Do you love hiking or taking a peaceful walk in the woods?  The Conservancy is excited to host volunteers to help build the trail that so many will enjoy! Join us at WPC's Toms Run Nature Reserve on September 21 to blaze the trail followed by a fun picnic. The Conservancy will provide food, drinks and lawn games – just bring yourself, a water bottle and some work boots.

Registration for this FREE event is required by September 12.

Since 2014 and with the help of countless volunteers, the Conservancy has been working to make the most of this 369-acre hidden gem just 15 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.  We have removed tons of trash and abandoned houses, added a new parking area and created a 500-foot universal access path leading into the reserve.  We need your help to begin building a 2.6-mile hiking trail that loops through the reserve.

Directions:

From Pittsburgh: Take PA-65 N 10 miles to Toms Run Road (before the intersection with I-79). Turn right onto Toms Run Road and continue straight for 1.1 miles to the parking lot on your left.
From I-79: Take I-79 to PA-65 S/Ohio River Boulevard. Make the first left onto Toms Run Road and travel 1.1 miles to the parking lot on your left.

To register by phone/email contact Dan Cody at 412-586-2410 or dcody@paconserve.org.

Join the Conservancy and The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 10-11:15 a.m. in Homewood at the intersection of Frankstown Avenue and Bennett Street to commemorate the city’s second ADA-accessible community flower garden. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be followed by students from The Children’s Institute planting flowers.

Financially supported by the Regional Asset District, the City of Pittsburgh and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the new garden is an expansion of the existing RAD-funded community garden located at the site. Featuring five raised flower beds and wheelchair-accessible pathways,  the garden is specifically designed for people with physical challenges and disabilities.

Free street parking will be available along Bennett Street. No registration is required and all are welcome for this rain-or-shine celebration.

Even flowers need to rest, and now that fall is almost here, it’s time to put our gardens to bed. We planted 2.26 acres of flowers around the region last spring, and we’ll need lots of volunteers to help us remove annuals and debris. The following community gardens are in need of volunteers. Dates and times are to be determined.

Beltzhoover - Liberty Tunnel & Route 51
Hill District - Centre Avenue and Herron Avenue
Dormont - Dormont Avenue and Banksville Road
Edgewood - South Braddock Avenue
Ross Township - McIntyre Road and McKnight Road

If you or your group would like to volunteer, contact Lynn McGuire-Olzak at (412) 586-2324 or LMcGuire-Olzak@paconserve.org.

We are pleased to co-host the 2019 Natural Areas Conference, At the Water's Edge - Managing our Land and Water in a Changing Landscape, in Pittsburgh Oct. 8-10. Workshops will address everything from pollinators to urban green infrastructure to wetlands conservation and more.

Are you a farmer interested in leasing farmland? Join the Conservancy, PA Association for Sustainable Agriculture and National Young Farmers Coalition for a tour of the Conservancy’s Uber Road Farm in Mercer County.

Attendees will learn more about leasing the Uber Road Farm or one of the houses on the property, while meeting other local farmers and WPC staff. Also, we’ll provide additional information about our Farmland Access Program, which helps farmers establish operations to support our local food market.

Bring your favorite dish and enjoy a fun potluck dinner after the tour!

Date: Mon., Oct. 14, 2019

Location: Uber Road Farm, 218 Uber Rd., Findley Township, Pa. 16137 (Mercer County)

Time: 5-8 p.m.

• Registration & Check-in: 4:30- 5 p.m.
• Welcome & Introductions: 5-5:15 p.m.
• Farm Tour: 5:15-6:15 p.m.
• Potluck Dinner: 6:15-7:45 p.m.

Contact Dan Dalton at dan@pasafarming.org or 814.349.9856 (x710) for more details and to register for this event by Oct. 11.

Join the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Emerging Leaders Advisory Committee and James Beard Foundation semi-finalist chef, Kate Romane of black radish kitchen, for an entertaining evening celebrating fresh-harvested, local cuisine. Spend the evening enjoying live music, specialty cocktails, and a three-course meal prepared on site in black radish kitchen’s chic urban warehouse space in Point Breeze North. Bring your friends for a night that’s sure to be remembered.

Date: Wednesday, October 23 | 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: black radish kitchen | Point Breeze North

Presented by Hefren-Tillotson

For more information visit BlackRadishKitchen.com