Recent Grant Awards
Allegheny County
Conservation District Grant
On June 8th Hollow Oak Land Trust
was awarded a $8,500 grant
in Conservation, Leadership and
Innovation for its Meeks Run H20 Quality Project from the Allegheny County Conservation District. The funding will support educational programs for landowners in the Meeks Run watershed. Goals for the program include sharing best practices for a beautiful yard that substantially decrease their environmental impact on their local stream. Keep your eyes open for community meetings and volunteer opportunities to assist in outreach, education and restoration!
REI Grant
Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) awarded Hollow Oak with a $5,000 grant for Montour Woods Conservation Area. With this funding a new pavilion will be established near the mouth of Meeks Run for environmental education programs, volunteer appreciation events and other activities. Pavilion installation is slated for early August and will be featured in the Dogs Days of Summer event August 9th.
Fellow environmental and educational organizations likewise can make use of the pack-it-in-pack-it-out facility. Inquiries for availability can be made to [email protected] or (412) 264-5354.
Thank You Vocelli Pizza and Home Depot!
There's nothing better than a slice of Vocelli Pizza after a long hike in the woods. Thank you to Moon Township's Vocelli pizza for their sponsorship of the Internship Fridays program!
Thank you to Home Depot in North Fayette and Store Manager Brian McLaughlan for donating $100 worth of materials for trees and trail maintenance this spring. Be sure to stop by and visit their knowledgeable staff when you start your next big home-improvement project.
Macro Invertebrate Survey:
Meeks Run & Trout Run Biodiversity
On May 23rd Hollow Oak Land Trust volunteers and staff joined Board Secretary Jenny Fiscus and environmental science grad student intern Sam Alaimo
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Montour Run Watershed Association Leaders |
to collaborate with the Montour Run Watershed Association in determining the biodiversity of Montour Run and its tributaries Meeks Run and Trout Run. Trout Run,
which runs parallel to Hookstown Grade Road boasts at least 11 different macro-invertebrate species such as the golden stonefly and Meeks Run has 15, including mayflies. This survey confirmed the health of these two tributaries as the only two unimpaired streams in the Montour Run watershed. Hollow Oak not only protects Meeks Run, but hopes to one day also protect Trout Run as well.
Hollow Oak Land Trust in the Community
Initiative for Multi-Community Conservation (iMC2)
Hollow Oak Land Trust is launching a program to engage local governments in establishing new greenways and conservation areas for community revitalization. The Initiative for Multi-Community Conservation (iMC2) will pair the knowledge of municipal planners with Hollow Oak's services in habitat preservation, trail development and volunteer management.
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Map of North Boros Greenway |
Spanning the Ohio River and Parkway West from Downtown Pittsburgh to Moon Township, Hollow Oak will engage municipal partners in identifying greenspace and woodland trail corridors. The resulting trail and habitat restoration projects will provide communities with new outdoor destinations and boost local economic development.
One of the best things about privately held conservation areas and trail easements is they public access to natural amenities without any cost to tax payers. Conservation areas can also cross boundaries, conserving habitat wherever it exists and developing trails through stream corridors and steep terrain that is otherwise undevelopable. Municipal planners know where the greenspace is and Hollow Oak knows how to use it.
Participating municipalities receive greenway maps that identify potential trail connections among greenspace, residential areas and business districts. Interested funders can contact Hollow Oak for more information at [email protected] or (412) 417-5825.
Rosalyn Farms Hike
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Rosalyn Farms hikers shown native Western PA species by Executive Director Sean Brady. Photo Courtesy Brad Knable. |
On April 19th, twenty people from Rosalyn Farms toured Montour
Woods with Anne Billet Lackner and Hollow Oak Director Sean Brady, who shared knowledge of the resident animals and plants.
Venture Outdoors
Two spring Venture Outdoors hikes at Montour Woods sold out, including a Dutch Oven hike featuring a delicious fire-roasted meal prepared by Hollow Oak board member and Trailmeister, Darin Shafer. The Vernal Pools hike allowed participants to see amphibians up close and study them in their natural habitat. Despite a late spring freeze on the vernal pools, salamander and frog eggs were spotted with help from zoologist Ryan Miller from the Western PA Conservancy. Check out Venture Outdoors activities page-- there's always something going on outdoors in the Pittsburgh area!
Wissachickon/ Botanical Society
Twelve members from the Wissachickon Nature Club and the Botanical Society of Western PA went on a hike through the Montour Woodson April 12th. They checked out the birds and plants along the way as well as having the chance to observe the amphibious life in vernal pools. The hike was coordinated by Judy Stark and led by Sean Brady.
Moon Township Garden Club Presentation
On June 6th, members of the Moon Township Garden Club gathered at Robin Hill Park for an American flag themed lunch and a presentation by Executive Director Sean Brady on Native Perennials at Home and in the Woods. In addition to discussing native plants, members of the garden club got answers to their questions about local wildlife and the garden pests that can sometimes cause havoc to flowerbeds. Low-impact gardening solutions and tips were also shared.