ALT’s Latest Land Conservation Effort – North Park Greenway
There is still time to help us raise the remaining $50,000 needed to complete this purchase. Please visit the property overview page to see how you can help.
Allegheny Land Trust’s latest conservation effort is in the North Hills of Allegheny County in Pine Township. The 73-acre property adjacent to North Park includes Irwin Run and an abandoned section of Irwin Road that provides a beautiful hiking trail following the creek. To date, $454,000 of the $504,000 needed to complete this project has been raised. The landowner has granted an extension through June 30th, giving us additional time to raise the remaining $50,000 needed to close on the property. Details about how you can help and more information about the property is available on the North Park Greenway Overview page.
Environmental Stewardship Symposium
Date: Saturday, July 11th, 2009
Time: 8:30 AM to 3 PM (including lunch)
Place: Frick Environmental Charter School, 829 Milton Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
Allegheny Land Trust is co-hosting the Pittsburgh Regional Environmental Stewardship Symposium which will be held on Saturday, July 11th at the Frick Environmental Charter School in Regent Square. The keynote speaker for the symposium is Steven Handel, Ph.D., Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University and Director of the Center for Urban Restoration Ecology, a joint initiative of Rutgers and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. In addition to the keynote speech, topics to be covered include invasive and native plant look-a-likes, gardening with showy natives, a restoration tour of Nine Mile Run, a neighborhood street tree tour, and edible landscapes. For additional information about the symposium including fees and a registration form, please download the Environmental Stewardship Symposium brochure (PDF file).
Emerald Ash Borer Surveys in Western Pennsylvania
Several state and federal agencies, in collaboration with Penn State Cooperative Extension, are on the lookout for various species of invasive insects once again this summer. Survey efforts are targeting the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) which is deadly to ash trees. The emerald ash borer is a small beetle with stealth-like behavior patterns that make it extremely difficult to detect. If not managed, the beetle threatens to devastate the ash species in North America.
To detect emerald ash borer, survey crews are hanging purple panel sticky traps in trees. Traps were placed in ash trees within predetermined grids measuring 1.5 square miles. Resembling a box kite, these traps are three-sided and coated with nontoxic glue, with each panel measuring about 14 inches by 24 inches. Officials are asking for the public’s cooperation in ensuring that these traps are undisturbed so they can provide important information on the distribution of the emerald ash borer in Pennsylvania. "We realize that these traps may be unsightly to some and a source of entertainment to others, but in order for the purple panel sticky traps to work, they must be left alone," said Greg Hoover, Ornamental Extension Entomologist in Penn State’s Department of Entomology.
For additional information, please read the Penn State press release or visit their web site, http://ento.psu.edu/extension/trees-shrubs/emerald-ash-borer.
Bounty in the Barn Returns October 3rd
Mark your calendars now for the 2nd Annual Bounty in the Barn Harvest Celebration. This year the event will be held on Saturday, October 3rd from 6:30 to 10:30 PM and is graciously hosted by Jodie and Bill Welge at their historic barn in Sewickley Heights. Elements Catering will prepare the food—a catered al fresco meal inspired by the Spanish countryside featuring wines and local organic produce. Musical entertainment will be provided by the The NewLanders. Additional details will follow.
Bounty in the Barn tickets are $100 per person and must be purchased in advance. You can purchase tickets on line using a credit card through our secure Click & Pledge service, or you can complete an on-line order form, print it and mail it to us with your check. Remember, all proceeds from Bounty in the Barn benefit Allegheny Land Trust’s conservation efforts. Please respond by September 23rd.
Click here for a slide show of scenes from last year’s Bounty in the Barn. (DSL or high-speed Internet connection is suggested.)
ALT Receives Earth Friend Award
Allegheny Land Trust was recently honored with an Earth Friend Award. This award honors friends, neighbors, schools, and organizations that are improving our environment and greening our community. The Earth Friend Award is presented by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and WTAE-TV, and is sponsored by SONY.
Download the ALT Earth Friend Award video in Windows Media format or QuickTime format.
AMD Project Underway at Wingfield Pines
Heavy equipment forms AMD sedimentation ponds.
After more than five years of raising funds and seeking necessary approvals, work has begun on Allegheny Land Trust’s abandoned mine drainage (AMD) remediation project at the Wingfield Pines property in Upper St. Clair Township. You can find out more about this exciting project and see its progress on the Special Projects - AMD Treatment System page.
Due to construction of the AMD treatment system, we ask that visitors to Wingfield Pines avoid the construction area. Meanwhile, please feel free to enjoy the southern end of the property. For more information, see the Wingfield Pines Property pages.
Trust Protects An Additional 40 Acres Along Great Allegheny Passage
The 40-acre expansion of Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation
Area is outlined in red. The black outline shows
the boundaries of the original 400 acres.
Allegheny Land Trust has recently acquired 40 acres along the Youghiogheny River and Great Allegheny Passage that will be added to the Trust's existing 400-acre Dead Man's Hollow Conservation Area. The expanded preserve is the largest privately protected conservation area in Allegheny County and encompasses 440 acres in Elizabeth Township, Lincoln and Liberty Boroughs. Major support from Colcom Foundation enabled the Trust to acquire this important new parcel of highly significant wildlife habitat that has a vertical drop of over 400 feet to the Youghiogheny River. The Allegheny County Natural Heritage Inventory identified the Dead Man's Hollow watershed as one of the county's most significant Biological Diversity Areas. See the Trust’s News Release for complete details of this acquisition.
Expansion of the Dead Man's Hollow Conservation Area is an important step in implementation of the ALT Greenprint, a regional land conservation plan with priorities that provide the greatest public benefit. The Dead Man's Hollow property exemplifies a Greenprint property with all three criteria: recorded biological diversity, water management capacity, and highly visible lands that define scenic character.
To learn more about the Dead Man's Hollow Conservation Area, please see Dead Man's Hollow in our Properties section.
An Audio Tour of Sycamore Island
Join Allegheny Land Trust’s Roy Kraynyk and Pat McShea as they take Allegheny Front listeners on an audio tour of Sycamore Island. As they explore the island’s wildlife, you’ll learn about the hardwood habitat that makes the island so unique and the waterfowl that use the island as a stopping point during migration. You’ll also learn about the Trust’s management plan for the island which includes control and removal of invasive plant species.
Aerial view of Sycamore Island, situated in
the Allegheny River near Blawnox, PA.
Sycamore Island, located in the Allegheny River near Blawnox, is the last remaining privately-owned, undeveloped island in Allegheny County. It hosts a unique floodplain hardwood forest—among the most rare plant community types globally. The Allegheny County Natural Heritage Inventory included Sycamore Island as part of the “Allegheny River BDA (Biological Diversity Area) Natural Heritage Area” which has a ranking of “High Significance.”
Thanks to diligent work by Allegheny Land Trust and generous funding from the Colcom Foundation, Allegheny Land Trust acquired ownership of Sycamore Island which will protect it forever from development. Please see Sycamore Island in our Properties section for more about this important conservation effort. To learn about the formation of the Allegheny River islands, see this excellent article by Paul g. Wiegman in the Tribune-Review.
Wingfield Pines Master Plan Completed
Joel Perkovich, Mary Walton and Brian Chilcott taking a break
at Wingfield Pines Landing. (Click picture for a larger image.)
University of Michigan Landscape Architecture Graduate Students, Brian Chilcott, Joel Perkovich, and Mary Walton, have completed a Master Plan for Allegheny Land Trust’s Wingfield Pines property. This project was undertaken to fulfill part of the requirements for the Master of Landscape Architecture degree at the University of Michigan. Shown at right are Joel, Mary and Brian as they take a break during hands on construction of one of their recommendations to improve the Wingfield Pines Landing Canoe Launch.
Roy Kraynyk, Executive Director, expressed the Trust’s appreciation: “ALT is grateful for the hard work, talent and dedication that Joel, Mary and Brian demonstrated over the past 18 months on developing the Master Plan. Best of luck to them as they launch their professional careers!”
Please visit the Wingfield Pines Overview page where you can find a link to a video of the group’s Master’s Project Symposium presentation or read the complete Master Plan Report, Reinventing Wingfield Pines: Creating a Regional Showcase for Floodplain Rehabilitation in a Post-mined Landscape. You’ll also find information about other restoration plans for Wingfield Pines.
It's your Community, your Future and your Choice
Since 1993, ALT has protected more than 1,400 acres in 18 municipalities in Allegheny and Washington Counties. These lands help to manage storm and floodwaters, provide scenic beauty and protect wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Secondary benefits include opportunities for non-motorized passive recreation such as hiking, improved marketability and value of adjacent properties and preservation of a community’s rural character.
A wooded slope NOT protected
by Allegheny Land Trust
What is Allegheny Land Trust doing to curb this trend?
Allegheny Land Trust empowers people to shape the future of their community by providing the technical skills and know-how to protect treasured local open space. Green space is more vulnerable than ever as public subsidies are now being used to transform local green space into suburban sprawl.
Please take a few moments to explore our web site to learn more about ALT and our land conservation practices and programs.