Georgia Magazine - September 2021 - 15

SHORTTakes
Program brings beauty,
community to utility rights of way
G
eorgia Transmission Corp. (GTC)
in Tucker is a partner of Project
WINGS (Wildlife Incentives for
Nongame and Game Species). The
program helps community members
transform rights of way for electric
transmission and gas lines into productive,
healthy wildlife habitats while also
ensuring that the land is properly maintained
for the safe, efficient delivery of
energy to Georgia homes and businesses.
Successful applicants interested in
managing these rights of way for a threeyear
period can receive cash grants up
to $2,250 along with wildlife planning
assistance from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS). Applicants work with
the NRCS to develop a plan for a variety of
skill sets and needs.
Grant participants often include
Making it permanent: Kevan Espy, who had
been serving as interim president and CEO of
Marietta-based
Cobb Electric
Membership
Corp. (EMC) since
November, took on
the role permanently
on June 14.
Before assuming
the interim role,
Espy had served as
senior vice president of electric operations and
other leadership roles. He has been with the
cooperative for 30 years.
A sign at a Project WINGS site north of
Winder designates it as a wildlife area and
advises " Do not mow. "
neighboring landowners, community groups, outdoor education programs and local
wildlife organizations. Applications for the program are accepted through the community's
local NRCS office.
Project WINGS has been providing Georgians with opportunities to support
wildlife conservation for more than 24 years. To date, more than 3,200 Georgians have
received grants to create more than 23,490 acres of new wildlife habitat. The program
is made possible through the partnership of Two Rivers Resources Conservation and
Development, GTC, Georgia Power, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and
Southern Co. Gas.
For more information, visit tworiversrcd.org/wings or gatrans.com.
Leadership experience goes virtual
Because of the pandemic, the traditional
Washington Youth Tour was reimagined
this year as a virtual experience. Instead
of gathering for a trip to Washington,
D.C., to learn about U.S. government
and gain leadership skills, 39 students
from throughout Georgia participated in
Tucker-based Georgia Electric Membership
Corp.'s (EMC's) Virtual Electric Cooperative
Youth Tour June 22-24. Delegates were
chosen and sponsored by their local EMCs,
as is the case with the in-person youth tour each year. In addition to attending virtual
meetings with state and national leaders, including Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan (above),
delegates took part in talent assessments; informational sessions on topics such as
internships, community involvement and college opportunities; and a group video-production
project that included a $5,000 scholarship for each member of the winning team.
Linemen-in-training: Two recent graduates
of the Paulding College and Career Academy
(PCCA) in Dallas got real-world experience as
interns at GreyStone Power Corp. in Hiram.
During the four-week program, Landon Akin
and Cal Bentley went out in the fi eld with
GreyStone linemen and learned about diff erent
wiring and materials as well as how to put them
together. The internship program is a partnership
between the co-op and the PCCA's Jerry
Lamar Tucker and Ellen Barrett Tucker Energy
Pathway Lab, which is named for a GreyStone
retiree and his late wife.
Friends of
pollinators:
The Mariettabased
Cobb EMC
Foundation was
a sponsor of the
A Garden With
Wings exhibit
at Smith-Gilbert
Gardens in
Kennesaw. The exhibit, which originally was
planned for July and was extended into August
by popular demand, featured a butterfl y house
and child-friendly pollinator garden. Visitors
learned about the life cycles of native pollinators
and the plants that they need for food.
Providing relief: Coweta-Fayette EMC in
Palmetto was a silver sponsor of a June 26
fundraiser concert for those still recovering
from a tornado this spring in Newnan. The
concert, Where I Come From: Tornado Benefi t
Featuring Alan Jackson, was an opportunity for
the Country Music Hall of Fame singer to give
back to his hometown. The event raised more
than $2 million.
www.georgiamagazine.org
15
COURTESY GEORGIA EMC
COURTESY GEORGIA TRANSMISSION CORP.
COURTESY SMITH-GILBERT GARDENS
COURTESY COBB EMC

http://www.tworiversrcd.org/wings http://www.gatrans.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Georgia Magazine - September 2021

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