Spring Teaser – Earth Month Activities Return in April

As the sun starts to shyly peek through the clouds of winter, we’re only one month away from launching our spring programming, which includes our annual Earth Month festivities, generously sponsored by Green Mountain Energy. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy understands the importance of protecting our planet and raising awareness about creating a sustainable environment. We promote conservation and sustainability through a month-long series of events that foster a love for Planet Earth, from lake clean-ups to story hikes. Taking place in parks across Pittsburgh and focusing on community partnerships and family fun, our activities will deepen your connection with local greenspaces in a collaborative, exciting way. Stay tuned for the launch of our spring programming guide, where you will find all of our Earth Month programming.  

Get your PNC Carousel Pass for the Upcoming Season!

Get ready to spin round and round! Carousel season returns Wednesday, April 19 at Schenley Plaza. PNC Carousel Family Season Passes are now available. Unlimited rides for the whole family are a great way to enjoy the sunshine after visiting the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain or a picnic at Panther Hollow Lake. The pass is available for two adults and up to four children. Snag your pass today! 

Parks RX Offers Unique Ways to get Active Outside  

Did you know about our park prescriptions? Parks RX is a partnership between the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, which focuses on encouraging healthy lifestyles and physical activity outdoors. Physicians provide wellness sheets consisting of engaging, challenging outdoor activities that motivate children and families to interact with the parks in new ways. Creative prompts on activity sheets offer novel ways to explore nature. From finding sign language charts at the Kennard Playground to dashing between home plates at Leslie Park, there are plenty of ways to get moving. It's up to you to discover them!  In this month's blog post we’ll take a closer look with Community Health and Prevention Coordinator for UPMC, Lilly Saitz. With a slight reframing of “nature” and “outdoors” you may be surprised at how often you’re already spending time outside! 

We're Hiring! Apply now to be a Community Education Assistant

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is hiring a part-time, seasonal Community Education Assistant to join our summer outreach team. Programming will include summer camp outreach with youth-serving organizations and community programs for the general public. Programs will occur in parks throughout Pittsburgh, but will have a special emphasis on greenspaces in the Hill District and Hazelwood. The Assistant will support educational programming alongside the Community Nature Educator and report to the Senior Manager of Special Initiatives. Applicants are encouraged to apply by April 1. 

Community Feedback Informs Phases of Frick Environmental Center Outdoor Sensory Classroom Development   

Collaboration on the FEC Outdoor Sensory Classroom, which aims to help people of all abilities engage with nature, continues through its engagement phase, which has included gathering public input about the design concepts. The project intends to connect users to the natural environment through sensory experiences, inviting people to touch, smell, look, listen, taste, and interact with nature. At the core of the initiative is to make the park more accessible and inclusive, accommodating persons with disabilities and learners with exceptionalities, and removing barriers to access. Recently, the PPC held virtual and in-person public meetings and workshops, and collected additional community feedback about the design of the sensory classroom through an online engagement survey. PPC and their design team are currently developing a more detailed, preferred plan that responds directly to community input, and will host another round of meetings and workshops in April. 

Learn more about Hays Woods Park

You may have already known that Frick Park is the city’s largest park, but Hays Woods Park, a lesser-known park and protected forest, clocks in at the number two ranking. Last month, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy announced a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation that will be used to perform preliminary invasive species management and trash removal at the 626-acre park. In the coming months, goats from our friends at Allegheny GoatScape will arrive on-site to start snacking on invasive plants while we work with Allegheny CleanWays and the Friends of Hays Woods to remove trash and debris from the park. Stay tuned for volunteer opportunities, and if you join us, you may even catch a glimpse of the nesting bald eagles that call the park home!

Learn about Mushrooms at the next Western PA Mushroom Club Monthly Meeting

Did you know it’s the start of mushroom season? The Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club meets the third Tuesday of each month (March through November) at the Frick Environmental Center. Each meeting features updates on club activities, a speaker/presentation, a mushroom identification table, and mushroom-related merchandise for sale. This month's meeting meets a week early, on Tuesday, March 14 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. and features Britt Bunyard, the editor of Fungi Magazine and author of several mushroom books including "The Lives of Fungi: A Natural History of Our Planet's Decomposers" and "Amanitas of North America". Britt will be selling and signing his books at the meeting.  Free and open to the public. No registration required.

The FEC is located at 2005 Beechwood Blvd.