Set aside the morning of Saturday April 19th and/or the afternoon of Sunday, April 20th and join your fellow conservancy members, community volunteers and other Pennsylvanians across the state for the "Great PA Clean-up." 

This year, Scott Township, for the first time ever, is sponsoring a township wide clean-up of various roadways on Saturday, April 19th from 9: a.m. to noon. Please spread the word. Tell everyone you know about the event and plan to join in the cleanup. We would really like this to become an annual event, so that means we must have a GREAT turnout!

The township has set aside 4 locations around the township for volunteers to meet. 

The locations are: 

1. Saint Simon and Jude Church, Greentree Road 

2. Our Lady of Grace Church, Kane Blvd. 

3. Glendale Fire Dept., Carothers Avenue 

4. Scott Township Public Works Building on Old Greentree Rd. near the corner of Lindsay and Greentree Roads 

Township Commissioners as well as members of the Scott Township Environmental Advisory Council and the Conservancy will be at all sites to co-ordinate volunteers.

On Sunday, April 20th from Noon to 3 p.m., our conservancy will be cleaning up the Kane Woods Conservation Area. The meeting place for the conservancy cleanup will be at the Whiskey Point Trailhead parking area and newly constructed shelter on the corner of Main St. and Scrubgrass Rd. across the street from the Veterans Bridge. 

We suggest volunteers both days wear long sleeved shirts, long pants, and sturdy shoes for the event. If possible, we would appreciate it if volunteers can bring a bucket for the collection of sharp objects. Gloves, trash bags, safety vests, and water will be provided. 

In addition, for the conservancy cleanup of Kane Woods on Sunday, volunteers are also encouraged to bring any tools they think would be useful. Some tools to bring would include rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, pickaxes, saws, loppers, and hand clippers. Besides picking up trash, this will be an opportunity for the conservancy to do some much needed trail care and development. 

Because the township cleanup is along the roadways, children attending must be 12 or over and must be supervised by a parent taking steps to assure their safety. Younger children may be brought to the conservancy cleanup, but, again, they must be supervised closely by a parent again taking steps to ensure their safety and limiting their participation.

This is a unique opportunity to make a difference in your own neighborhood. Please plan to join us for either or both days. 

Click on Cleanups on our new photos page to see more pictures on our Cleanups Bulletin Board.  Find out more about our cleanups and their environmental impact on the Community and Volunteer pages.

Patty's Park is a traffic island on the corner of Hope Hollow and Route 50 across from Flynn's Tire.  Conservancy members work together with township volunteers and commissioners each spring to plant Patty's Park.   Join us this year on Friday, May 2nd at 9 am. 

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy designed the island and provide the flowers and tools needed for the planting.  Volunteers can conveniently park at the end of the Flynn Tire parking lot closest to the traffic island.  A couple hours of work and your volunteer effort results in a garden enjoyed by motorists, including yourself, as you drive past throughout the summer. 

Scott Conservancy is very active in the community as our members work with other local groups to volunteer on local projects.

Traffic Island Facelift 

Work continues on the traffic island the conservancy maintains at the intersection of Greentree and Cochran Roads. If you have driven by "the island" you may have noticed work on the flower beds and the grass being cut more regularly.  With some extra help from Scott Township with the grass cutting and the garden planning done by Mary Pitzer, the appearance of the island has really improved. 

A drip system has been installed to make it easy to water plantings on the island, using $2000 in grant money from Pennsylvania's Dept. of Community and Economic Development which was then matched by Scott Township. Bishop Landscaping, owned by Ron Bishop, a Scott Township resident, removed weeds and rocks on the island, added top soil and planted new grass.

Call Jane Sorcan, 412-276-5820, or Mary, 412-279-7154 to volunteer for the May Traffic Island Spring Plantings at Cochran and Greentree Roads - dates to be determined. 

We would love to have people volunteer to "adopt" and care for one of the small flower gardens we have on the traffic island at Cochran and Greentree Roads throughout the summer. Please consider helping out. You need not be a conservancy member to volunteer, so volunteer and bring a friend.  

Make it a wonderful way to greet people entering Scott Township.

Hundreds of books, articles, and essays have been written about the Whiskey Rebellion and many of its key events took place right here in Scott Township.  The Scott Conservancy has been working to honor that legacy by naming the trials in the Scott nature preserve after leading figures and events in the Whiskey Rebellion.  One is named after Tom the Tinker, one of the leaders of the Rebellion, and another is named for General Neville.  A Liberty Pole, a symbol around which the rebels gathered, will also be erected, and the Conservancy will place story boards at key sites along the trails explaining the Rebellion. Brochures will also be available for visitors who want to learn more about the Rebellion. 

The Conservancy is planning a trail opening event for July 20 this year in conjunction with activities being planned by Old St. Luke's Church, and the Presley Neville House, the site of General John Neville's first house in our area, and still preserved today in Collier Township. All Scott residents are welcome to attend the ceremony and participate in the activities. 

Visit our Grants page to see Scott Conservancy's funded projects.

We are thrilled to announce to our membership that on March 14th of this year, the conservancy added 5.5 acres of new land to the Kane Woods. The newly acquired property can be accessed from Vanderbilt Drive in Mt. Lebanon. It connects to the Kane Woods property in the valley below and is an excellent addition to our nature area. This property extends our greenway and is already being used as part of one of our walking trails.

The property was purchased with grant money from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and from The Pittsburgh Foundation. We want to thank both the DCNR and The Pittsburgh Foundation for working with us and allowing us to use funding from them to purchase this property. 

The grants were originally meant to be used to purchase property along Kane Blvd. When that land became unattainable a year ago, we began looking around for property that would be equally valuable and found this parcel of pristine land left over from the Carleton Manor development of homes off of Bower Hill Rd.

The Carleton Manor property was appraised at $83,400. The property owner, Premier Homes, however, generously agreed to sell it to us for $20,500. The conservancy is very grateful to Premier Homes for making it affordable to us. 

With the addition for the Carleton Manor property, we now have a total of 56 acres of green space. under protection and open to our residents for the enjoyment of nature.

 Thank you to you, our members, who continue to support the mission of the conservancy. 

Visit our Grants page to see Scott Conservancy's funded projects.

Last summer we were lucky to have some improvements made to the Kane Woods compliments of the Jewish Community Center.  The JCC received a grant from Coke-a-Cola to construct a trailhead at the entrance of the Kane Woods located at the rear of their parking area on Kane Blvd.  With the funding, they placed a sign at the trailhead and constructed a sturdy pair of steps down into the woods.  

Find the trailheads and navigate the trails using the maps on our Trails page.   Print-out the maps for easy directions or follow the improved trail markings on site.

The development of the Kane Woods walking trails kept the Conservancy board and its members very busy during the summer and will continue to do so into the fall. They have been working feverishly to make improvements to the area using funding from the Laurel Foundation. Final approval to spend the $13,000 grant the Conservancy received from the foundation was received in August, and the funds must be spent for trail development by the end of December or returned to the foundation. The goals are twofold, to increase use of the trails by the public and to educate the public about the historical significance of events that occurred on the property during the Whiskey Rebellion. 

The Conservancy is working on a number of projects to improve the property.  The most obvious change has occurred at the corner of Scrubgrass Rd. and Main Street across from the Scott Twp. Memorial Bridge. The driveway will remain closed while improvements to the area are being made, but some changes are visible. The driveway has been widened, and a gate has been installed to prevent unauthorized vehicles from driving onto the property. 

In addition, a small gravel parking area has been created in front of the gate to provide off road parking for those using the property at this trailhead. Beyond the gate, a large parking lot has been created to accommodate parking during events, and a shelter is in the process of being built. 

Frank J. Zottola Construction Company donated the work done to the parking area. We are very grateful to him for his generous contribution.  

Oakdale Construction in cooperation with the Baptist Homes has also placed a number of large boulders on our property to identify our trails and property line. 

Two foot bridges are being built and will be placed across the stream that runs through the property to make it easier to walk the trails. Signs are also being designed and constructed to identify trailheads and walking trails.  

In addition, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc has donated their services to create a trail map that shows the 7 trails on our property. This map will be placed on a sign at each of the four trailheads along with a short narrative about the Whiskey Rebellion. The four trailheads will be on Scrubgrass Rd., Scrubgrass Rd. and Main St., the Jewish Community Center, and Providence Point once construction there is complete. For security reasons, however, the JCC requests that anyone entering the woods at their trailhead stop in at the center during their hours of operation and let them know their cars are parked on the property. 

By the time spring has arrived, our trailheads should be easier to find and our trails should be easier access and enjoy.

Visit our Grants page to see Scott Conservancy's funded projects and our Trails page to see CEC's map of the Kane Trails.

After months of negotiation, the Conservancy signed an easement agreement with the Baptist Homes. As you may know, the Baptist Homes is constructing a continuous care community, Providence Point, at the site of the old Kane Hospital on Kane Blvd. One of the requirements placed on the Baptist Homes by the Scott Township Board of Commissioners was that they obtain a construction easement on a narrow strip of our property adjacent to their property line. 

The Baptist Homes have worked with the Conservancy, and together we have an agreement that benefits both parties. The Baptist Homes has agreed to do a number of things that will improve the Kane Woods so that it can better serve Scott Twp. residents. The value of the work that will be done for the conservancy is about $70,000. In addition to work done, the Baptist Homes has also agreed to allow residents to enter the Kane Woods from the Providence Point Community. 

Some of the agreed upon improvements to be made to the Kane Property include: 

	Removal of large rubble piles adjacent to the Baptist Homes property line
	Construction of a trail from Providence Point into the Kane Woods
	Improvements to the trailhead on Scrubgrass Rd. including a parking lot, split rail fence, and gate
	Removal of invasive species and replanting of native species in areas where rubble has been removed

When the construction of Providence Point is completed, the area used for the construction easement will be replanted and left as green space. The agreement is contingent on final approval of the project by the Board of Commissioners.

View our Land and Trails pages for info and trail maps on the conservancy's properties.

Thanks to the generosity of the Nixon family of Carnegie and the Oliver family of Sewickley, the Scott Conservancy recently received a donation of approximately 3 acres of property along Vanadium Rd.  The land is located across the road from Vanadium Woods and extends up the hill to Hughes Street.  It has been in the Nixon family since 1936 and has remained virtually untouched since that time. 

A very large stand of oak trees is located on the property, and it is home to many animals including many species of birds.  The conservancy is thrilled to have received this wonderful gift.  It is the intention of the conservancy to leave this property in its natural state for the benefit of the residents of the community. 

With the addition of this property, the conservancy now owns approximately 52 acres of greenspace in Scott Township.  Visit our Land page for more info on all properties.  See our Trails page for hiking trails on our land and on other greenspace  in Scott Township.

Due to the hard work and support of our members, our annual 4th of July Rubber Ducky Race was again a very successful fund raising event for the conservancy.  We made a profit of $437.50 for our treasury. 

Thank you to all of our members who made this event a success. 

The winner this year was again one of our members, Joan McAnulty.  Joan and her husband are new conservancy members.  Congratulations and a big thank you goes out to Joan.  She was kind enough to donate 50% her winnings back to the Conservancy.  We appreciate her generosity. 

The Scott Conservancy's Sojourn down Chartiers Creek was held last year in June. It could not have been a more perfect weekend for the event. We had just enough rain during the week prior to the event to raise the water level in the creek to a navigable level. Then the skies cleared, the sun came out, and the temperature was perfect for paddling and overnight camping.

The 20 mile sojourn began in Canonsburg on Saturday and ended at the Sharp Edge Restaurant in Crafton on Sunday.  A wonderful dinner and overnight camping was provided for the paddlers at Chartiers Park in Bridgeville. The event was a great success thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and to the wonderful group of paddlers that participated this year. 

Because the event was supported by a grant from the Pennsylvania Organization of Watersheds and Rivers, after expenses, we were able to make $1800 on the event

Proceeds from this fundraiser helped to cover  many of the expenses we have related to the Kane Woods Conservation Area.  However, because of increased insurance costs, and the growing popularity of the event, our small group will not have enough volunteers to stage a trip this year.  The canoe sojourn had already been an annually organized event for three years when our conservancy decided to start hosting it.  We  hope one or more of the other local conservation groups in the Chartiers Watershed can host this popular event, either jointly or on a rotating basis,  so that it can continue.  

Shorter trips down the Chartiers Creek are always being organized by local enthusiasts throughout the year.   Canoeing season is here!!!   Contact Tim Volk if you are interested in floating down the creek.  

See photos on our Canoe Bulletin Board.  Visit our Recreation page for info on canoeing Chartiers Creek. 

Please note that while Scott Conservancy is no longer sponsoring canoe trips, as a service to our members, site visitors, and water enthusiasts, we are including the links below for your convenience in finding others to canoe with down the Chartiers.

How climate change is affecting Pennsylvania and what people can do about it will be the focus of the Scott Conservancy Annual meeting to be held in the Scott Park Lodge, on November 14, at 7:30 p.m.  Sharon Pillar, who is PennFuture's global warming outreach coordinator for Western Pennsylvania, will address global climate change and its impact on Pennsylvania.  PennFuture is a state-wide environmental group that has been actively promoting new sustainable energy technologies, and is working to improve the overall health of our state's air, water and land resources. 

Sharon will bring us up to date on the latest research on climate change and the status of legislation in Harrisburg focusing on energy efficiency, and the efforts being made at the state and local levels to reduce emissions contributing to global warming. Through the Cool Pennsylvania campaign, she works with citizens, organizations, and businesses, to educate and mobilize people to stop global warming in Pennsylvania. 

Pennsylvania is responsible for one percent of all the global warming gases generated in the world, Sharon said, which gives our state a unique opportunity to play a major role in helping to mitigate global climate change. 

The Sewickley resident, who is a member of the Sewickley Borough Planning Commission, served two years as the regional equity task force co-chair for the Pittsburgh Interfaith Impact Network, and has worked with community groups to examine the negative economic and environmental impacts of two-big-box developments in the state. She serves as a volunteer land steward for the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and recently received her master's degree, with a focus on regional equity and sustainable communities. 

Those who attend the meeting will not only learn about global climate change, but can become part of the solution. The first fifty people to attend will receive a free CFL bulb. The bulbs use 75 percent less electricity than an incandescent bulb, and last ten times longer. The bulbs to be given away use only 13 watts of power, but produce the same amount of light as a 60 watt incandescent light bulb, while delivering the same quality of light. Each bulb when installed will save $48 in electricity costs over its lifetime, and reduce CO2 emissions by 1,000 pounds. They are being supplied to the Conservancy by an anonymous donor. 

There will also be free light refreshments, and a yearly report on Conservancy activities will proceed the featured presentation. The meeting is open to all Conservancy members and to all non-members who want to learn more about the work of the Conservancy. 

  See our calendar page for info on this year's meeting date, maps & directions.  Visit the other pages on this site for Scott Conservancy's activities.  Become a member & get our newsletter. 

The Scott Township Community Room was the site of a rain barrel workshop sponsored by the Scott Township Environmental Council and the Lower Chartiers Watershed Council.  Under the guidance of Don McGuirk, the participants constructed rain barrels for use at home. The participants were provided with recycled, clean food barrels and required hardware, and only needed to drill a few holes and put it all together. They are given instructions on installing the rain barrel once they get it home. 

The barrels hold about 40 gallons of rainwater, and while rainwater isn't clean enough to drink, it can be used after the storm to water the garden, wash the car, even fill a small wading pool or backyard pond - that's 40 gallons that won't end up in the creek during a rain storm, and that you don't have to pay for in your municipal water bill. 

It's also equipped with an overflow hose so that overflow can be directed away from the foundation during a storm and a mosquito screen to cover the inflow opening so that mosquitoes can't get into the water and breed. 

See our Education page to learn about stormwater and rainbarrels.

SIGN UP NOW for an upcoming rain barrel workshop in 2008

Goodwill Industries and Dell have partnered to create RECONNECT, a comprehensive electronics recovery, reuse and environmentally responsible recycling opportunity for consumers. RECONNECT is a free program for consumers to responsibly recycle unwanted computers.  

The program is absolutely free.  Any brand computer is eligible for donation.  You are responsible for removing data from your hard drive.  Neither Dell nor Goodwill Industries will take any responsibility for your data.  Donations may be tax deductible.  Check with your tax advisor for more information about eligibility and how to value your donation.  

To donate, take your computer to any Goodwill Industries Store.  In our area, there is a store located on Banksville Road.  The Donation Center is located at the rear of the building and is open Monday - Saturday from 9 am to 8 pm and Sunday from 11 am - 4 pm.  

Proceeds from resale of donations will be returned to Goodwill Industries to support their mission of creating job opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment.

Read more about the environment -- including where you can recycle, what you can do to conserve energy,  how you can be a green consumer, where to buy organic foods and clothing, and how to create an environmentally correct habitat in your own back yard,  in Scott Conservancy's new "Environmental Reader" page -- now on-line.  

Scott Conservancy has added a couple web pages to better highlight environmental issues that affect us globally and to view what Scott Conservancy is doing to help promote and cleanup the environment locally.

Our members enjoy the Environmental Reader articles as they come out in our quarterly newsletter.  Now these popular conservation tidbits can be viewed on-line as well.   

Our annual events generate lots of photo scrapbooks that document our recreation and conservation activities.  We would like to share photos of our canoe trips and our cleanups with you on our new photos bulletin boards.

Think globally by clicking our Environmental Reader page & visit our new Cleanups Bulletin Board to see how Scott Conservancy is acting locally.  Volunteer to help us locally in Scott Township and join us in our recreational events in the watershed.  It's fun!!!