Seth Button is an archaeologist and project manager for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AMRP). He has been with the Division for a year and a half. As a project manager, he is responsible for leading projects from the identification of abandoned mines through compliance with state and federal regulations to construction/reclamation. As an archaeologist, he helps ensure that all program projects comply with applicable state and federal laws governing the treatment of cultural resources.
The program promotes public safety by reclaiming abandoned coal and hard rock mines throughout the state. AMRP works within the framework of the National Historic Preservation Act to take into account the effects on our projects on biological and cultural resources. Seth helps program project managers and their partner agencies accomplish their mission while protecting the physical remains of Utah’s history.
According to Seth, the best part of his job is helping protect both members of the public and Utah’s natural and cultural resources. As an added benefit, he gets to see a lot of historic mine sites. Seth works with great colleagues in the Division and with other public servants in the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).
Seth is originally from Western New York. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College and completed his graduate work at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Most recently, he worked as a consultant in the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest.