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VISTAS AN ALLEGHENY LAND TRUST PUBLICATION | 2017 Q1 Newsletter Content A YEAR IN REVIEW: 2016 2 ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION TEAM & DMH NEWS 3 DONOR RECOGNITION LIST, JOIN OUR BOARD 4-8 NOTES FROM THE LAND 9 EVENTS CALENDAR 10 MEET A STEWARD 11 2016: A Year to Remember by Chris Beichner | President & CEO We won’t soon forget 2016. Just looking at the infographic tells a ALLEGHENY LAND TRUST lot about our accomplishments over the past year. We were busy. 2016 IN REVIEW We accomplished a lot. We are happy with our results. But, the statistics do not tell the entire story, and we’re certainly not done reaching for our goals. Here are a few other ways that made 2016 4 NEW CONSERVATION OF 121 a year we won’t soon forget. AREAS ACRES In August 2016, ALT was officially notified of our national re-ac- protecting sequestering absorbing creditation status by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. Out of 1,700 land trusts nationwide, we are only one of 350 land CO2 trusts that are nationally accredited. The accreditation status sig- nifies to landowners, funders, and partners that we are committed 40,000 Trees 500,000 lbs 104M gal. of Carbon of Rainwater to a high standard of excellence in all aspects of our operations ALT’s volunteered donated and programming. We began our re-accreditation process in 2015, five years af- ter the original accreditation. It took us 18 months, five rounds of review, and more than 400 hours of time to complete the “audit” 574 5,039 $115,903 Volunteers Hours of In-Kind review of our communication, documentation, and decision pro- Investment cesses. removed planted completed Our renewed accreditation will not expire until August 2021. Here’s to another five years of high standards! This year also saw the launch of our new environmental educa- 3,747 lbs 3,000 2.5 miles tion team. In June 2016, ALT hired two certified teachers from The of Trash Trees of Trail Outdoor Classroom, which closed its doors in June. We also hired several part-time program facilitators to help bring our program- 1 New Ran Educated ming to various classrooms, scout camps, after-school programs, municipal parks, and our own conservation areas. Since June, we have provided programming to more than 5,000 children, adoles- Environmental 56 2,380 cents, and adults. Our goals are to provide programming at more Education Programs Students of our conservation areas and to bring new types of programming Team & 3,076 Community through unique partnerships. Members Finally, our conservation and stewardship teams have been as busy as ever protecting more land, preparing conservation ease- ments, managing a legion of volunteers, and completing various habitat projects. This past year saw us and our variety of great 948 Donors partners come even closer to protecting Hays Woods in the City raised of Pittsburgh to ensure that site becomes a future City park. Our $1.3M for ALT’s work stewardship team has organized numerous volunteer events plant- Allowing for us to have the roots to grow all of the above projects, volunteers, and accomplishments. ing trees, restoring habitats, removing invasive species, and main- Now, every Allegheny County resident is within taining trails. And as new land is protected, our team explores the 12 miles of an ALT conservation area. best management practices for each conservation area, compiling what they learn into a management plan. thank you! 2016 was a year to remember, but we can only look back for so long. With 2017 upon us, we have set our sights on the next best project, looking for great partnerships, and of course, looking forward to seeing you outside exploring or volunteering at a green space near you. For more information, e-mail Chris at [email protected]. 2 Making a Connection through Local Water by Jessica Kester | VP of Education “Odd,” passersby may have thought on that cool Saturday morning in May as they witnessed a dozen 6th grade students and their parents eagerly peering at Chartiers Creek yelling, “Go, Hercules! Go!” For the teachers, parents, and Harrison Middle School 6th graders, though, it was the culmination of months of learning. ALT’s Environmental Education Team had been working with these students for months, teaching them about macroinvertebrates, water quality, water pollution, and other bodies of water. All of this aimed to help them determine if the little trout fingerlings they were releasing that day would survive in the creek waters at the Wingfield Pines Conservation Area. Through grant funding from the Department of Environmental Protection and support from the Baldwin-Whitehall School Dis- trict, the students were able to raise Trout In The Classroom, and bring in ALT to do hands-on water conservation education programs with the students over the course of the school year. It’s activities like this—the trout release and leaf-pack macroinvertebrate stud- ies—that leave the students with lasting impressions on land and water conser- vation. These hands-on activities build a sense of responsibility and care in the students today to make them better land owners tomorrow. This is why we’re eager to bring more environmental education programming to more students and adults: Photo by Jessica Kester. Students to build a better, more healthy green future for us all. release trout into Chartiers Creek. For more information, e-mail Jessica at [email protected]. From Industrial Site to Wild Plant Sanctuary (LEFT) Photo by Lindsay Dill. A patch of Trillium from May 2016 on a steep slope. (RIGHT) Photo by Keri Rouse. ALT VP of Land Resources Emilie Rzotkiewicz surveys Dead Man’s Run headwaters. by Keri Rouse | Community Coordinator 200 acres of interior forest – habitat implementing management recommen- Too often, we see our treasured natu- that can support some of the state’s rare dations to both enhance recreational op- ral areas fall victim to development, dis- and threatened plants – the Hollow was portunities at the Hollow and better the use, misuse and other threats. designated as a part of the Wild Plant unique spaces and habitats found there. At Dead Man’s Hollow Conservation Sanctuary Program by Pennsylvania’s Keep an eye on our website calendar Area, the opposite has happened as the Department of Conservation and Natural for details about a May 7 wildflower once-industrial site transformed over Resources (DCNR) this January. hike to celebrate the Hollow’s Wild Plant the years into a biologically diverse con- DCNR developed the Wild Plant Sanc- Sanctuary designation as well as views servation area, home to an array of flora tuary Program to recognize private land- of the blooms. including Trillium, Virginia Bluebells, and owners for conserving and providing For more information, e-mail Keri at Jack in the Pulpit. Touting more than habitat for native plant species. ALT is [email protected]. 3 Thank You for Your Support in 2016 More than $100,000 $10,000-$49,999 $5,000-$9,999 Allegheny Regional Asset District Heinz Endowments Allegheny Financial Group Colcom Foundation Donna L. Kipp Blumling & Gusky, LLP PA Department of Conservation and Mr. & Mrs. John Lenzner EQT Foundation Natural Resources Massey Charitable Trust Jeremy Kubica Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny The Pittsburgh Foundation Thomas Marshall Foundation County PNC Foundation Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. McCargo Richard King Mellon Foundation Stanny Foundation Steve & Brenda Schlotterbeck Dave & Sally Wade Talisman Energy W.P. Snyder III Charitable Foundation PPG Industries Foundation $1,000-$4,999 Lisa D. Steagall & R. W. Allebach First National Bank North Allegheny Intermediate School Anonymous Fund 11 Google Inc. Student Council BNY Mellon Community Partnership Robin Hummel-Johnson Brian O’Brien Suzanne Broughton Independent Controllers Ray & Elsa Parker Tom & Julie Browand David Immonen & Kathleen Davis Stephen Quick & Karen Sloneker Jonathan & Ellen Caulkins Laurie & Rick Johnson William Recker Ann B. Coburn Manning Napier Foundation The Sprout Fund Suzannah Dalzell Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc. Tim & Carrie Stanny Earthshare Jessica Mooney Williams Coulson Johnson Lloyd Parker Henry & Mary Ewalt & Tedesco LLC $500-$999 Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Abell First American Title Insurance Company Sharran & Gary Novak Kenneth & Jennie Barker Wildlife Friends of Wingfield Pines Maryanne & Bob Purdy Preservation Fund Google Matching Gifts Program Stefan von Rintelen Confluence Financial Partners Stanley & Jill Herman Mr. & Mrs. Preston W. Shimer Jaimes C. Contreras Highmark Matching Funds Sisterson & Co. LLP George H. & Susan D. Craig Fund Roy Kraynyk Donna Wine Sylvia Dallas & John C. Oliver III Paula M. Lockhart Jeaneen Zappa Martha & Richard Munsch $250-$499 Amshel Charitable Foundation Peggy & Bill Kipp Seth Porter David Berman Scott & Joanne Kovaloski Jeffrey Quirke Mr. & Mrs. Fitzhugh L. Brown Brian McBane Joseph M. & Page C. Ritchey Charitable James L Cosgrove Lynn & William McIlroy Fund Sigo Falk Sally & Steve McVeigh Sharon R. Roseman & Paul M. Palevsky Mrs. Ronald E. Gebhardt Hazel & Simon Merrills Mr. & Mrs. William Roemer Margaret S. Gilfillan Alan S. & Patricia A. Miller Sally S. Ruffin Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Goff David Mylet Mr. & Mrs. Howard H. Shockey Robert Gordon Robert & Vicki Nebes Frank & Susan Simons Christine Graziano Mr. & Mrs. David Nimick Marguerite Standish Michael & Paula Heinricher Shirley Olander Hayes & Patricia Stover The Hillman Company James H. Oliver Henry & Karen Thorne Jill Hollingshead & William Rorison Robert Opat & Lou Ann Kinol John & Lindsay Totten Scott Holquist Laura & Tom Pangburn Mr. & Mrs. John W. Ubinger, Jr. Craig & Frances Kinney Robert & Christine Pietrandrea Linda Young 4 $100-$249 Peter Argentine Martha & Jim Haines Ron Painter Dr. & Mrs. Alan Axelson Jeanne Haury Kevin & Marguerite Park Mr. Sherman D. Bailey Beth & Bob Hedin Bill & Dolly Paul Jack & Valerie Baker Albert Heinricher Steve Pietropaoli & Amy Lovell Benefits Network Alice Hickey Sharon Pillar Tingle & Richard Barnes Jane & Larry Hitchins Dorothy & Neal Pollon Elizabeth Bernens Timothy Hogan Drs.