POWERGRAMS

POWER OF GOOD Anniston Museum of Natural History uses Good Roots grant to grow garden Above, Dan Spalding of the Anniston Museum of Natural History explains to volunteer Linda Crow and others where trees will be planted. Top right, Division Area Manager Steve Hildebrant joined Line Clearing Specialists Nick Jackson and Lee Roper to plant trees in the Botanical Gardens. Bottom right, Jackson digs a hole for a small tree. (Photos courtesy of the Anniston Museum of Natural History.) The Anniston Museum of Natural History is using a grant from Alabama Power to highlight the South's unique trees, showcasing this natural heritage and benefiting the community through an exhibit in the Botanical Gardens opening in December. The trees in the former City Community Center near the museum and the Berman Museum of World History can be seen by visitors on walking and biking trails and by people driving near the museums. The planting phase was completed in February, and the exhibit will open to the public with the rest of the museum gardens. Peggy Burnett, Alabama Power Foundation program manager, said "Small Trees for Small Places" includes 41 tree varieties, mostly ranging from 15 to 20 feet tall, with none taller than 30 feet. The trees are labeled for educational purposes. The project was designed with the future in mind: All of the trees have been planted young so visitors and the community can watch them grow and mature. The Anniston Museum of Natural History has educational and environmental goals for the project. Employees intend to educate visitors about native trees and demonstrate how to appropriately plant trees in yards and gardens. The museum staff followed the "Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place" guidelines available on the Alabama Power Charitable Giving website. The trees will support the ecosystem, providing environmental benefits to urban Anniston and enhancing wildlife habitats and birding trails nearby, said Burnett. The garden was brought to life through a Good Roots grant from the Alabama Power Foundation, with the work of museum staff and efforts of about 25 dedicated volunteer gardeners. The volunteers – many of them master gardeners – are dedicated to the entire Botanical Gardens project, and most of them can be found planting or maintaining the gardens at least twice a week. "We are especially excited that the museum used Good Roots to promote and support trees native to Alabama," Burnett said. "It's important that our urban forests contain green space dedicated to heritage trees." By Allison Swagler 7

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