I was raised in an area that was mined without any environmental controls in the early 1900's.  The area was left cratered and desolate, with the river running bright orange every spring from the mine runoff.  It took a century for the wildlife to come back.  Of course looks can be deceiving, since the area is still toxic to human.  My home town is a cancer node and I've watched about a  lot of people die horrible deaths.

As long as we live in an industrial civilization there will be mining.  

Oaksmoke: Don't know anyone who lives on the old mine sites, but the minerals that drew the miners in the first place tend to end up in the drinking water even in undisturbed areas.