This year, two miles of trails were built by hand at Montour Woods Conservation Area to complete the eight-mile trail system. Volunteer projects included extensions of the Honeydew Trail and Hemlocks Trail, plus creation of the new Highlands Trail. Over 1,500 hours included the following:  

• University Service Projects - Robert Morris University students building their service learning transcripts included fraternities DTD, KDR and AXP, as well
  as the general student body; University of Pittsburgh students participated in the Pitt Makes A Difference Day;  Duquesne University students of Dr. Brady Porter conducted stream surveys and Environmental Science grad student, Rob Dubas, monitored the water quality of Meeks Run.

• Trail Luv Wednesdays - community residents participated in weekly trail maintenance, March - October.  
   

• Corporate Land Stewardship sponsors Chevron Corporation, Eaton Corporation and Michael Baker International provided both volunteers and financial support for our trail work.

Hollow Oak provided educational opportunities and inspiration for several Moon Area students through our land stewardship programs. 

Hollow Oak hosted several outings open to community members to provide environmental education opportunities:
 

• A January "Owl Prowl" with National Aviary ornithologist Bob Mulvihill who treated 35 participants to sightings of five resident Eastern Screech Owls.     
    
• Venture Outdoors provided a Dutch Oven Hike in February and a Vernal Pools Hike in March, with assistance from Western PA Conservancy zoologist, Ryan Miller. Look for these programs again in 2014.

Board of Directors

For a nonprofit organization such as Hollow Oak to be effective, it needs a Board of Directors not only passionate about the mission, but also capable of governing the organization toward success. Our Board has grown from eight Directors in 2012 to 13 Directors in 2014, representing a diverse set of perspectives and skills.  
 

Congratulations to the newly elected Executive Committee:  President Laurie Plummer, Vice-President Tom Hodges, Secretary Jenny Fiscus and Treasurer Howard McEachern. We warmly welcome new Directors Zahava Bennett, Esq., Scott Conley and Amy Ottaviani, as well as returning directors Fred Kohun, Ph.D., Owen McElligott, Rick Mills, Ph.D., Dennis Pfeiffer, Darin Shaffer and Stacey Vaccaro. Without the guidance and hard work of these individuals, none of the success of our growing impact on the community would be possible.

Development Intern:

Kathleen Macie

In August, Kathleen Macie became the first Development intern at Hollow Oak Land Trust. She is a recent Biology graduate of Allegheny College and has experience in wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education. Kathleen manages the Hollow Oak social media, publishes the newsletter and helps write grant applications, all of which utilize her excellent liberal arts education and writing skills! Kathleen's office work is complimented by a range of field work at Montour Woods Conservation Area including trail maintenance and stream sampling.

Hollow Oak Land Trust collaborates with community partners such as municipalities, government agencies, schools and other nonprofit organizations. Here are a few highlights:

• Moon Township commissioned Hollow Oak to develop a comprehensive greenways map linking township parks with conservation areas, trails, business districts and neighborhoods. 
   
• Robert Morris University has contracted Hollow Oak to map and develop a woodland trail system on campus. This spring, Hollow Oak will teach RMU students, staff and faculty how to maintain those trails, while also identifying other potential trail connections to the community.
   
• The Allegheny County Conservation District installed a data logger for around-the-clock water quality monitoring in Meeks Run. 

Annual Meeting

Hollow Oak's Annual Meeting took place at Mario's Family Italian Restaurant and was well attended by board members, Hollow Oak members, and special guest Bob Mulvihill from the National Aviary. It was a night of good food, great company, and Bob's fascinating presentation was "for the birds."

Thank you for your participation and your support of land stewardship!

Funding

As a nonprofit organization, Hollow Oak is supported first and foremost through membership and donations from the public, as well as corporate giving and foundation grants. In 2014, membership increased to nearly 200 households and we recruited new corporate land stewardship sponsors. Contributing organizations included: 

• Colcom Foundation - Montour Woods Greenway

• Hillman Foundation - Environmental Stewardship

• Laurel Foundation - Operations

• Massey Charitable Trust - Operations

• Chevron Corporation - Gold Sponsor

• Eaton Corporation - Silver Sponsor

• Michael Baker International - Bronze Sponsor

• Pennsylvania Land Trust Association
  - Conservation Easement Assistance Program 

Communications and Outreach

Give the Gift of Land

When you join or donate to Hollow Oak Land Trust, your gift directly benefits creatures such as turkeys, foxes and wood frogs. But your gift also benefits wildlife by providing greater access to nature for people who live and work near our conservation areas. When people explore the woods, their connection with nature grows, as does their role in  stewardship of our shared natural resources. 

Much of the land owned by Hollow Oak has been donated and we welcome additional tax-deductible donations of land and conservation easements.

If you have included Hollow Oak Land Trust in your will and testament, please let us know so we may thank you in your lifetime.

Consider making a year-end, tax-deductible gift to Hollow Oak Land Trust by visiting our website to donate online or download a printable form for mailing. Your generous donation protects wildlife habitat and increases access to nature locally. Thank you for your support of land conservation!

Hollow Oak Land Trust | PO Box 741 | Coraopolis, PA 15108