-- Energy provider makes $115,000 grant to build the only nursery
               dedicated to western Pennsylvania-native plants
  -- Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania facility to promote protection,
                      propagation of 1,500 plant species
-- Fox Chapel facility to include greenhouse as well as classroom, production
                               and retail space

    FOX CHAPEL, Pa., May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- A $115,000 grant has been awarded
to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania by Peoples Plus, the
Pittsburgh-based supplier of competitively priced energy and related products
and services, for the construction and first-year operating expenses of the
Audubon Center for Native Plants.
    The 1,440-square-foot center will allow the Audubon Society of Western
Pennsylvania to significantly expand its three-year-old program to preserve
and promote some 1,500 plant species that filled the region's landscape before
the arrival of European settlers and imported plants.  The center will be the
only one of its kind in western Pennsylvania dedicated to this work.
    The facility will include a greenhouse, a multipurpose space to be used
for classes and production, an office and retail space.  It will be built on a
half-acre site at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania's headquarters
at the Beechwood Farms Nature Preserve in suburban Pittsburgh.
    "This facility will greatly enhance our ability to teach the people of our
region about the importance of using native plants for landscaping," said
Mark S. McKellar, executive director of the Audubon Society of Western
Pennsylvania.  "Far too many non-native plants are now spreading out of
control in our forests and fields.  Many of these got their start as innocent
landscaping plants."
    Native plants will be available for purchase at the center by home and
professional gardeners, as well as for use in restoration and education
projects by other organizations.
    Mr. McKellar noted that in addition to being an ecologically wise
decision, landscaping with native plants also makes good economic sense.
    "Native plants are adapted to growing in our soil and climate, thus
requiring less care via water, fertilizers and frost protection," he said.
    Phil Riley, vice president of Peoples Plus, said his company is proud to
help such a worthwhile project.
    "As a part of the Pittsburgh-based Consolidated Natural Gas Company, we at
Peoples Plus share a long history of environmental stewardship, especially in
our home communities," Mr. Riley said.  "The Audubon Center for Native Plants
will be an invaluable addition to the betterment of western Pennsylvania for
generations to come."
    Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania began its work with native plants
in 1995 through the efforts of long-time volunteer and professional
horticulturist John Totten.  Since then, Audubon volunteers have collected
seeds for and cultivated more than 100 species of native plants.
    The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is a membership-supported,
non-profit environment, education and conservation organization dedicated to
increasing public awareness of the importance of ecologically sound
stewardship of the land and to foster understanding and appreciation of the
environment.  The 175-acre Beechwood Farms Nature Preserve, where the society
is headquartered, is the largest private environmental education center in
Allegheny County.
    Peoples Plus, a sister company to The Peoples Natural Gas Company, is the
largest non-utility provider of competitively priced natural gas and
electricity in Pennsylvania.  It also provides a variety of related products
and services to homes and businesses.  The parent company of Peoples Plus is
Consolidated Natural Gas Company (NYSE: CNG), one of the nation's largest
integrated natural gas companies.  Peoples Plus arranged for the grant to the
Audubon Society through the CNG Foundation, which is dedicated to the
improvement of the economic, physical and social health of the communities
served by the CNG companies.

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