Uploaded May 2011 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
I (Tami Marler) traveled to the small community of Picher, Oklahoma in late 2000 to cover a "run-of-the-mill" general assignment story. I had passed through the tiny Ottawa County town several times at night as a college student, back when rumors abounded of the supposedly "devil-worshipping," dangerous people who lived in Picher. When I returned in 2000 as an adult with children of my own, I was so flabbergasted by what I saw in what was then the largest Superfund site in the United States. I begged my news director to allow me to tell the story of Picher, Oklahoma. To his credit, he gave me generous time to research and, more importantly, show and tell viewers about the travesties against the people and the land by the mining companies, politicians and remediation contractors.
The following three-part series brought unprecedented attention to the Tar Creek Superfund site, and I believe played a major role in the eventual buyout and shut-down of the former lead and zinc mining mecca that sat atop the nation's Superfund list for more than 20 years.
I (Tami Marler) traveled to the small community of Picher, Oklahoma in late 2000 to cover a "run-of-the-mill" general assignment story. I had passed through the tiny Ottawa County town several times at night as a college student, back when rumors abounded of the supposedly "devil-worshipping," dangerous people who lived in Picher. When I returned in 2000 as an adult with children of my own, I was so flabbergasted by what I saw in what was then the largest Superfund site in the United States. I begged my news director to allow me to tell the story of Picher, Oklahoma. To his credit, he gave me generous time to research and, more importantly, show and tell viewers about the travesties against the people and the land by the mining companies, politicians and remediation contractors.
The following three-part series brought unprecedented attention to the Tar Creek Superfund site, and I believe played a major role in the eventual buyout and shut-down of the former lead and zinc mining mecca that sat atop the nation's Superfund list for more than 20 years.
