Antelope received the 2013 State of Wyoming Reclamation Award from the Department of Environmental Quality in Sheridan last month.

The mine received the award for its successful restoration of reclamation areas overrun by cheatgrass.

Cheatgrass is an introduced species that readily invades disturbed landscapes in reclamation and native rangeland.

Using custom-seeding techniques, the Antelope team restored the 400 acres of land to native cool and warm season plant communities, meeting its post-mining land use goal of providing for livestock grazing and wildlife use.

“The company is honored to receive this award and appreciates the recognition it receives for innovative reclamation techniques,” president and chief executive officer of Cloud Peak Colin Marshall commented.

The Antelope Mine is at the southern end of the Powder River Basin, about 60 miles south of Gillette, Wyoming.

It mined and shipped 34.3 million tons of thermal coal in 2012.