All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia Receives Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation Grant

Pictured left to right is Mike Powell, director lands for The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia; Christine Mitchell, external affairs manager for Dominion Energy Services, Inc.; Brian Sheppard, senior vice president of eastern pipeline operations.; Sam England, director of West Virginia state parks; Jason Harshbarger, state policy director for Dominion Energy, Inc.; and Stan Beafore, supervisor of Canaan Valley State Park.

The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia received a $25,000 grant from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, the largest grant awarded to a West Virginia organization. The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia, located in Elkins, WV, will use the grant to continue red spruce tree plantings in Canaan Valley State Park. Mike Powell, director of lands, was on-site at Canaan Valley State Park’s Nature Center to receive the check on Friday, Nov. 1.

According to Samantha Norris, communications specialist at Dominion Energy, the company has awarded $1.6 million in grants through its philanthropic arm, the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, to 135 organizations working to improve natural spaces or teach about the environment across 10 states.

This annual program considers grant requests from eligible nonprofits and schools that focus on specific, short-term projects that promise measurable results to improve the environment. The projects support one or more of the following priorities: educating k-12 students and the public about environmental stewardship, protecting and preserving natural habitats, and improving open spaces and making nature accessible. In West Virginia, the 2019 Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation awarded seven organizations with grants totaling $75,000.

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