Save These Dates
Thursday, September 9, 2010, at 6:30 PM – Allegheny Land Trust has completed the study of Sycamore Island and will present the final recommendations and findings at the Sylvan Canoe Club in Verona. More information will be available soon.
Saturday, October 9, 2010, from 6:30 PM to 10:30 – The 3rd Annual Bounty in the Barn harvest celebration will take place in Sewickley Heights. Watch for more information later this summer.
Unique AMD Treatment System Dedicated
After years of planning and many months of construction, the Abandoned Mine Drainage (AMD) Treatment System at ALT's Wingfield Pines Conservation Area was officially dedicated on June 3, 2010. Nearly 100 people attended the unveiling that began with a welcoming breakfast provided by the USC Citizens for Land Stewardship. After a few remarks by attending dignitaries, everyone moved to the area around Pond #1 to witness the official opening of the treatment system. A future conservationist, assisted by Congressman Tim Murphy, had the honor of turning the valve that started water flowing through the aeration pipe into the first of five settling ponds. After that, attendees walked though the system and enjoyed the new boardwalk that meanders through the wetlands allowing close-up views of wildlife. Students from Duquesne University set-up ecology stations highlighting the wildlife that is returning to Wingfield Pines. Gary Rigdon provided an excellent picnic lunch to round out the festivities. For more on the dedication ceremony see our page of photos.
The AMD Treatment System filters 43 tons of iron oxide annually from one billion gallons of mine discharge. Some early sampling indicates that iron oxide is reduced from 13.9 mg/L in Pond #1 to 0.1 mg/L at the discharge site into Chartiers Creek. Click here for a brief description of how the system works. For more information and photos of the construction, please visit our Wingfield Pines Highlights page and Special Projects: AMD Treatment System page.
Even more information can be found in these media reports:
- the Wingfield Pines segment of WQED’s What’s in the Water series featuring the AMD Treatment System
- a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article (June 3, 2010) describing the AMD Treatment System and dedication ceremony
- article on The Allegheny Front website, Artful Water Remediation System Opens to Public
Spring Boat Tour 2010
At the 2009 “Bounty in the BarN,” a group of donors bid on a two-hour chartered boat tour aboard the RiverQuest Explorer. Over 65 guests joined ALT as we sailed the three rivers and celebrated local land conservation efforts. It was a beautiful evening and the spectacular views of Pittsburgh were enhanced by an excellent catered dinner. Please visit our Facebook page to see 24 photos from this event.
Allegheny Land Trust Needs Your Input!
We are applying for accreditation of our conservation practices through the Land Trust Alliance. As part of the review process, the Land Trust Accreditation Commission invites comments from our members, partners and donors. Please visit the Special Projects page to see how you can help ALT become an accredited land conservation organization.
An Opportunity of a Lifetime
Arrow indicates approximate location of tract to be added
to Emerald View Park, at the southwest end of
Mt. Washington. (Click to enlarge.)
Allegheny Land Trust and the Mt. Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC) are collaborating once more to protect a tract of wooded slopes, springs and trails on the back (south) side of Mt. Washington to add to the Emerald View Park, formerly known as Grand View Scenic Byway Park. Conserving the land as permanent green space will expand the Park, protect the scenic landscape and wildlife habitat, and help to control stormwater runoff. The tract connects other private and public green spaces and provides passive recreation in the form of hiking trails that provide distant views of the Saw Mill Run valley. Additionally, the dense woodlands help to buffer noise and air pollution from vehicle traffic on Saw Mill Run Blvd.
Allegheny Land Trust has received an $81,000 Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grant Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) toward the purchase of this 19-acre property on the south side of Mt. Washington to expand Emerald View Park. In addition to the DCNR grant, ALT has also received a $20,000 grant from the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation. (For more about these grants, please read our press release.) As of mid-June, nearly 70% of the funding for the project’s total cost of $224,000 has been received.
To find out more about this land protection project and learn how you can help, please see Emerald View Park Addition.
Allegheny Land Trust Announces Legacy Program
With ALT Conservation Areas located from Mt. Washington to Sewickley, the North and South Hills and the Mon Valley, Allegheny Land Trust has established the Legacy Society for our supporters who want to provide for the long-term care of the woodlands and natural spaces that make this area unique. "Allegheny County is gaining more and more national and recent world-wide attention for the beauty of its wooded hillsides. We've established the Legacy Society in response to the growing commitment by a special group of our local supporters who want to make sure that it stays that way by making a legacy gift to Allegheny Land Trust," says Rhonda Madden, Director of Development.
To find out more about Allegheny Land Trust's Legacy Society and how you can provide future support for local conservation and make a gift that costs nothing during your lifetime with possible tax benefits please visit our Legacy Society pages.
Dedication of Irwin Run Conservation Area
Over 40 people turned out for the Irwin Run Conservation Area Dedication on October 31st. Shown participating in the dedication ceremony are (l-r) Roy Kraynyk, ALT Executive Director; Phil Brooks, ALT Board Member; and Andy Baechle, Allegheny Parks Director. This project would not have been possible without the support and dedication of many individuals, organizations and partners. Read more about the Irwin Run Conservation Area on the Irwin Run Conservation Area Overview page.
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.
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.