Don't let this tranquil scene from your Allegheny County Parks
fool you!
Beneath the quiet surface of this wintry trail in Harrison Hills Park lurks TONS of activity! Small animals scurry about, birds are foraging, bundled up visitors are taking fitness walks, runners are training for spring races and spring ephemerals* are conspiring to pop!
The Allegheny County Parks Foundation is busy, too! We're working on projects with Allegheny County Parks to improve every park! Help us keep your parks humming all year long.

*plants or animals that live for a brief time
Conserving wild lands in Allegheny County and around the globe
Tom Butler will talk about his experiences creating national parks around the globe when he visits Pittsburgh on Wednesday, February 13. His presentation is free and open to the public but requires registration. (See below)
Also speaking are Caren Glotfelty, Executive Director of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation and Larry Seltzer, CEO of the Conservation Fund.
As the Vice President for Conservation Advocacy at Tompkins Conservation, Butler has been on the forefront of national park creation and fostering local economic vitality through expanding ecotourism.
For more than 30 years, Tompkins Conservation has secured more than 13 million wild acres and created more than a dozen new national or regional parks.
Tompkins Conservation was founded to protect cherished lands by Kris Tompkins, former CEO of Patagonia, and her late husband, Doug Tompkins, founder of Esprit and North Face, and modeled their efforts on the practice of public-private collaborations.
This event takes place from 8:30 -10:30 a.m. at the University Club on 123 University Place in Oakland. A light breakfast will be served.
Tom Butler
Photo courtesy of Tompkins Conservation
Hartwood Acres Park and Settlers Cabin Park get Ecological Assessments
For the past 15 months, our colleagues at Western Pennsylvania Conservancy have been studying the ecological condition of Hartwood Acres and Settlers Cabin parks. Their comprehensive reports detail the natural resources and ecological challenges in each park and suggest recommendations for preserving the assets and making improvements to preserve these parks for generations to come.
WPC had previously studied Boyce and South parks and their recommendations led to the planting of meadows in Boyce last year and South Park this year. Both parks have also had multiple tree and shrub planting "parties" with lots of youth and adult volunteers doing the work.
Funding was provided by the Benedum Foundation and the Garden Club of Allegheny County.
These reports are available for viewing on our website. Click HERE!
What's the Courthouse got to do with the Parks?
The roof replacement project at the Allegheny County Courthouse has led to a creative re-use of the original tiles. Wendell August Forge has designed keepsakes for the home and office, with all proceeds benefiting the Allegheny County Parks Foundation. Check out these fun reminders of our past HERE and support the parks at the same time!
Upcoming Events!!
Mark Your Calendars!
Details to Follow!
POUR AT THE PARK SOUTH PARK
FRIDAY, MAY 10

POUR AT THE PARK NORTH PARK
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
TWILIGHT PICNIC FOR THE PARKS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

For information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Barbara Brewton at
724-327-7627 or [email protected]
Nature through a photographer's lens
If you happen to be at North Park as dawn is breaking, you might see Mary Pegher traipsing through the marshes of North Park Lake to get the perfect shot.
Pegher is a self-taught photographer who takes breathtaking photos of the Allegheny County Parks and much more. Her work has been featured in Pittsburgh Magazine , among other places.
The Allegheny County Parks Foundation is celebrating Pegher's work and sponsoring a reception at the Ketchup City Creative Gallery in Sharpsburg on Friday, March 22 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Pegher's work will be on display through Sunday, March 24 and available for sale.
For information about the gallery, click HERE!
North Park Lake at dawn
Photo courtesy Mary Pegher
Photo courtesy of Dave Brooke
1 bird, 2 bird, 3 bird, MORE!!
If you love the outdoors and can count, this might be the volunteer gig for you!
The Friends of Harrison Hills Park are looking for helpers to record bird usage of the 30 bird boxes installed throughout the park. A wide variety of species are using the boxes including bluebirds, tree swallows, house wrens, Carolina Wrens, chickadees and nuthatches.
Volunteers are assigned six boxes that they check once every two weeks throughout the nesting season from March through August. Monitors track egg production and fledgling activity.
Interested? Click HERE!
Allegheny County Parks Foundation l acparksfoundation.org [email protected] l 724.327.7627