PPL Montana has been honored by the National Park Service for preserving the Great Falls Portage National Historic Landmark, an area described in 1805 by American explorer Meriwether Lewis as "the grandest sight I ever beheld."

During a recent ceremony at Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks headquarters in Great Falls, the National Park Service awarded certificates of appreciation to PPL Montana and other public and private conservation organizations, including Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; the Bureau of Land Management; the Conservation Fund; the U.S. Forest Service; and the RK Mellon Foundation. The certificates recognize their combined contributions "to the preservation of our nation’s cultural heritage."

"It’s clear that preserving the culture and history of the United States is important to PPL," said Susan Escherich, historian with the National Landmark Survey in Washington, D.C. "This is a wonderful message about promoting our nation’s history that you’re sending to Montana and the rest of the country."

She said only about 20 of these certificates are awarded annually across the United States.

"We’re proud to honor the Lewis and Clark legacy, which is such a rich part of this state’s history," said David Hoffman, PPL Montana’s manager of external affairs. "Our commitment to preserving the accomplishments of this legendary expedition is part of our community outreach across Montana."

PPL Montana works in concert with the organizations cited by the park service to protect and preserve the Great Falls Portage National Historic Landmark, designated in 1966 to commemorate Lewis and Clark’s portage around the five falls of the Missouri River in the summer of 1805.

PPL and these groups have worked together to preserve roughly 10 miles of Missouri River shoreline, an important step in preserving the historic setting at Great Falls.

PPL Montana conveyed a 2,415-acre conservation easement to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to enable resource conservation, open space, pedestrian public access and natural views along the north shore of the company’s five dams and reservoirs near Great Falls. Lewis and Clark and their men were forced to portage around the waterfalls in this area as they traveled along the Missouri River in June and July of 1805 and again on their return trip in 1806.

PPL Montana’s work with other agencies in this corridor include numerous public recreation developments, fish and wildlife restoration projects and an extensive rivers-edge trail system, including the recent opening of a limited crossing for pedestrians at Cochrane Dam.

PPL Montana, a subsidiary of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL), has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. With more than 500 employees, PPL Montana operates the coal-fired Colstrip and Corette power plants and 11 hydroelectric facilities along the Missouri, Flathead, Clark Fork and Madison rivers and Rosebud Creek. PPL EnergyPlus, another PPL subsidiary, operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale energy market.

PPL Corporation, headquartered in Allentown, Pa., controls or owns nearly 11,500 megawatts of generating capacity in the United States, sells energy in key U.S. markets and delivers electricity to customers in Pennsylvania, the United Kingdom and Latin America.