$5,000 Alliant Energy / Trees Forever Grant Awarded

Eldon— The American Gothic House Center (AGHC) of Eldon, Iowa has been awarded a $5,000 Alliant Energy / Trees Forever grant through its Branching Out program. The check will be presented at the Eldon City Council meeting Tuesday, September 11, 2007.

The AGHC project will include planting a concentration of Oak trees, other non-Oak deciduous trees, Eastern Red Cedars and Serviceberries for a total of 36 trees. The goal of the project is to include a variety of trees native to Southeast Iowa. The AGHC is seeking additional funds to incorporate the Oak trees into a Prairie Oak Savannah restoration.

The trees will be planted by the Wapello County Conservation Board beginning Monday, November 12, 2007. Please contact Jessi Strom at 641-652-3352 if you would like to be a part of the tree planting.

Branching Out is a nationally-recognized grant program through which Alliant Energy, Trees Forever and local community leaders work together to fund and implement tree-planting projects. The program is designed to encourage energy efficiency, environmental awareness and community involvement in Iowa.

Since the start of the Branching Out program in 1989, more than 1.1 million trees and seedlings have been planted as part of 2,188 Iowa projects by a volunteer force of 111,117 people. Environmentally, the trees planted represent a kilowatt hour savings of 13,918,553—or enough energy to power more than 1,700 average-size residential homes for one year.