Skip to main content
Saluting veterans through ‘Saluting Branches’ in South Dakota
cemetary

Saluting Branches is a non-profit organization dedicated to recognizing and honoring veterans by having arborists donate free trees at national cemeteries across the United States.

We had seven volunteers and were able to thin and shape eight flowering crabapple trees at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, South Dakota. Donations of time, materials, employees, equipment, prizes and lunch came from Black Hills Energy, Wright Tree Service, Vermeer High Plains and Black Hills National Cemetery, with volunteers contributing their time, equipment and knowledge.

The work completed included various types of pruning, climbing, operating an aerial lift, and managing and chipping debris. Terry Corkins, director of Black Hills National Cemetery, was very pleased with the work that was done and happily invited us back for next year’s event, which we are all looking forward to.

Learn more about Saluting Branches

We partner with our communities and customers, providing the kind of energy that fuels those areas and the lives of those we serve. Feel free to share the stories and photos. Follow us on FacebookInstagram, LinkedIn,Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest for more!

Positive Energy

  • Valentine's Day is a time to show kindness and care to those we love. Oftentimes, we forget about our senior citizens and people in assisted living facilities. Years ago, KSLT Power 107.1, a radio station in Rapid City, South Dakota, started a Valentine's Day outreach program. Each year, they ask…
  • We hosted the January Box Elder Chamber of Commerce Mixer at the new Black Hills Energy Liberty Center in Box Elder, South Dakota. More than 100 local business leaders gathered to network and check out the impressive new facility, which opened in November. The Liberty Center was constructed by the…
  • Employees in Rapid City, South Dakota, partnered with Monument Health's Tough Enough to Wear Pink campaign recently. Employees sold and purchased 174 “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” T-shirts, raising $1,835 from employees and $1,740 from Black Hills Energy contributions. Employees also contributed $…
  • A few team members from our legal department braved the cold recently to help hand out food at a mobile food distribution in Rapid City, South Dakota. The volunteers helped load food directly into vehicles as part of a drive-through food distribution. It’s just one of many ways we can help our…