Knight Hawk is in an agreement with the state of Illinois that allows it to use part of Pyramid State Park as a staging area for mining 240 acres of private, adjacent land it purchased. The surface operation employs 45 people. In addition to its traditional surface mining practices, the company's Highwall Miner is being utilized.
The company will donate the land it owns to the state once mining is completed at a value of more than $1 million.
