Environmental Nonprofits Launch Shared CFO Position

September 5, 2017
For Immediate Release

Pittsburgh, PA – Five environmental nonprofits have established an innovative Shared Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position, which launched last week.

Allegheny Land Trust (ALT), Hollow Oak Land Trust (HOLT), Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC), Three Rivers Waterkeeper (TRW), and Venture Outdoors (VO) formed the resource-sharing position to increase the abilities of each nonprofit to produce better reporting, transparency, financial management capabilities and strategic financial planning.

Karen Wood, CPA was hired by the five nonprofits to take on the responsibility of collaborating with each organization’s leadership and boards in managing finances and growth of each organization. The shared CFO position was modeled after two other successful shared CFO collaboratives in Pittsburgh–The Environmental Finance Collaborative and The Arts Finance Cohort. Learning from those programs, the nonprofits adapted those programs to allow Wood to service a cohort of varying size, complexity and geographic reach.

“In a City where the not for profit community provides so many critical resources, it is imperative that this work takes advantage of opportunities to realize efficiencies. The shared CFO model is designed to provide significant financial expertise to a broad group of organizations and in a structure which maximizes the new resource while minimizing the cost to each organization,” Justin Stockdale, Western Regional Director of the Pennsylvania Resources Council, said. “These five organizations will each become stronger as we collaborate in employment of this executive level financial resource.”

Each nonprofit works to improve the region’s environmental health, making the partnership a natural one as they have aligned missions and funding streams.

“We wanted to ensure the shared CFO could have the time and focus to be able to intimately understand each nonprofit’s mission and to align financial management capabilities in support of those goals.,” Venture Outdoors Executive Director Joey-Linn Ulrich said. “Many of us have used for-hire intermittent services or consultants that don’t quite meet our goals or strategic financial planning that we can get through this program.”

Wood is a Pennsylvania licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA), and a member of the American Institute of CPA’s and of the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA’s. She has worked for the past nine years with Ruzomberka Holland Renk Smith (RHRS), a full-service accounting firm based in Franklin Park. In her position with RHRS, Karen specialized in all aspects of nonprofit accounting and consulting, accounting software consulting and support, bookkeeping support and client care, and payroll and sales taxes, in addition to providing tax, accounting and attest services.

“I am honored to be part of this highly respected team of organizations, who put forth such enormous efforts every day to make our region and state a better place to live for all of us. In over 30 years of working with nonprofits, I am all too familiar with the common paradox that small to mid-sized organizations face, of complicated finances paired with tiny administrative budgets. The result is that most of these organizations operate without the kind of support they need to be able to stay on top of a complicated web of operating finances, complex accounting rules, and agency regulations,” Wood said. “I look forward to helping each organization improve their efficiency, gain valuable insights on the costs and benefits of their programs, and access more useful information for budgeting, management and oversight.”

The goals for the position are to increase the efficiency, planning, performance and reporting capabilities of each organization to ensure ongoing financial sustainability and ability to achieve mission related goals.

—

About Allegheny Land Trust (ALT)
Founded as a nonprofit in 1993 in response to the rapidly declining amount of green space in Allegheny County, ALT has protected more than 2,100 acres to preserve our region’s unique natural beauty, provide accessible outdoor recreational opportunities, improve water quality, sustain biodiversity, and enhance the overall quality of life for all. ALT’s mission has expanded in recent years to include innovative methods of land conservation in support of community needs for urban green space as well the addition of a professional environmental education team teaching people of all ages to understand and appreciate the natural world. More information can be found at alleghenylandtrust.org.

About Hollow Oak Land Trust (HOLT)
Founded in 1991, the HOLT is a nonprofit conservation organization that protects and connects greenspace with an emphasis in the Pittsburgh Airport Corridor. Currently protecting five conservation areas and two easements, totaling nearly 500 acres, HOLT protects land to maintain and enhance their ecological values. Protected wildlife habitats include mature forest, steep slopes, floodplains, wetlands, and meadows. More information can be found at hollowoak.org.

About Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC)
PRC is Pennsylvania’s oldest grassroots environmental organization. Since 1939, PRC has worked to protect the Commonwealth’s resources for future generations through environmental education, recycling and waste diversion programs, anti-litter campaigns, and much more. PRC’s mission is to lead and promote individual and collective actions to preserve Pennsylvania’s environmental resources for each generation. More information can be found at prc.org.

About Three Rivers Waterkeeper (3RW)
3RW mission is to protect the water quality of the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers, and their respective watersheds. 3RW do this by patrolling the rivers with the Waterkeeper boats, monitoring water quality, evaluating incidents of pollution, reviewing permits, supporting community education, and holding polluters accountable to our nation’s clean water laws. More information can be found at threeriverswaterkeeper.org.

About Venture Outdoors (VO)
Venture Outdoors is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting everyone to the benefits of outdoor recreation throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania. We believe everyone deserves the chance to experience how incredibly fun the outdoors can be, so we provide the gear, guidance, and inspiration to make outdoor recreation¬ part of people’s lives. Venture Outdoors offers over 800 programs a year including kayaking, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, fishing, cross country skiing, and geocaching trips for all ages and skill levels. More information can be found at ventureoutdoors.org.

Grow Pittsburgh & ALT Partner for Urban Agriculture

August 22, 2017

For Immediate Release

 

JOINT VENTURE FORMED TO PROTECT URBAN AGRICULTURAL LAND

Two Pittsburgh-area nonprofits, Grow Pittsburgh and Allegheny Land Trust (ALT), announced today that they will partner on a joint venture to protect and preserve selected urban agricultural lands in perpetuity.

The joint venture, Three Rivers Agricultural Land Initiative, will provide long-term security for existing community gardens and urban farms, and ensure that future urban agricultural expansion will be planned and conducted on protected land. The initiative will create the stability necessary to foster a vibrant, sustainable and expanding urban agriculture movement by removing the threat of future sales of agricultural lands for other development purposes.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with ALT, a regional leader in conservation and green space protection, to create this innovative program,” Grow Pittsburgh Executive Director Jake Seltman said. “Increasing development pressure in many Pittsburgh neighborhoods is causing concern among gardeners, farmers and government partners that they may lose their precious spaces to other uses. This initiative will give the community a tool to help support the long-term success of existing projects, and build the confidence necessary to develop new ones.”

“Green space is increasingly cited as a key component to the livability and sustainability of urban areas and one of the reasons for this is urban agriculture. ALT is really proud to work with Grow Pittsburgh to protect land that can be used by community members to reduce food insecurity,” said Chris Beichner, ALT’s President and CEO. “Grow Pittsburgh and their partners have done an amazing job in fostering urban ag in the region, and we’re happy to contribute to that momentum by providing land security.”

This partnership leverages the proven experience and skillsets of the two well-respected non-profit organizations. ALT will contribute its expertise as an accredited land trust to acquire and manage lands in perpetuity, while Grow Pittsburgh will provide its leadership in operating urban farms and assisting neighborhoods in starting and sustaining community gardens.

“We can empathize with the frustration of a well-organized community group being unable to identify a place in their community where a garden will be welcomed long-term, or when a well-loved community garden is lost to an alternate land use,” Seltman said. “These projects become community anchors, playing a significant role in the social fabric of a neighborhood, and providing important food resources and they need to be protected.”

Community gardens and urban farms provide environmental benefits including stormwater mitigation, pollinator habitat creation and neighborhood food insecurity reduction. There are more than 80 community gardens and urban farms in Allegheny County, many of which are using land without a formal land use agreement or have only temporary permission. With this initiative, Pittsburgh will join Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago and Providence, which all have land trusts dedicated to protecting urban agriculture projects.

The Three Rivers Agricultural Land Initiative will be governed by a nine-person steering committee consisting of representatives from Grow Pittsburgh, Allegheny Land Trust and three representatives from local community gardening groups. For anyone interested in serving as a community representative, applications and nominations for the three steering committee positions are open until September 8th.  The steering committee form is available both on Grow Pittsburgh and Allegheny Land Trust’s websites.

 

About Grow Pittsburgh 

Grow Pittsburgh’s mission is to teach people how to grow food and promote the benefits that gardens bring to our neighborhoods. The organization was founded in 2005, and has been a registered 501c(3) entity since 2008. We use growing food as a platform to bring people and communities together, while inspiring them to be healthier individuals, learn new skills, care for the earth and make our city and region a more livable, equitable and desirable place to be. Please visit our website to learn more about the distinct programs and production sites that provide opportunities for people of all ages to grow their own food. More information can be found at growpittsburgh.org.

Contact: Jake Seltman | jake@growpittsburgh.org | 412-362-4769 x201

About Allegheny Land Trust

Founded as a nonprofit in 1993 in response to the rapidly declining amount of green space in Allegheny County, ALT has protected more than 2,100 acres to preserve our region’s unique natural beauty, provide accessible outdoor recreational opportunities, improve water quality, sustain biodiversity, and enhance the overall quality of life for all. ALT’s mission has expanded in recent years to include innovative methods of land conservation in support of community needs for urban green space as well the addition of a professional environmental education team teaching people of all ages to understand and appreciate the natural world. More information can be found at alleghenylandtrust.org.

Contact: Lindsay Dill | ldill@alleghenylandtrust.org | 412-741-2750 x206

 

 

Steering Committee Interest Form   |   Initiative Summary

Experts & Volunteers Log 500 New Species

Through the Power of Citizen Science, Wingfield Pines’ Ecology is Tracked

Thanks to attendee experts and volunteers of our Bioblitz series, more than 500 new species have been logged at Wingfiled Pines.

Using iNaturalist, a crowd-sourced biodiversity tracking app, Bioblitz attendees have begun the process of tracking change over time for existing species, and created a framework for continuing to log new species. All of this allows us to paint a more complete picture of Wingfield Pines’ ecological health and effects of changes in the environment on the green space. We’ll share more species details in our next Vistas Newsletter.

This day was possible thanks to a partnership with Upper St. Clair Citizens for Land Stewardship, who attracted our experts, volunteers, and food/refreshment donors. We’re also very thankful for all of our taxa experts from Blue Heron Nature Skills, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc, Duquesne University, Point Park University, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club. Finally, a belly-rubbing thank you to our food and refreshment donors: Baskin Robins, Chipoltle, Chick-fil-A and Eat-n-Park of Upper St. Clair, and Dunkin Donuts and Panera Bread of Mt. Lebanon.

Missed out on the first three? We’ll have one final Bioblitz at Wingfield Pines this year on September 30. As the date approaches, keep an eye on our website calendar, our e-blasts, or our social media for the RSVP link and hike topics for the day.

ALT Joins in Urging Public Support for Environmental & Sustainability Issues

As Earth Day is upon us, our President & CEO is joining leaders from 24 other local environmental and community organizations at a press conference on April 20 at the Energy Innovation Center to urge the public to be aware of and get more involved in environmental and sustainability issues.
 
“It is important for all of us who live in Western Pennsylvania to understand and appreciate the environmental accomplishments that have been achieved over the past several decades and to recognize the incredible contribution they have made to our region’s economic resurgence and quality of life.
 
Now more than ever, we must all work together to show our support for this progress and for continued environmental protection so that we may advance, not reverse, this positive momentum.”
 
– President & CEO Chris Beichner

RELEASE: DCNR Names Pittsburgh Green Space “Wild Plant Sanctuary”

*MARCH 7, 2017 UPDATE*

ALT will hold a designation ceremony & a plant identification hike with its Environmental Education Team experts on May 7, 2017 in honor of this distinction. To RSVP, check back on our website calendar and Eventbrite page as the date approaches.

McKeesport, PA – Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) designated Dead Man’s Hollow as part of the Wild Plant Sanctuary Program in January 2017.

The goal of the Wild Plant Sanctuary Program is to recognize some of the best examples of habitat supporting state‐listed species of concern. The property in question must function as an exceptional refuge for Pennsylvania’s natural heritage.

“We would like to commend (ALT’s) continued efforts to conserve native wild plants in Pennsylvania,” DCNR said in the designation letter.

Owned and managed by Allegheny Land Trust, the 450-acre Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation Area (DMH) sits along the Great Allegheny Passage in McKeesport boasts an abundant wildflower population and other natural wonders.

DMH is the largest privately-protected conservation area in Allegheny County and was once the site of a thriving industrial area. Time and nature have reclaimed the site, and visitors today can get close to nature as they trek over 6 miles of woodland trail, leading to vistas that tell of a rich history.

ALT is currently implementing a management plan to expand recreational opportunities at the conservation area while protecting the Hollow’s unique spaces and habitats.

For more information, contact Lindsay Dill at 412.741.2750 x206 or ldill@alleghenylandtrust.org.

Read more in coverage from WESA and the Tribune-Review.

Tree Felling at Conservation Areas

As you may have read in our 2016 third quarter issue of Vistas, we’ve begun two habitat restoration projects in partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to create young forest habitat. The restoration involves significant tree felling at Audubon Greenway and will soon begin at Dead Man’s Hollow.

While the resulting open canopy can be a shocking view at first, it’s a crucial step towards eliminating invasive plant species and creating optimal conditions for a young, native forest to grow. We wanted to share the Vistas article again and information from other sources to reiterate the reasoning behind the project and why cutting the trees is good for the forest.

Read about the benefits of young forest’s here on the American Forest Foundation’s website.

“I am so glad that ALT decided to work with the Game Commission to complete this beneficial habitat project. This is a great initiative to create more quality early successional habitat in this area. I will be citing this project as an example for years to come and piggyback on its success to get more work accomplished here on Boro property.”

– Nate Briggs
Forester/Emergency Management Coordinator
Sewickley Heights Borough

Article from 2016 Q3 Vistas

by Emilie Rzotkiewicz | ALT Vice President of Land Resources

The great outdoors are just that—great. But not all species in a given environment are valued equally. Just as you have a preference when it comes to your favorite hiking trails, snacks, views, etc., so too do flora and fauna have preferences for habitat.

At ALT, we protect green space that contributes to our region’s scenic quality, biodiversity, and water quality. We also track and measure species behavior; we notice when Japenese Knotweed is retaking a recently-cleared hillside, when a rare bird species is visiting a green space for the first time, or when butterfly eggs are mistakenly laid on Garlic Mustard.

During the next few months, ALT is partnering with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to create better wildlife habitat at Audubon Greenway and Dead Man’s Hollow. Visitors will notice spray paint markings on the trees, contractors coming and going and some noise when the work is underway. We will do our best to keep you updated, but the timing is weather and contract dependent. We will be treating non-native, invasive plants, restoring native grasslands and wildflower meadows, and creating a healthier, younger forest.

In general, our state has very little early successional or young forest habitat, which are critical habitats to a number of wildlife species, including black-billed cuckoo, yellow-breasted chat, red-winged blackbird, eastern cottontail, American goldfinch, and endless numbers of bees, butterflies, and more. To accomplish this, we must remove the overstory – larger, taller trees shading young trees, hardwoods, brush, etc – to create canopy gaps. You will see some significant tree cutting in some areas as we rid the woods of the unwanted invasive, Norway maple, buckthorn thickets, and oriental bittersweet vines.

The coming months may not look as pretty to the eye with downed trees and dead invasives, but please remember this is just short term. The wildlife will scurry about the down tree tops and the soil will get a boost of nutrients as the debris decomposes into the ground. In no time at all the forest will begin to regenerate and a healthier one at that!

AUDUBON GREENWAY

We’ll be focusing on two different habitats— the woods and meadows. We will create young forest habitat, control nonnative, invasive plants, restore native grasses and wildflowers, and thin the forest. This will leave desirable trees, like oaks and hickories, while controlling unwanted plants in the understory, resulting in a far healthier future forest.

We will treat the fields this fall to prepare for a spring seed planting. Years of frequent mowing have removed cover for wildlife, such as native songbirds, and suppressed the native wildflowers that support pollinator species like bees and butterflies. We will plant warm season grasses and native wildflowers. The woods lack diversity with a shift to tree species like red maple, black birch and sassafras – these species have less value to wildlife. The cutting will promote the growth of oaks and hickories which provide an important food source.

DEAD MAN’S HOLLOW

At Dead Man’s Hollow we will be focusing on invasive removal and woodlands habitat improvement. The invasive work will primarily be focused around the newly developed trail system with a target of buckthorn, Japanese knotweed and Tree-of-Heaven. Significant tree removal will occur at the Calhoun entrance to the property as we cut Tree of Heaven and other non-wildlife-supporting species. Large acorn producing oaks and cherries will be left as food for wildlife.

If you have any additional questions, or are curious about more resources, please contact Emilie Rzotkiewicz at erzotkiewicz@alleghenylandtrust.org or 412-741-2750 x201.

RELEASE: Meet ALT’s New VP of Development & External Affairs

February 7, 2017

For Immediate Release

ALT Hires New Vice President of Development & External Affairs

Sewickley, PA – Thomas J. Dougherty has joined the Allegheny Land Trust as Vice President of Development & External Affairs.

“Tom brings a wealth of brand and relationship-building experience from his accomplished business career and we look forward to bolstering our marketing and development initiatives with his expertise and leadership,” said ALT President & CEO Chris Beichner.

Dougherty, formerly director of marketing at PPG, brings more than 30 years of marketing and business development experience to ALT where he will lead efforts to enhance public awareness of the organization and expand upon its strong base of support across individual, corporate, institutional and public contributors.

“The work that ALT does contributes to the quality of life in our region in so many ways,” Dougherty said. “I am truly honored to have the opportunity to contribute to an organization that has preserved thousands of acres of green space in and around Allegheny County, and I’m extremely excited about the amazing potential for additional conservation and environmental education.”

Three Conservation Areas Protected at Year’s End

January 3, 2017

For Immediate Release

 

Three Conservation Areas Protected at Year’s End

 

Sewickley, PA – Allegheny Land Trust closed on three properties December 29, 2016 totaling 123 acres in Bell Acres and Franklin Park Boroughs.

Two property acquisitions were made possible by fundraising campaigns orchestrated by Allegheny Land Trust(ALT). The other acquisition resulted from a partnership between ALT and the Little Sewickley Creek Watershed Association (LSCWA), which donated the land to ALT.

The 35-acre Bell Acres Borough parcel is adjacent to public lands already protected by Bell Acres Borough and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. ALT is working to protect one additional parcel to complete the Bell Acres extension project in 2017.

The 10-acre Franklin Park Borough parcel is part of ALT’s Linbrook Woodlands extension project, which included another 3-acre parcel protected in October 2016, and an additional adjacent parcel. Linbrook Woodlands is now a 181-acre conservation area adjacent to the borough-owned, 80-acre Linbrook Park.

The 76-acre parcel donated to ALT by LSCWA, called “Devil’s Hollow”, is located in Bell Acres Borough, and is adjacent to the expansive Sewickley Heights Borough Park.

“We are so happy to have permanently protected these green spaces in the Big and Little Sewickley Creek Watersheds,” ALT President & CEO Chris Beichner said. “Individual contributions and treasured partnerships are essential to our success, and serve as a direct testament to how important these lands are to the community.”

Each of these conservation areas provides significant public benefit to the community like protecting drinking water, maintaining and improving air quality, preserving wildlife habitat and increasing passive recreation opportunities, such as hiking, biking and horseback riding.

 

For more information, contact Lindsay Dill at 412.741.2750 x206 or ldill@alleghenylandtrust.org.

Sprout Fund Awards Grant to ALT & Jim West for Unveiling Event

December 16, 2016

For Immediate Release

Sewickley, PA – The Sprout Fund granted $1,000 to Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) for a June 2017 sculpture unveiling event by local artist Jim West at Sycamore Island.

Named “Our Path” for its commentary on two-way human and nature impact, West’s sculpture will be the first installed on an Allegheny Land Trust green space.

Our Path’s unveiling will bring local community members to the unique, river island to absorb the nature-inspired sculpture, enjoy a 1-mile oral history hiking tour of the island’s perimeter and to hear about the future for both the sculpture and the island.

“If done right, [art] gives the viewer what I call ‘the second look.’ You look away and then suddenly you look back; you see something else. And you think about it the next day,” West said. “I hope that is what I can achieve through my art.”

Sycamore Island is a 14-acre conservation area located in the Allegheny River between Blawnox and Verona boroughs. ALT protected the island in 2008, and has since created a management plan, trail system and volunteer base.

The Sprout Fund is Pittsburgh’s leading agency supporting innovative ideas, catalyzing community change, and making our region a better place to live, work, play, and raise a family.

Sprout provides critical financial support for projects and programs in the early stages of development—when just a small amount of investment has the potential to yield big results in the community.  The unveiling of Our Path was supported by a $1,000 Grand Ideas grant from The Sprout Fund’s Seed Award program.

Learn more at www.sproutfund.org/grand-ideas.

 

For more information, contact Lindsay Dill at 412.741.2750 x206 or ldill@alleghenylandtrust.org.