22 abandoned mines to be sealed

The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining plans to seal 22 abandoned mine openings along the Labyrinth Canyon stretch of the Green River.

The division said the work will overlap late summer and early fall.

"These mines look inviting and are even advertised by some guide outfits as exciting adventures to explore. Nothing could be further from the truth," said Mark Mesch, administrator for the division's Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program.

"These abandoned uranium mines have high radiation levels, are unstable and citizens who enter them are being foolhardy," Mesch said in a statement. "Our message is stay out and stay alive — we are closing these mines as fast as we can but people need to know that they are not safe to enter."

The division's work will be the subject of a public hearing set for Wednesday at the Bureau of Land Management field office in Moab.