POWERGRAMS

7 1,600-acre parcel of old-growth, longleaf pine forest near Lake Mitchell that the company has helped to protect and improve for over 30 years. Mature longleaf forests are the preferred habitat for the woodpecker, and through the years the company, in partnership with the USFWS and Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR), has been able to help increase the population of woodpeckers residing in the forest. In addition to the Lake Mitchell site, Alabama Power has been working to improve longleaf habitat on other company properties, while planting more longleaf where appropriate. The effort coincides with a broader drive – involving Alabama Power and parent Southern Company, and multiple public and private partners – to restore and expand historic longleaf habitat across the Southeast. Once the predominant forest type in the region, more than 90% of longleafs disappeared over the past two centuries, the victim of timbering and development. Longleaf forests sustain a multitude of plant and animal species, including birds such as turkey and quail, which favor healthy longleaf forests and the grasses and wildflowers that thrive below the tall pines. Fitch has seen signs of turkey in the company's longleaf forests, and an expansive list of plants and animals. He said the careful, prescribed burns the company conducts in its longleaf groves enhance the soil and release the natural seedbank buried in the leafy understory. Getting rid of the leaf layers encourages growth of grasses and flowering plants that turkey and quail seek out in the spring. The lakes and shorelines maintained by Alabama Power are also locations where birds flourish and where the company has ongoing programs to protect and nurture them. At Lake Harris, for example, the company maintains wood duck boxes, as well as platforms for native ospreys. In past years, the company installed osprey platforms at Lay and Neely Henry lakes with the assistance of ADCNR. Osprey populations were adversely affected in the middle 20th century because of the effects of the pesticide DDT. But since the chemical was banned, the bird has made a strong comeback in many areas of the U.S. Another bird of prey that has made a big comeback nationwide is the bald eagle. Alabama Power participates in annual bald and golden eagle midwinter surveys, along with partners including the U.S. Forest Service and ADCNR. The annual survey conducted by Alabama Power biologists and other staff focuses on identifying bald and golden eagles, and their nests, around the company's reservoirs. During the 2018 survey, the company recorded a record 35 bald eagles on five Alabama Power reservoirs. Eagles continue to use the reservoirs, with four new nests and 28 birds observed during the 2021 survey. Alabama Power has partnered with birding organizations and others to help improve and enhance sites that are prime for birdwatching. For example, the company has helped support the Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail (PPT) in east Alabama, which includes areas near lakes Martin, Harris, Neely Henry and Weiss. Sheila Smith, with Alabama Power's Shoreline Management team, worked with the group to identify good birding locations on company property, cut trails, install signage and help with maintenance. The PPT has grown to 40 birding sites across east Alabama. "It's been a great partnership that supports birding, supports conservation education and supports local economies," Smith said. More than 45 million people nationwide watch birds at home, or travel to do so, according to the USFWS. Bird-watchers spend an estimated $41 billion annually on trips and equipment. Josh Yerby is an Alabama Power real estate specialist focused on maintaining and enhancing The Preserves, the company's recreation sites Ospreys nest on platform built by APC at Lay Lake.

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