ST. LOUIS, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- AmerenUE has published an activity book for ages 7 through 11 and a coloring book for ages 5 to 7 to help children not only stay safe around electricity but also understand the need to plant the right tree in the right place to avoid tree contact with power lines.
Found on http://www.ameren.com/education, these books (http://www.ameren.com/imagesSite/ADC_CBimage.jpg) will be widely available to elementary school teachers either by printing them from the Ameren Web site or by requesting quantities be sent to them after completing a form on the Web site. The coloring book offers a tale of a Mama Bird trying to find a tree for her nest and includes charming drawings of animals, trees and landscapes as it follows the bird's pursuit of the perfect nesting spot. The activity book includes a nature decoder using clever symbols, a leaf detection game, a maze, even a crossword puzzle.
Publication of these colorful books was prompted by a community leader who urged the company to begin early to spread the word about the need to be careful around electricity and to plant the right trees in the right place. "The publication of these texts corresponds with the beginning of Fall and the period when tree-planting is at its height," says Karen Foss, vice president, AmerenUE Public Relations. "We believe these books will give children an early understanding of the importance of picking the right trees before planting them."
"This is all about improving reliability -- trees are a major source of service interruptions," says Ray Wiesehan, Ameren manager of Safety and Resource Management. "We are trying to get everyone from even an early age to realize that planting trees directly beneath power lines, near poles or too close to electrical equipment can mean problems for everyone -- the property owner where the tree has been planted and folks all along the line serving that area."
AmerenUE is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation. Ameren companies serve 2.4 million electric customers and nearly one million natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area of Missouri and Illinois.
SOURCE: AmerenUE
CONTACT: Susan Gallagher, +1-314-554-2175, or Mike Cleary,
+1-573-681-7137, both of AmerenUE
Web site: http://www.ameren.com/education