ABINGDON, Va., Dec. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Nature Conservancy announced today that Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR) has donated $25,000 to the international group to help advance its conservation work in southwestern Virginia's Clinch River Valley.
The gift will support a joint Nature Conservancy and Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals, and Energy (DMME) project to inventory and set priorities for the reclamation of Abandoned Mine Lands within the Clinch River watershed. Abandoned Mine Lands in the United States were mined for decades prior to the passage of the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977, and in many cases they constitute an ongoing threat to human health and the environment.
"The Nature Conservancy of Virginia is very appreciative of this gift from Alpha Natural Resources," said Michael Lipford, director of The Nature Conservancy of Virginia. "Their support will help us work in partnership with Virginia DMME to address legacy mining features that degrade one of our nation's most treasured river systems."
Through land management, innovative science and a diverse set of effective partnerships, the Conservancy works to protect unique and fragile lands and waters for present and future generations.
Spanning 2,200 square miles in the remote mountains and valleys of southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee, the Nature Conservancy's Clinch Valley Program comprises the watersheds of the Clinch, Powell and Holston rivers. These last free-flowing rivers of the Tennessee River system harbor more at-risk fish and mussel species than any other river in the nation, and the highest concentration of imperiled species in the mainland United States.
"In our own back yard is one of the most ecologically valuable regions in the world, and we all share a collective responsibility to care for it," said Kevin Crutchfield, Alpha's president. "This partnership will advance this effort tremendously and show that industry and a flourishing environment can co-exist in harmony."
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 18 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 117 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at http://www.nature.org.
Alpha Natural Resources is a leading supplier of high-quality Appalachian coal to electric utilities, steel producers and heavy industry. Alpha is the nation's largest supplier and exporter of metallurgical coal, a key ingredient in steel manufacturing. Alpha and its subsidiaries currently operate mining complexes in four states, consisting of 60 mines supplying 10 coal preparation and blending plants. The company and its subsidiaries employ more than 3,800 people. Visit Alpha on the web at http://www.alphanr.com.
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SOURCE Alpha Natural Resources
