Allegheny Land Trust
Helping local people save local land
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The Winter 2011 issue of VISTAS is available on line. You’ll find it in our VISTAS Archive. Click on the link below to get your own copy in the mail.
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Conservation
News and Events
Allegheny County’s Greenways map now includes the ALT Greenprint, highlighting areas with the highest priority for conservation. You can download the Greenways map which is part of Allegheny Places, Allegheny County’s Comprehensive Plan.
An IRA Charitable Rollover permits individuals age 70½ and above to make charitable donations (think ALT!) of up to $100,000 from Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and Roth IRAs without having to count the distributions as taxable income. For information, please see the Independent Sector web site which also discusses proposed improvements to the law.
ALT Preserves Nine Acres in Sewickley Heights
Meadow of wild flowers at newly preserved
property in Sewickley Heights.
Allegheny Land Trust has just acquired an additional nine acres for preservation in Sewickley Heights. The land, located along Scaife Road, features scenic meadows and a pond lying within the Little Sewickley Creek Watershed.
Roy Kraynyk, executive director of Allegheny Land Trust, said the property contributes to the quality of life and the character of Sewickley Heights. It will offer recreational opportunities and provide an area where individuals can hunt, hike and walk their dogs. The Sewickley Heights Vision Plan recognized the site as being a high priority for conservation.
The $520,000 cost of the land was provided by anonymous donors.
GigaPan Views of Sycamore Island and the Allegheny River
A small portion of the panoramic photo taken at
Sycamore Island’s northeast tip.
Visit the Sycamore Island Images page to see GigaPan photos of Sycamore Island and the Allegheny River vicinity. These are 360 degree panoramas taken this fall by Richard Palmer. Be sure to pan around and zoom in and out.
Allegheny Land Trust Promotes Urban EcoStewards Program
Recently, ALT has joined in a partnership with other local non-profits, such as Allegheny Cleanways, the Frick Environmental Center, Mount Washington Community Development Corporation, Nine Mile Run Watershed Association and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, to promote the Urban EcoStewards program.
The Urban EcoSteward program is a collaborative effort involving citizens to increase public awareness of urban ecology and biodiversity through stewardship of the urban landscape. EcoStewards volunteer at one of a list of designated green spaces in Allegheny County (which now includes Allegheny Land Trust Conservation Areas) working to remove invasive species, increase the beauty of the space and promote biodiversity. These volunteers are encouraged to visit their site as often as possible (at least 3-4 times per year) and provide feedback on the condition of the site.
The Urban EcoStewards program provides training throughout the year in various fields such as invasive species removal, shrub and wildflower ID and erosion control techniques.
For more information on becoming an Urban EcoSteward, please contact Emilie Cooper, Stewardship Coordinator, at or 412-741-2750.
A Tour of ALT Conservation Areas in 14 Days!
For the past two weeks, Allegheny Land Trust has had a featured blog spot on the Heinz Endowments website. Our entries have covered everything from canoeing around Sycamore Island to volunteer events on Mount Washington. Click here to go to the blog and learn more about the positive ways ALT is affecting Allegheny County residents and helping local people save local land!
Wingfield Pines AMD Treatment System Science
Check out new additions to the Science Section on the Wingfield Pines property pages. There you’ll find scientific proof that the new AMD treatment system is effectively cleansing the water that flows from an abandoned mine into Chartiers Creek. Over the past year, students from Duquesne University have collected data on water quality, hydrophytes (water plants) and fish. The data has been compiled and analyzed by Duquesne University graduate students Brent Milliron, Roman Becicka and Nate Reinhart.
ALT Protects An Additional 9.5 Acres
Allegheny Land Trust has recently protected an additional 9.5 acres of land. Bradford Woods Reserve, a 4.5-acre parcel in Bradford Woods Borough has been protected by a conservation easement. In Sewickley Heights Borough, the purchase of a 5-acre parcel known as Hall’s Field is an integral part of an expanding greenway. You can learn more about these properties by visiting their respective property pages which are linked above.
Please visit our Archives Page for older articles from this page.
It’s your Community, your Future and your Choice
Since 1993, ALT has protected more than 1,500 acres in 21 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.