We recognize the need for public private partnership for researching better land reclamation techniques. Alpha is a proud sponsor of the Powell River Project a partnership between Virginia Tech and other educational institutions.
At Alpha we recognize the need for public-private partnerships to foster new research and development on better land reclamation techniques and environmental protection practices. Alpha is a major sponsor of one such endeavor right from its inception, the Powell River Project.
The Powell River project was started in 1980 with a goal to conduct research and education programs to enhance the restoration of mined lands and benefit communities and businesses in Southwestern Virginia’s coalfields. The project is a partnership between Virginia tech and other educational institutions in Southwest Virginia and natural resource industries. Distinguished faculty and students from these institutions conduct research on land reclamation techniques and provide new information to the coal industries on efficient environmental protection practices. The Powell River Project Education Center, a 1100 acre center in Wise County Virginia, owned by the Penn Virginia Resource partners, hosts active coal mining, gas and timber production and former mines as well as long term research sites. The Project Education Center also hosts long term research sites and conducts field based education programs focusing on coal mining and the environment.
The Powell River project staff regularly work with school teachers and students at the Education Center to demonstrate scientific concepts and spread the message of conservation to the next generation. Over 40,000 students and teachers from local schools have participated in the environmental education programs at the Center