reclaimed in this “Purple Phase” of the reclamation project.

In this reclamation project, great focus and care was placed into soil stabilization and creating conditions to re-establish the soils micro-ecosystems for vegetation to thrive. Seeding was completed with a focus on promoting biodiversity and micro-ecosystem regeneration so that the final design and outcome uniquely addressed the common practice of creating monoculture prairies which stress the aboveground ecosystems, depleting soils.  

Mid-States created a stable and biologically diverse prairie pasture as well as a thriving wetlands feature, ensuring the land can provide for both current and future generations of ranchers along with supporting local wildlife. The reclamation project occurred concurrently with mining operations and was completed as soon as practical after quarrying was complete.

Mid-States Materials is based in Topeka, Kansas; it operates multiple quarry locations in Kansas and has approximately 150 employees.

For more information about the Governor’s Mined Land Reclamation Award, contact Christina Koelzer at KDA Division of Conservation, 785-564-6626 or Christina.Koelzer@ks.gov.