◀ People enjoy the natural scenery during a walk on the Panhandle Trail in South Fayette in June. ▼ A banner along Marshall Road promotes an effort by the nonprofit Allegheny Land Trust to conserve 141 acres of woods in South Fayette. The project will buffer the Panhandle Trail, connect conserved lands and provide environmental benefits. (Photos by Andrea Iglar)
Protected and connected
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Nonprofit aims to conserve land in South Fayette Allegheny Land Trust seeks donations to help protect 141 acres near Panhandle Trail By Andrea Iglar An expanse of woodlands will be protected and connected in South Fayette. Allegheny Land Trust is set to conserve 221 acres of land near the Panhandle Trail in South Fayette Township and neighboring Collier Township. The nonprofit is accepting donations to help preserve 141 acres of woods bordering parts of Marshall Road, Scotch Hill Road and Robinson Run Road in South Fayette— plus 80 acres bordered by Gregg Station Road and Nike Site Road in Collier. The Panhandle Greenway Conservation Project will provide benefits now and for generations to come, said Lindsay Dill, the land trust's senior director of marketing and community engagement. “In this part of Allegheny County, sprawling development is just starting to take hold and take away these green spaces, so we see this as an opportunity to proactively connect the incredible assets that this region has to support flora, fauna and humans alike,” Dill said. The land trust has an exclusive contract to purchase and permanently protect the land, contingent upon raising 10 |
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more than $1.7 million in grants, corporate sponsorships and community donations by December. The nonprofit is asking for a total of $75,000 from individual donors. Even a small donation will help fill the funding gap and demonstrate community support to leverage large grants, Dill said. In the spring, South Fayette Township submitted letters of support for the project’s state grant applications. Preserving the land will connect various public and privately conserved lands, including Preservation Park, the Boys Home Farm Preserve and Boys Home Park in South Fayette, as well as Settler’s Cabin Park, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden, Collier Township Park, the Montour Trail and the Panhandle Trail. Two miles of the Panhandle Trail stretch through South Fayette. The land will be protected from development, maintaining the scenic views, fresh air and peaceful atmosphere that bicyclists, runners, walkers and other trail users enjoy, Dill said. “We see this as early stages of creating a @SouthFayetteTownship
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network of connected, protected lands both to buffer the Panhandle Trail and also to connect to other efforts,” she said. The South Fayette land includes 11 acres owned by North Star Coal Company and 130 acres owned by Terrence Teodori. The land was farmed and then mined for coal between 1938 and the mid-1940s. “For the last 80 years, aerial imagery shows that it has been slowly reverting to a natural forested habitat,” Dill said. The conservation project aims to preserve natural beauty, enhance clean air and water, protect wildlife habitat, absorb stormwater and mitigate flooding in the Robinson Run watershed. Once conserved, the land trust will work with the local community to determine if the area could be used for light recreation or environmental education. “To us, it’s important to protect one of our region’s best assets, which is its closeto-home green space,” Dill said. “We need all the support we can get.” Learn more and donate: alleghenylandtrust.org/ panhandlegreenway.
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