Westinghouse update

estinghouse Pond is disappointing a lot of brides this summer.
As we first wrote back in March, Schenley Park’s Westinghouse Memorial and Pond has encountered a whole host of problems since a rough winter caused damage to numerous parts of the site.  For a while, the water in the fountain was back up and running thanks [...]

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Calm after the storm

Early Saturday morning I headed for Schenley Park, so I could see for myself what Panther Hollow looked like after the violent storm last week.  Descending the steps from the Visitor Center, I was enclosed by trees and bushes still heavy with rain.
At the bottom, I headed right along Phipps Run. I could see what [...]

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“What does not bend must break”

Last night’s storm was one of the strongest Pittsburgh has seen in years.  As the streets flooded and the wind blew, I couldn’t help but cringe thinking about what I’d see when I walked through the parks this morning.  What I did ultimately see was certainly disheartening, but a chat with Phil Gruszka and Erin [...]

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Eight Unsung Spots #1: Schenley Pool Meadow

We’re starting a new series on the blog today called Eight Unsung Spots in the Parks. These are places in our park system that either get a lot less traffic or that people might have overlooked on their regular hiking or biking routes. We’ll do a spotlight on two places in each of [...]

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Life among the daffodils

I am a broken record when it comes to winter.  I can’t stand it.  The gloominess, the cold, the persistent slush on the ground…and most of all the fact that (when it’s not covered in snow) everything is just brown.  I’m a flower person.  So for the second year in a row I have been [...]

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Spring tree planting brings vitality

Springtime.  Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and trees everywhere are awakening from their winter slumber to once again break bud and offer their leaves up to the sun.
Right now, before trees completely wake up, is the perfect time to pluck them from the ground to be moved from the loving stewardship of our nursery friends around [...]

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A Party with a Purpose

A Few Words with Spring Hat Luncheon Co-Chairs Peggy McKnight and Susie Dorrance
The Schenley Park Overlook will be flooded with a parade of hats on Saturday, May 2.  Two of our dedicated co-chairs for the Spring Hat Luncheon discuss the vitality of this fabulous event.

Over the past decade, the Spring Hat Luncheon has evolved into [...]

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The Burgh and the Bees at Bioneers Monday

Here’s a cool event that should interest all you ecologically-minded folks out there.  The Parks Conservancy has some folks involved in the very worthwhile effort to bring the Bioneers conference to Pittsburgh, and they’re hosting a series of Monday-night events with cool guest speakers.
The next Bioneers Monday event will be March 30 at 6:30 p.m. [...]

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Westinghouse Quandary

How does a park landmark go from this…
to this?
And can it ever be put back together again?
These are the questions the Parks Conservancy started asking several weeks ago when the ice melted from Schenley Park’s Westinghouse Pond to reveal that most of the water had drained from the basin, replaced by leaves, sediment, and a [...]

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Nature by design

This is an article I originally drafted for Sylvan Communities magazine, but I thought I’d share it here as well.
It’s easy to forget when taking a walk through the lush woodlands in our regional parks that these natural wonders are actually designed landscapes.  When Frick, Highland, Riverview, and Schenley Parks were being developed from the [...]

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