Rural Missouri - September 2012 - (Page 4)

C O M M E N T S “Devoted to the rural way of life” September 2012 Volume 64 / Number 9 Jim McCarty, editor jmccarty@ruralmissouri.coop Jason Jenkins, managing editor jjenkins@ruralmissouri.coop Heather Berry, associate editor hberry@ruralmissouri.coop Kyle Spradley, field editor kspradley@ruralmissouri.coop Megan Schibi, editorial assistant mschibi@ruralmissouri.coop Mary Davis, production manager mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop Katie Alaimo, summer intern kalaimo@ruralmissouri.coop Angie Jones Dusty Weter Co-op page designers Regreening Joplin O Co-ops ‘root’ for city with funds to replace trees in tornado path ne year after a horrific tornado tore through Joplin, homes and businesses are on the mend. And so is the city’s once-prized tree population, with a bit of help from the electric cooperatives. Electric cooperative foresters and rights-of-way technicians have contributed time and money to “Rooting for Joplin,” a non-profit group started to reforest the tornado path. Before the May 22, 2011, twister that killed 161 people, thousands of oaks, hickories and other species of trees towered over parts of Joplin, which was designated a Tree City USA member by the National Arbor Day Foundation. Some of these trees were nearly 100 years old. But the EF-5 tornado, one of the nation’s most devastating and deadliest in generations, changed all that. Up to 15,000 trees were likely lost as a result of the storm, state foresters say. photo courtesy of Crawford Electric “The once vibrant urban forest was deciCrawford Electric’s Terry Gordon, left, presented a check from the Missouri mated,” said Terry Gordon, rights-of-way superCooperative Right of Way Management Association to Randon Coffey, intendent at Crawford Electric Cooperative in center, and Chris Fenske with Rooting for Joplin. Bourbon. “It was like walking through a prairie where there once was a heavily wooded forest. Gordon presented a $500 check to Rooting for Joplin in The whole feel and character of the city was changed. To May and also provided safe planting tips to the hundreds see it stripped naked was heartbreaking, as a forester.” of high school students and other volunteers who planted Gordon is president of the Missouri Cooperative Right some 1,300 trees. of Way Management Association, a group that works to Rooting for Joplin has since planted more than 7,800 balance the need to clear rights of way to keep service relitrees, and the group wants to plant thousands more. If you able and safe with the desire to protect the environment. would like to assist, call 417-625-9839, send an e-mail to Gordon and his colleagues wanted to contribute to the contact@rootingforjoplin.org or visit the group’s website at cause, even though no electric cooperative serves Joplin. www.rootingforjoplin.org. “Our group thought we could lend a hand to an urban The organization also can be found on Facebook. area that was once known for its dense forest,” said Gordon. “Rooting for Joplin is an incredible organization that — Victoria Rocha/ECT.coop is doing great things for southwest Missouri’s forestland.” USPS 473-000 ISSN 0164-8578 Copyright 2012, Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Call for reprint rights. Rural Missouri is published monthly by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Barry Hart, executive vice president. Individual subscription rate: $9 per year or $21 for three years, taxes and postage included. Group rate for members of participating RECs $3.99, taxes and postage included. Delivery as specified by subscriber. If not specified, delivery will be by periodical class mail at subscriber’s expense. Periodical Class postage paid at Jefferson City, MO, and additional mailing offices. In appreciation M Leadership award recognizes Luetkemeyer’s contributions to co-ops www.ruralmissouri.coop Find us on www.facebook.com/RuralMissouri Postmasters: Send address changes to Rural Missouri, P.O. Box 1645, Jefferson City, MO 65102. Subscribers: Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Rural Missouri. Advertising standards: Advertising published in Rural Missouri is accepted on the premise that the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and sold to customers at the advertised price. Rural Missouri and Missouri’s electric cooperatives do not endorse any products or services advertised herein. Advertising that does not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading is never knowingly accepted by this publication. Advertising information: mdavis@ruralmissouri.coop 573-659-3400 National Advertising Representative: National Country Market; 611 S. Congress St., Suite 504; Austin, TX 78704 573-659-3400 Member, Missouri Association of Publications and Missouri Press Association P.O. Box 1645 Jefferson City, MO 65102 573-659-3423 info@ruralmissouri.coop Rural Missouri Rivers Electric Cooperative, on Friday, Aug. 3. The 9th Disissouri’s electric cooperatives honored U.S. Rep. trict Congressman was presented with the 2012 Missouri Blaine Luetkemeyer for his work on behalf of Electric Cooperatives Leadership Award by Barry Hart, CEO electric cooperative members during the annuof the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. al meeting of his hometown cooperative, Three “Rep. Luetkemeyer has been a true leader when it comes to protecting rates for electric cooperative members in Missouri,” Hart said of the congressman from St. Elizabeth. “He understands that issues such as cap and trade impose unnecessary burdens on electric cooperatives that will result in higher rates for members, and he votes accordingly.” Besides his help in defeating the cap-and-trade proposal, Rep. Luetkemeyer’s efforts included: • Helping secure adequate Rural Utilities Service loans for electric cooperatives. • Supporting access to low-cost hydropower for electric co-ops and opposing higher rates on non-hydropower federal programs. • Opposing a tax on electric cooperative employee benefits. • Supporting clean coal investments at Associphoto by Jim McCarty ated Electric Cooperative’s Thomas Hill Energy Shown here at the award presentation are, from left: Barry Hart, CEO of Center. the Association of Missouri Electric Co-operatives; Tom Werdenhause, • Supporting a bill to allow electric co-ops to manager of Three Rivers Electric; Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer; and Charles encourage energy-efficiency programs that will Koelling, president of the Three Rivers Electric board. help lower electric bills for their members. 4 WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP http://www.rootingforjoplin.org http://www.ruralmissouri.coop http://www.facebook.com/RuralMissouri http://www.facebook.com/RuralMissouri http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - September 2012

Rural Missouri - September 2012
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
Where the wild things are
Hit the trail
Outdoors
Plowing forward with a new tradition
Out of the Way Eats
Devastating drought
Hearth and Home
Closing the gateway
Marketplace
Around Missouri
A man & his monsters
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - September 2012