The company donated 140 acres of company-owned land to The Conservation Fund. The property is located along the northern rim of the Flight 93 crash site.
The Conservation Fund, on behalf of the National Park Service, is working with local partners to acquire and preserve the ground near Shanksville, PA where Flight 93 went down more than two years ago. The national nonprofit organisaiton is in final negotiations with several willing landowners and expects to reach an agreement on properties both at the impact site and in the viewshed in the next few months.
"Those people, that time, and this place will forever represent the moment when Americans said 'no' to terrorism," said J. Brett Harvey, Consol’s president and chief executive officer.
"Our contribution is small compared to that which was given by those on Flight 93, but we are honored to be able to help in the effort to preserve their memory and to commemorate their deed."
Within the "study area" of the proposed memorial, the mountaintop property is located at the site's main entrance and includes its most important viewshed. The Conservation Fund is working with the National Park Service and the local community to determine the best long-term steward for the important land.
"This gift to the nation will forever honor the heroes aboard Flight 93 and serve as a lasting tribute to their extraordinary courage and bravery," said Patrick F. Noonan, founder of The Conservation Fund. "There is no more important hallowed ground that deserves permanent protection, and The Conservation Fund is privileged to work with corporate leaders such as Consol Energy, whose generosity and commitment to preserving America's special places is unparalleled."
This gift is Consol’s most recent donation of company-owned land to The Conservation Fund. Last summer the energy corporation gave 5,000 acres of surplus real estate to the Fund.
