The Kane Woods

The Scott Conservancy in partnership with Scott Township worked to acquire the Kane Woods.  The land which was purchased in 2004 is around the perimeter of the old Kane Hospital Buildings.  It forms a circle around the hill where the hospital used to be.  This 44 acre property is the largest greenspace left in Scott Township.  

The Conservancy is working on a number of projects to improve the property.  We have taken down structures and developed hiking trails.  A $13,000 trail improvement grant from the Laurel Foundation has increased use of the trails by the public and educated the public about the historical significance of events that occurred on the property during the Whiskey Rebellion. 

The Jewish Community Center 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.  They placed a sign at the trailhead and constructed a sturdy pair of steps down into the woods.  

Two foot bridges have been built and placed across the stream that runs through the property to make it easier to walk the trails.  

The most obvious change has occurred at the corner of Scrubgrass Road and Main Street across from the Scott Township Memorial Bridge. The driveway has been widened, a gate has been installed to prevent unauthorized vehicles from driving onto the property, and a small gravel parking area has been created in front of the gate to provide off road parking for those using the property at our Whiskey Point trailhead. Beyond the gate, a large parking lot has been created to accommodate parking during events, and a shelter is being built.  Frank J. Zottola Construction Company donated the work on the parking area. 

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. 

Signs now identify trailheads and walking trails.  Civil & Environmental Consultants have 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 three existing trailheads are:

1. Whiskey Point Trailhead on Scrubgrass Road and Main Street

2. JJC Trailhead at the Jewish Community Center  

3. Scrubgrass Run Trailhead on Scrubgrass Road

The Providence Point Trailhead will be built once construction of the Providence Point Continuous Care Community, being built at the site of the old Kane Hospital,  is complete. Our marked trailheads should be easier to find and our improved trails should be easier to access and enjoy.

The conservancy added 5.5 acres of new land to the Kane Woods on March 14, 2008.  Accessed from Vanderbilt Drive in Mt. Lebanon, this new trailhead entrance services residents of the adjacent municipalities of Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon. A walking trail on the property connects to the Kane Woods in the valley below which extends our greenway.

The property was purchased with grant money from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and from The Pittsburgh Foundation.  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 of 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.

Please consider joining the conservancy, donating to our land acquisition efforts, or volunteering your time to help with our projects, activities and events. 

Scrubgrass AMD Treatment Site

Reflecting conditions left behind from a by-gone era, like many of the streams in our region, Scott Township's Scrubgrass Run, which drains into Chartiers Creek, is polluted by abandoned coal mine drainage (AMD).

The Scrubgrass Run AMD Project mitigates this pollution.   The bright orange sediment recovered from the site, referred to as "yellow-boy",  is recycled and used for pigment in paints and dyes.

Traffic Circle at Greentree & Cochran

The flower beds at the Greentree and Cochran Road Traffic Circle are highly visible to motorists traveling this busy intersection.  What a great way to showcase The Scott Conservancy and promote environmental awareness.  

We need your volunteer help to keep those flower beds  looking beautiful.  Please help us preserve this community asset.  Stop by on a planting/weeding day and lend a hand.