Exploring the depths of Robin’s Nest Country Park, nestled in the northeastern New Territories, hiking the Lin Ma Hang trail and ascending over 900 stairs reveals a hidden gem - Lin Ma Hang Lead Mine, an remnant of the once-thriving local mining community.
Hiking network: Robin’s Nest Country Park features two scenic hiking trails that connect Lin Ma Hang Village in the west to Shan Tsui of Sha Tau Kok in the east. Source from news.gov.hk
Mining history
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Hiking network: Robin’s Nest Country Park features two scenic hiking trails that connect Lin Ma Hang Village in the west to Shan Tsui of Sha Tau Kok in the east. Source from news.gov.hk
Joint effort: Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department Country Parks Officer (North) Charlie Shue says the department has joined forces with its counterparts in Shenzhen to strengthen conservation efforts along the Wutong Mountain-Robin’s Nest Ecological Corridor. Source from news.gov.hk
Bat sanctuary: The mine has become an important bat roosting site in Hong Kong since its abandonment. Fences have been set up to prohibit entry to the tunnels to protect the bats. Source from news.gov.hk
Special heritage: Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department Country Parks Ranger Services Officer (North-West) Felix Chan says the Lin Ma Hang Mine was one of the most extensive mining systems in Hong Kong, dating back to the 19th Century. Source from news.gov.hk
The site served as one of Hong Kong’s natural mineral reserves with significant economic value, housing the largest lead mine known for producing galena, sphalerite and silver. Its history dates back to the 19th Century.
“In 1925, the Government issued a mining lease. Mining activities peaked from 1936 to 1939, with approximately 2,000 workers labouring round the clock. During World War II, the mine was taken by Japanese forces. By the late 1950s, the mine eventually ceased operation due to various reasons, including the drop in the international lead prices,” explained Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department Country Parks Ranger Services Officer (North-West) Felix Chan.
After a year-long revitalisation project jointly conducted by the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Civil Engineering & Development Department (CEDD), the mine has been transformed into an open museum, which was opened to the public last December.
The revamp included stabilising the roof of the main cave with rock dowels and grouting, and reinforcing rock pillars with concrete buttresses disguised as artificial rock to seamlessly integrate with the natural landscape. Rock wire mesh has been installed to prevent loose and small rocks from falling.
Joint effort: Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department Country Parks Officer (North) Charlie Shue says the department has joined forces with its counterparts in Shenzhen to strengthen conservation efforts along the Wutong Mountain-Robin’s Nest Ecological Corridor. Source from news.gov.hk
Bat ecology
The mine comprises five levels and tunnels stretching over 2,100m in length, although access to most of these areas is restricted. Fences have been set up not only to prohibit visitors from accidentally entering but also to protect the sanctuary for bats.
Following its abandonment, the dark and humid environment of the deserted caves and intricate networks of the mine’s galleries have made it an ideal habitat for bats, turning the mine into an important bat roosting site in Hong Kong.
The area was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1994.
“Now, we have already recorded 10 species of bat here, accounting for around 40% of what we have recorded in Hong Kong. This includes the Lesser Bent-winged Bat and the Chinese Horseshoe Bat,” said Mr Chan.
He also reminded visitors to lower their voices and avoid using bright lights when venturing into the mine.
Bat sanctuary: The mine has become an important bat roosting site in Hong Kong since its abandonment. Fences have been set up to prohibit entry to the tunnels to protect the bats. Source from news.gov.hk
Joint effort
Mr Chan added that the mine, as the first collaboration between the AFCD and CEDD, serves as a reference for similar types of revitalisation projects in country parks in the future.
Robin’s Nest Country Park, where the mine is located, is the 25th country park in Hong Kong, measuring about 530 hectares. It lies on mountain ridges stretching from the Shenzhen Wutong Mountain Scenic Area to the north and Hong Kong’s Pat Sin Leng Country Park to the south.
Established last March, Robin's Nest Country Park features two scenic hiking trails that connect Lin Ma Hang Village in the west to Shan Tsui of Sha Tau Kok in the east. It normally takes four to five hours to finish walking the two country trails.
The two trails encompass multiple attractions, including the MacIntosh Forts, a Grade 2 historic building as well as war relics such as pillboxes and trenches, and the Robin's Nest viewing point which overlooks Starling Inlet.
In addition, part of Robin’s Nest Country Park was previously within the frontier closed area. With minimal disturbance from human activities, it has rich biodiversity, including species of conservation value such as the Chinese Grassbird, Red Azalea and Chinese New Year Flower.
Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department Country Parks Officer (North), Charlie Shue pointed out that Robin’s Nest Country Park boasts rich biodiversity with elements of human history, making it a crucial part of the Northern Metropolis' Blue and Green Recreation, Tourism and Conservation Circle - comprising areas endowed with rich cultural heritage and natural resources.
The department has also teamed up with the Tourism Commission to promote the country park under the “Design District Hong Kong” initiative’s activities in Sha Tau Kok.
Special heritage: Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department Country Parks Ranger Services Officer (North-West) Felix Chan says the Lin Ma Hang Mine was one of the most extensive mining systems in Hong Kong, dating back to the 19th Century. Source from news.gov.hk
Rich biodiversity
The mountain ridges of Robin’s Nest interlink with the Shenzhen Wutong Mountain, forming an ecological corridor, Mr Shue noted, adding that the AFCD has joined forces with its counterparts in Shenzhen across various sectors to consolidate resources and strengthen conservation efforts.
The AFCD has worked closely with the Planning & Natural Resources Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality to formulate the joint work programme for the Wutong Mountain-Robin’s Nest Ecological Corridor.
Both sides signed the Cooperative Framework Agreement for the Enhancement of Wutong Mountain (Shenzhen) – Robin's Nest (Hong Kong) Ecological Corridor last August.
The initial plan is to establish an ecological data exchange platform, conduct biodiversity monitoring at both sites, remove invasive species, exchange experiences in nature education, and explore ways to improve the ecological connectivity for animals, with the aim of promoting ecological integration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A liner along the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was cut with a sharp knife or razor this month, causing damage to the foam sealant installed as part of a $16 million rehabilitation project, a top official at the National Park Service says.
The U.S. Park Police responded June 9 to a complaint by the park service, said Frank Lands, deputy director of operations for the park service. Lands made the statement in a court document filed late Wednesday as part of a lawsuit filed by a nonprofit organization to halt the Trump administration's work on the project.
His statement does not say when exactly the damage occurred or whether it was a suspected case of vandalism and does not identify anyone who might have been involved.
The police report indicates damage to the pool, "including a caulk over the foam sealant that was cut with a sharp knife or razor and destruction of delaminating surface material,'' Lands said. About 70 fence post tops also were thrown into the pool, he said.
The statements are the first time the Republican administration has offered specifics for when and how the Reflecting Pool may have been damaged after work on the project was substantially completed.
A spokesperson for the Interior Department said Thursday that public notification about the damage was delayed because, “at the time of the June 9 incident, the vandalism was under investigation and believed to be isolated. So as not to encourage deranged individuals, we did not announce what we hoped to be an isolated incident.”
Around the same time, park service staff "discovered another incident where fencing around the pool had been forcibly removed and thrown into the pool,'' the spokesperson said in an email.
The department soon noticed that "recurring cases and videos of people ripping at the coating began to circulate. We then knew this was not an isolated incident, but a new trend to attempt to damage the Reflecting Pool,'' the email said.
President Donald Trump and other officials have repeatedly blamed, without citing evidence, unidentified vandals for peeling paint as well as a “350-foot gash” in the liner and other problems. Six people have been arrested, Trump said this week, without providing details.
The Interior Department said Thursday there have been seven arrests, seven federal citations and 18 police reports filed. The department did not specify what the charges were or identify anyone cited by police.
Trump pledged to beautify the century-old Reflecting Pool before the nation’s 250th birthday celebrations, draining its water and directing the bottom to be painted a color he called “American flag blue.” But after the site was restored, its water was plagued by an algae bloom for more than a week, and pieces of the new coating have appeared to be peeling off the bottom. The pool has largely cleared in recent days after devices called nanobubblers infused ozone into the water to kill algae and bacteria.
Trump's administration faces a self-imposed deadline to complete the renovation before July Fourth. Trump also has said the federal government would release images to substantiate his claim.
Trump said Wednesday that “sick people” had used razors and box cutters to slice portions of the lining.
The Associated Press reviewed videos showing that the Reflecting Pool was refilled between June 4 and June 9, meaning the alleged cut reported to law enforcement on June 9 could have occurred before the basin was fully refilled. Days later, pieces of the new blue liner were observed peeling up from the bottom.
The Park Police posted surveillance footage Wednesday evening and asked for help “identifying the individual depicted here in connection with a Destruction of Government Property investigation.” The grainy, 30-second video appears to show a person kneeling down, reaching into the reflecting pool and removing something from the water. Police said it was taken on Friday afternoon.
In his statement to the court, Lands said the parks agency plans to begin draining the Reflecting Pool following Independence Day celebrations to conduct repairs, including assessing and repairing any damage to the lining.
The park service completed more than two months of renovations at the Reflecting Pool in early June. The 2,000-foot-long basin was drained and a tinted, plastic-like liner was installed to waterproof and protect the concrete pool surface, and the pool was refilled with water, Lands said.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation, an education and advocacy group that sued in May to halt work on the project, asked a federal judge to block further renovations.
“It is also not too late to correct course,” the group wrote in a filing Monday. It urged the administration to “engage with experts and the public, and make an informed decision about what is best based on the consultations mandated by the law, instead of once again rushing ahead with half-baked ideas.”
Congressional Democrats have called for formal investigations into the pool renovations, saying no-bid contracts for the project were awarded to vendors with prior ties to Trump.
Ohio-based Green Water Solutions, also known as Greenwater Services, was given a $1.7 million contract to install a water-purification system in the Reflecting Pool, while Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings was awarded $14.7 million to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.
Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations panel overseeing the Interior Department's budget, said the pool renovation appears to be a waste of taxpayers’ dollars.
“After railing about waste, fraud and abuse, Donald Trump spent more than $16 million on a renovation of the Reflecting Pool that’s now peeling and chock full of algae,” Merkley said Thursday. He said this is a "massive waste" of tax dollars and the public deserves "swift answers — and a refund.”
Merkley is one of about 10 Democratic senators and House members investigating the pool project.
"Taxpayers deserve a full explanation of how these failures occurred and who will be held accountable for correcting them,'' said another letter, signed by New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich and five other senators.
Heinrich is the top Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the Interior Department.
Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman and Michael Biesecker contributed to this report.
The Washington Monument, reflected in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, is seen behind a chain link fence Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Film and debris float atop the water in an area of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The Lincoln Memorial is seen in the distance as a film and debris float atop the water in an area of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Brian Van, right, takes a photo of Carina Miller, center, with a member of "Team Algae" at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The U.S. Capitol and the Washington Monument are reflected in the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Thursday, June 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Peeling is seen in the blue coating on the bottom of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool are seen, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
A man with an upside-down U.S. flag is seen near the Reflecting Pool, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
The Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool are seen from the Washington Monument, Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
