01/06/2009
CONSOL Energy Improves Public Hunting Access and Wildlife Habitat in Pennsylvania
PENNSYLVANIA— CONSOL Energy, headquartered in Canonsburg, Pa., has committed to improving habitat for Indiana Bats and other wildlife on 1,125 acres of land in southwestern Pennsylvania's Greene County with support from the National Wild Turkey Federation's (NWTF) Energy for Wildlife Program.
CONSOL will donate 125 of the acres of land, part of the Enlow Fork watershed area, to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, which will be made available to public land hunters. The company enrolled the remaining 1,000 acres in a conservation easement that will help protect wildlife and their habitat adjacent to the gameland.
"Utility companies who enroll in Energy for Wildlife are not only helping to meet America's energy needs, but the needs of its wildlife as well," said James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., NWTF's chief conservation officer. "Through the program, CONSOL Energy and the NWTF are helping to protect and enhance a diverse array of wildlife habitat nationwide — in this case, the Indiana Bat, which is on the federal Endangered Species List."
Energy for Wildlife is a membership-based certification program for all energy companies with the primary goal of enhancing wildlife habitat on company-managed, - owned or -influenced lands. These lands include power line and gas rights of way, plant sites, woodlands and other properties. Together, the Energy for Wildlife program's 31 member companies manage approximately 3 million acres to benefit wild turkeys and other wildlife nationwide.
Any company involved in the production, transmission or distribution of energy is eligible to become a member of the Energy for Wildlife program.
Earlier this year, CNX Land resources, a division of CONSOL Energy, received the NWTF's Energy for Wildlife Corporate Achievement Award. The award recognizes corporations that demonstrate outstanding efforts to improve wildlife habitat and promote conservation and North America's outdoor tradition.
"CONSOL Energy shows tremendous dedication to improving wildlife habitat while meeting its customers' energy needs," said Jay Jordan, coordinator of the Energy for Wildlife program. "As a member of the Energy for Wildlife program since 2005, CONSOL Energy has set their organization apart from other companies in the energy industry."
According to Dennis Fredericks, CONSOL Energy's manager of conservation properties and activities, CONSOL Energy strives to be an excellent steward of the land and works with conservation groups like the NWTF to return the land full-circle after production.
"Helping make our lands available to the public while practicing conservation through sound stewardship of the land resources required to support our energy operations is important to CONSOL Energy," Fredericks said. "We are pleased to work with the NWTF and other conservation organizations that share and promote wise use of our nation's valuable natural resources."
With help from partners like CONSOL Energy, the NWTF is making additional public land available to hunters in Pennsylvania, which, according to the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, spend $1.7 billion and 16 million days afield pursuing their sport each year.
CONSOL Energy Inc., is a Centurion Corporate Life Sponsor of the NWTF and is the largest producer of high-Btu bituminous coal in the United States. CONSOL Energy has 20 bituminous coal mining complexes in six states. In addition, the company is a majority shareholder in one of the largest U.S. producers of coalbed methane, CNX Gas Corporation.
