The mine, located in northeastern Wyoming, received the 2014 excellence in surface coal mining reclamation award from the US Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement.

It was recognised for its techniques to promote native plant species and control cheatgrass, an introduced, invasive and undesirable plant species.

Antelope mine general manager Steve Cowan said the work at Antelope to control cheatgrass had been an ongoing effort and involved significant research and development.

“We hope the techniques developed here will help those in the mining and energy sectors as well as agriculture and others to continue to improve reclamation around the country,” he said.

Thanks to innovative husbandry practices and seeding techniques the mine was able to restore reclaimed areas dominated by cheatgrass.

The technology is applicable to both reclaimed and native lands.

The mine transformed more than 160 hectares of cheatgrass dominated lands into sustainable native perennial stands that achieve the post-mining land use goal of providing for livestock grazing and wildlife use.

Antelope mine environmental manager Kyle Wendtland said its reclamation practices had landscape-scale applications to reclaimed and native grassland environments where cheatgrass had become the dominant and undesirable plant species.

“We believe that potential long-term benefits for species such as sage grouse and sharp-tailed grouse exist by taking sound, science-based steps to develop strategies improving habitat on reclamation and native grassland environments,” he said.

Cheatgrass is not very palatable for domestic livestock and wildlife.

It reduces habitat value and has a preference for establishment on disturbed sites.

Cheatgrass has infested an estimated 21 million hectares on the western landscape and makes it hard to achieve consistent native grass dominated communities on disturbed land.

The husbandry practice developed at Antelope mine uses an implement designed by the mine to mechanically remove the cheatgrass without the risk and ecological setbacks of using herbicides, re-farming and prescribed burns.

The resulting plant community is sustainable and can achieve bond release.

Cloud Peak Energy president and CEO Colin Marshall called the award a “testament to our employees at Antelope mine and their commitment to pioneering reclamation practices”