The American poet Joyce Kilmer wrote a famous tribute to the beauty and wonder of trees on a February day in 1913.

While it seems unlikely that our readers need reminding, that poem starts out:

“I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.”

It winds up with the famous lines:

“Poems are made by fools like me,

But only God can make a tree.”

With spring just about a month away, the time is near when trees and other wonders of nature will awaken from their wintry slumber.

MidAmerican Energy is helping to keep Iowa’s environment green and luscious through its Trees Please! program.

Since 1998, this initiative has distributed tree-planting grants across Iowa.

The latest list of grant has just been was announced. MidAmerican is providing $219,000 to 75 governmental and community organizations. Most of the grants are $1,000 but some larger communities and projects are receiving bigger awards. The city of Fort Dodge was selected for a $2,000 grant.

This year, MidAmerican’s Trees Please! grants in The Messenger’s circulation area will go to:

– Algona – $1,000

– Badger – $1,000

– Fort Dodge – $2,000

– Eagle Grove Chamber of Commerce – $1,000

– Hampton – $1,000

– Humboldt Co. Conservation Board – $1,000

– Lake City – $1,000

– Pomeroy – $1,000

– Ruthven – $1,000

Trees beautify our communities but they do a great deal more.

They act as windbreaks and provide shade. Trees contribute to energy efficiency. They also improve air quality and nourish the soil.

MidAmerican has been a leader in promoting energy efficiency programs. Since the program’s inception it has awarded nearly $3 million in Trees Please! grants.

Trees Please! is a superb example of corporate good citizenship that will benefit us all for many, many years to come.