The $14 million, 10-year project in Elk County was decorated by the US Office of Surface Mining Reclamation for revegetating 320 acres of abandoned mine lands which now serve as crucial habitat for wild elk which roam the adjacent Elk State Forest and game lands.

“This award rightly recognizes that a key part of Pennsylvania’s ecosystem has been restored and, by extension, a key part of the state’s tourism industry,” Department of Environmental Protection secretary Mike Krancer said.

“Trout fishing and sightseeing for the elk herd have a bright future as a direct result of this project which could not have happened without the many partners who worked on this with our staff.”

More than half a million tons of limestone were mined at the site and used to neutralize the thousands of gallons of acidic mine water that was flowing from 14 different discharge points.

The effort represents the largest use of alkaline materials to neutralize acid mine drainage in Pennsylvania history.

More than 5000 cubic yards of waste coal were removed from the site and used as fuel at a coal-fired power plant, providing electricity to homes and businesses.

The project also included the closing or remediation of 23 mine openings and regrading of 10 dangerously steep highwalls that totalled more than 30,000 feet.

Mining at the site began in the late 1800s and continued until the 1960s when the operation was abandoned.

The cost of the reclamation was paid out of state and federal abandoned mine land funds, supported by fees paid by the active mining industry, the US Army Corps of Engineers and contributions from Pennsylvania-based miner P&N Coal.