The Emerald City – How the Pittsburgh Parks Welcomed Me to My New Home

You would think, at thirty-something, telling your parents you’re moving over 800 miles away to Pittsburgh would be easier.  Being a close-knit, Midwestern family combined with the fact that I’m the baby, this was not the case.  I’ve spent my entire life listening to my dad’s stories of growing up in Pittsburgh.  How he painstakingly [...]

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Mission Ground Truth – Teaching Science With Nature

Environmental education is one of the most fundamental investments we make in the future of our parks. At the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy we understand that through educating and engaging youth, we can grow a new generation of park stewards. Our High School Urban EcoSteward program takes students from six area High Schools out into the [...]

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Volunteers as Vital as the Rain They Work In

Volunteerism is a celebrated act, because how do you put a price on someone’s time and energy? I pondered this as I approached Frick Park on a rainy Friday afternoon to join Bryan Dolney, the Parks Conservancy’s Field Ecologist, and the dozen or so volunteers who were going to spend part of their day cutting [...]

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Environmental Center at Frick and Treehouse Meeting June 2nd an Engaging Success

Kathleen McGuire is thrilled to be the newest member of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Team I had accomplished little more than locate the bathroom and arrange my pens in the oval plastic cup on my desk, when I was told that my second day would involve a community meeting for the Environmental Center and Treehouse [...]

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We Need Your Input on June 2!

Concept design for the new Environmental Center at Frick Park and the Kate and Peter’s Treehouse project will be launched Thursday, June 2 with a public celebration at the park. You will have the opportunity to wander through the site, meet and engage with the designers behind the process, and contribute your own vision for both [...]

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Students Help Design New Environmental Center

A note from Lynn Halling, Environmental Center Design Project Assistant Thank you to the Environmental Charter School and our student participants in the first community design workshop for the new Environmental Center at Frick Park! I have recently joined the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to help out with the ongoing design process for the new Frick [...]

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Kids kick-off treehouse design project in Frick Park

Thank you to all the children and families who came out last Thursday evening to help begin designing the new outdoor learning space in Frick Park! We had a fantastic turn out of Frick Park neighbors and fans that helped set the stage for developing a tree house-themed space for children to learn about and [...]

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A walk on the wild side

During last week’s wildflower walk and campfire at the Frick Environmental Center, we learned to identify the many spring flowers in the park by both sight and smell.  And amid the bluebells and may apples, we even managed to vanquish a little garlic mustard that tries to crowd out the natives. Check out a slideshow [...]

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Help us design Kate and Peter’s Treehouse!

Beginning in 2012, young visitors to Frick Park will have a new way to learn about nature when a new outdoor learning space is built near the Environmental Center. This innovative project, honoring Kate and Peter Ambrusko, is the first of several outdoor learning spaces proposed for the park. It will have a “treehouse” theme, and [...]

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Spring: Before You Know It!

With all the sunshine and melting snow we’ve seen over the past few days, it’s hard not to turn your thoughts to spring, when everything in the parks will look new again and there will be tons of opportunities to get outside.  We’ve got a busy slate of events coming up starting in March, including half [...]

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