Trust Adds to Grand View Scenic Byway Park
Allegheny Land Trust has purchased an 11.3-acre parcel from a private owner to be added to the Duquesne Heights side of the 228-acre Grand View Scenic Byway Park, bringing the total park acreage up to 239 acres. The parcel overlooks Route 51 and the West End.
For complete details of our latest project, please read the announcement and see a pictorial map of the park. Also see this story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and this article at POP City.
Allegheny Land Trust Protects Sycamore Island
An aerial view of Sycamore Island.
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. Also see this editorial in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Flood Control, Sustainable Land Development and ALT’s GREENPRINT
In a recent Pop City e-magazine article, Roy Kraynyk, Allegheny Land Trust Executive Director, explains how woodlands play an integral role in keeping rainwater from becoming floodwater and how sustainable land development, guided by the Trust’s GREENPRINT strategic plan can make this a reality.
An Ounce of Flood Prevention is Worth a Pound of Flood Control
Flooding in Pittsburgh, ca. 1936??.
Heavy rains this summer have politicians and residents in affected communities talking again about flood control. But Roy Kraynyk, Allegheny Land Trust Executive Director, suggests a different approach-flood prevention. The Water Resources Task Force of the University of Pittsburgh's Institute of Politics toured the Chartiers Creek watershed in early September. During a stop at Allegheny Land Trust's Wingfield Pines Conservation Area, Roy Kraynyk talked to the group about flood prevention using floodplains and woodlands as cost effective and sustainable tools that can address the threats of flooding, sewer overflows and landslides. To read the complete text of Roy’s timely and enlightening remarks, please see Flood Prevention - Preventing Rainwater from Becoming Storm Water in Our Streams and Floodwater in Our Streets. For more information about the Wingfield Pines Conservation Area and other ALT properties, please visit our Properties pages.
Wingfield Pines Master Plan Completed
Joel Perkovich, Mary Walton and Brian Chilcott taking a break
at Wingfield Pines Landing. (Click 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.
Regional Water Management Task Force
The Regional Water Management Task Force is an 11-county effort to improve regional cooperation in addressing southwestern Pennsylvania's water and sewage challenges. The initiative is led by an independent task force that has high-level representation from all 11 counties, is endorsed by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and is chaired by Carnegie Mellon University president Jared Cohon. ALT Executive Director, Roy Kraynyk, serves on the Technical Advisory Committee of this task force. Please visit the task force website, www.iop.pitt.edu/water/, for a reports on goals and progress to date.
It's your Community, your Future and your Choice
Since 1993, ALT has protected more than 1,350 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 website to learn more about ALT and our land conservation practices and programs.