Celebrating the Environment in West Virginia
Clockwise from top left: Mon Power employee Spencer Webley, material technician, and his daughter, Dulaney, at FirstEnergy's tree distribution booth. Customer Services Assistant Deanna Anderson and her daughters, Mia and Myley, help to hand out Green Team reusable bags. Mon Power employees volunteered their time to hand out trees at the Mountain State Forest Festival. The 2023 Mountain State Forest Festival Queen, Anna Marie Ruf, picks out her tree – compliments of FirstEnergy.
October 20, 2023
| Food, Fun and Lumberjacks
The Mountain State Forest Festival is one of the largest and oldest festivals in West Virginia. It promotes the beauty and splendor of the states’ mountains and valleys in all their autumn glory, and it encourages the prudent development, conservation and culture of West Virginia’s abundant natural resources for the future. Approximately 75,000 visitors attend the festival each year to enjoy music concerts, amusement park rides, a lumberjack competition, arts and crafts, forestry and wood exhibits, parades and an art show and photography exhibits. |
As the leaves begin to turn vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow each October, hundreds of nature lovers gather in Elkins, W.Va., for the Mountain State Forest Festival. Among the crowd this year were a group of Mon Power employees who volunteered their time to hand out 1,500 free trees to festivalgoers who visited the company’s booth.
“It was encouraging to see people genuinely excited as they walked away with trees to plant in their local neighborhoods,” said Todd Riggleman, manager, Forestry Services. “We love to use our table at the festival to educate people on the critical role that natural resources like trees play in West Virginia’s environment.”
So far this year, FirstEnergy has planted nearly 20,000 trees across our West Virginia service territory. Tree plantings and giveaways support the company’s efforts to reduce our carbon footprint, promote the responsible use of natural resources and further the advancement of sustainable practices. As one of West Virginia’s largest festivals, the Mountain State Forest Festival is a great place to hold such a large tree giveaway.
Members of Mon Power’s Green Team – a group of employees who volunteer their time and talents to support a multitude of environmental initiatives – spent the day distributing a variety of tree saplings, including white oak, silver maple, serviceberry, nannyberry, silky dogwood, slippery elm, American plum and magnolia trees.
This is the second year that Mon Power has participated in the Mountain State Forest Festival. In addition to the tree giveaway, FirstEnergy donated $2,000 to the event, and Mon Power made an in-kind donation – valued at nearly $9,000 – by providing crews, trucks and equipment to set up logs for the festival’s annual Lumberjack competition.
“Attendees truly appreciate FirstEnergy and Mon Power’s commitment to our community and preserving our local environment so that our trees and wildlife can continue to thrive for many years,” Todd added. “It’s a rewarding feeling.”