ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION
FEBRUARY News & Updates
Thanks to everyone who made our event a success!

90 Years of Allegheny County Parks:
Celebrating their Legacy, Imagining their Future

Heinz History Center
JANUARY 10, 2018
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald displays a proclamation presented by the Allegheny County Parks Foundation for his sustained dedication to improvements in the nine Allegheny County Parks. (L to R) County Parks Director Andy Baechle, AC Parks Foundation Board Chairman Jim Mitnick and AC Parks Foundation Executive Director Caren Glotfelty. (Photo credit: Renee Rosensteel)
The weather outside might have been frightful but the celebration inside the Heinz History Center was so delightful! More than 250 friends of the Allegheny County Parks joined the Allegheny County Parks Foundation to honor Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Allegheny County Parks on its amazing legacy and promising future.

Click on the PITTSBURGH QUARTERLY logo above to see photos from our 90th anniversary event!
MORE Local Media Coverage!

Our event scored wonderful coverage in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette , Tribune-Review , NEXTPittsburgh and Pittsburgh Magazine ! Read their stories below:




Thanks to our sponsors:
Babcock Charitable Trust
Joy Borelli-Edwards and begalleries
Great Parks Make Great Communities.
The Allegheny County Parks Foundation supports Allegheny County Parks by raising funds for the design and implementation of major projects and improvements in the nine
Allegheny County Parks.
Please partner with us. Your donations help us reach our goals!
SAVE THE DATES!!
LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO ENJOY YOUR PARKS AND SUPPORT THE
ALLEGHENY COUNTY PARKS FOUNDATION
POUR AT THE PARK SOUTH
SATURDAY, JUNE 9
POUR AT THE PARK SOUTH brings regional craft beers and bites to a festival setting in scenic South Park. This unique outdoor fair features live music, is pet and child friendly and each guest receives a stainless steel tasting cup. Watch our Facebook and Twitter for more details!
POUR AT THE PARK NORTH
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
2018 marks our THIRD ANNUAL POUR AT THE PARK NORTH! Situated along the sylvan North Park Lake, this festival squeezes one more weekend out of summer! Live music accompanies guests as they wander through an assortment of craft beer vendors and delicious samplings from local restaurants. Our location on Tennis Court Road features a large playground, making this a perfect event for children. We're pet-friendly too!
TWILIGHT PICNIC
FOR THE PARKS
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
The luster of twilight provides the backdrop for al fresco style cocktails and dinner on the lawn of the mansion at Hartwood Acres Park that elevates the notion of picnic fare using the finest local ingredients. The dinner is capped with a performance by a top-flight entertainer. This evening promises to blend summer chic with rustic sophistication to create a truly memorable experience in the park. 
Help us get kids to the parks!
The Allegheny County Park Rangers host hundreds of school children for programs in all nine Allegheny County parks each year through their "Parks to Schools - Schools to Parks" program. The students participate in a variety of learning and stewardship programs and activities to enhance their in-classroom educational experiences.
But some under-resourced schools lack the funding necessary to provide their own transportation to the parks. Under a state program, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit, administered through the Department of Community and Economic Development, the Allegheny County Parks Foundation provides this transportation funding to schools. As an approved Educational Improvement Organization, ACPF has received $8,500 in donations from businesses through EITC and we use this funding to transport students and purchase materials to enrich their in-park learning experience.
You can learn more about the EITC program HERE!
Please consider us for your next EITC donation.
Elise Cupps, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Allegheny County Rangers, far right, assists a group of students from Gateway Middle School in planting trees in South Park.
SETTLERS CABIN PARK STREAM FUNDING
The Allegheny County Parks Foundation has received a Growing Greener grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection for the remediation and restoration of Pinkertons Run in Settlers Cabin Park. Construction is expected to take place in 2019-2020.
Pinkertons Run has experienced diminished levels of aquatic life over time due to contamination from acid mine discharge from abandoned coal mines. Working with Trout Unlimited, the Parks Foundation has mapped out a plan for a passive remediation treatment system to improve the water quality that will eventually support fish and aquatic life. The funding will also provide stream stabilization measures to control erosion and sedimentation now impacting the stream.
The Growing Greener award totals $318,672.
The Parks Foundation is also in the process of collaborating with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy on a full scale study of the ecology of Settlers Cabin Park. The Ecological Assessment and Action Plan, funded by the Benedum Foundation, catalogs the natural resources in the park and suggests beneficial measures such as planting trees and establishing meadows. WPC began this work in 2017 and is expected to complete the report by the end of 2018.
Pinkertons Run in Settlers Cabin Park. Photo courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.
SHAKE OFF THE WINTER BLUES WITH A FUN HIKE!!!

Join the hale and hearty for an invigorating (but not difficult!) six-mile hike Saturday, Feb. 4 sponsored by the Rachel Carson Trails Conservancy.
They're meeting at 10 AM at The Cabin on Ingomar Road in North Park and will follow the Harmony Trail on Rt. 910. They will end up back at The Cabin around 2 p.m. for warm beverages and treats.
The hike is free but they are asking hikers to bring donations of new socks to support homeless shelters.
For more information, click HERE!
Boyce Park SKI LIVE!!!
Check out the conditions in real time at the Boyce Park ski slope before heading out! Click HERE to view LIVE activity! You'll see snow conditions on the slopes and gauge the crowd before you head out. The site is sponsored by Allegheny County Parks and also offers current and upcoming weather conditions to help you plan your trip!
Meet our Board of Directors
James Mitnick (Chair)
Ellen Still Brooks (Vice Chair)
Joseph P. Milcoff (Treasurer)
Sally McCrady (Secretary)
Tom Armstrong
Chester R. Babst, III
Maris Bondi
Carol R. Brown
Christopher B. Carson
G. Reynolds Clark
Karen Wolk Feinstein
Pat Getty
Laura S. Karet
Jonathan Kersting
Nancy Knauss
John Mascaro Jr.
Daniel A. Onorato
Todd Owens
Margaret M. Petruska
Richard Rose
John Surma
Michael J. Tomera
Ex Officio:
Andy Baechle
The Honorable John DeFazio
The Honorable Rich Fitzgerald
Caren Glotfelty, Executive Director
William McKain
Stephen G. Shanley
Allegheny County Parks Foundation | 724-327-7627| [email protected] | www.acparksfoundation.org