Churchill Valley Greenway Management & Stewardship Plan

After years of hard work together with grassroots supporters, Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) successfully conserved the 151-acre Churchill Valley Greenway in 2021. Soon after, we worked with stakeholders, LaQuatra Bonci, Oikos Ecology, and staff to launch a Conceptual Planning Report to get started on maintaining and improving this green space.

We’ve already made many improvements since then – from replacing bridge decking to replacing invasive plants with young native trees – pictured above are Moss Side Middle School students navigating a switchback trail to get to a tree planting area this fall at the Greenway (they planted ~340 trees!).

Now, ALT is working once again with the community surrounding Churchill Valley Greenway to create a Management & Stewardship Plan for the land. In partnership with Pashek+MTR, we are taking on a community-driven planning process to assess the site’s current conditions and understand community needs. Together, we will outline a plan for greenway access and interpretation, ecological management, and community engagement. 

We have hosted two public information sessions to garner community input from more than 100 community members. Find the presentation from those meetings linked here: Churchill Valley Greenway Public Meeting 1 ; find a recording of the virtual session here (link). Volunteers also joined us for a visioning session to discuss current and future opportunities to improve the health and vitality of the site with their support. 

Thank you to all who provided input.  These sessions were an important opportunity for stakeholders of all kinds – neighbors, hikers, bikers, birders, community groups, volunteers, etc. – to offer their thoughts and ideas about the future care for and usage of the green space. This input is being integrated into the plan.

Check back here for updates on the plan; we will host a future meeting to share findings and recommendations.

This planning process is made possible thanks to funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Allegheny County Regional Asset District.