Protecting Wingfield Pines

Reflections After 20 Years of Protecting Wingfield Pines

Roy Kraynyk, ALT, VP of Land Protection & Capital Projects

I first visited Wingfield Pines in February 2001, a few weeks after being hired as Allegheny Land Trust’s (ALT) first fulltime executive director. ALT already had the land under contract to purchase by December of that year.

It was a cold and sunny day when I walked the site with an environmental engineer who was conducting a Phase One Environmental Site Assessment. The remnants of the former golf course tees, greens, and fairways were still visible, the swimming pool was about half full and frozen, the bathhouse and kitchen building were still standing but vandalized, and a small clubhouse with great views of the green space stood vacant.

We made our way north, past sand traps, ending up at the abandoned mine discharge (AMD) flowing from a six-foot diameter concrete pipe. The channel created a flow approximately 100 yards away to Chartiers Creek, and was pure orange in color from the iron sludge that was being deposited there by the mine water for decades. I said to the engineer, “I hope our property line ends before this mess.”

We followed the flow channel to its confluence with Chartiers Creek, where the bottom of the creek was a normal color and an assembly of various sized stones. However, looking downstream, the creek bottom was just a solid mass of orange sludge—a dramatic difference. Later studies of Chartiers Creek by Duquesne University showed a drastic difference in the amount and diversity of life in the creek, up and downstream of the AMD input. Soon after that walk, ALT had a boundary survey completed and discovered that the discharge was on the land that it had under contract to purchase.

Seven months later, the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred, bringing much of the country—including our ALT nonprofit—to a halt. So, the board decided to use operating funds in response to halted fundraising activities to close on the land and protect it by the December deadline. ALT became the proud owner of Wingfield Pines, which was, and still is, one of ALT’s most popular green spaces, providing environmental, recreational, and other public benefits.

As the new owners of this AMD discharge-laden site, ALT got to work planning remediation efforts to fix the site’s issues. Over the course of about three years, we raised funds for a feasibility study and for the subsequent design, permitting, and construction of the AMD Treatment System that you can see there today.

The first drop of water into the system was in July 2009. It has been flowing ever since, except for two years when ALT had to raise funds to redesign the system to fix an underground mine collapse that damaged the original system.

To this day, the system requires no energy or chemicals. It relies on gravity for the water to flow through it, and the natural process of oxidation, where the ferrous oxide brought to the surface dissolved in the mine drainage turns into ferric oxide when it comes in contact with free oxygen. The iron changes from a mineral dissolved in water to a nontoxic solid that you can see accumulating at the bottom of the sediment ponds as sludge. One day, the iron sludge will be removed and potentially sold as pigment for paint, stain, and dye. The challenge the designers faced was to create a system in the available acreage for the

Teacher training at Wingfield Pines mine water to flow at a slow enough rate to be in the system long enough for the dissolved iron to oxidize before exiting the system. What used to take about 40 minutes for the water to reach Chartiers Creek from where the mine water originally surfaced now takes about 40 hours. So, by the time the mine water reaches the creek, the iron has turned into a solid similar to rust and has sunken to the bottom of the Planting trees ponds and “finishing wetlands” that work to filter the last particles of iron from the water. The system is working wonderfully, and you can personally observe it by the orange color of pond #1 compared to the clarity of the water entering Chartiers Creek. From the beginning, the design was intended to foster education by integrating trails, boardwalks, and interpretative signage throughout the system so that anyone visiting An aerial view of the AMD treatment the land can learn about the history of the site, system at Wingfield Pines as well as the legacy of mine drainage left by the coal mining industry. While I’ve only explored the history of acquiring the land and cleaning its water, many of you know the green space hosts more than just an AMD treatment system. Upcoming Events at Visitors will also find a wide variety of songbirds, including several seaWingfield Pines sonal migrating species, waterfowl, Sunday, March 20 amphibians, reptiles, insects, and 7:30–8:30 p.m. Spring Equinox Starlight Strollplants at the green space. Addition- $5/person ally, attendees to our environmental education events onsite can learn Saturday, May 14 8–10 a.m. much more about the site’s flora World Migratory Bird Day and fauna. $5/person ALT looks forward to another Saturday, May 14 20 years of protecting this land, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. and to making many more strides Bird Study Merit Badge in maintaining, improving, and $20/Scout programming on this special green For information and space in our community. n registration, visit: alleghenylandtrust.org/events. —Photos courtesy of Lindsay Dill, ALT marketing communications director

Al and Ted’s Second Big Adventure

Mary Lynne Spazok

In July 2021, Al Iaconis and Ted Spazok were on the road again. Previously reported, the first “Big Adventure” featured in Traveling with TODAY shadowed the route of Lewis and Clark. This year’s Border to Border Posse Ride was an epic ten-day 2600+ mile journey from the border of Texas at El Paso north to Missoula, Montana. This once-in-a-lifetime experience, sponsored by the Harley Owners Group (HOG), traversed the spine of the majestic Rocky Mountains north to the Canadian border. Along the way, 13 Harley Davidson dealerships hosted evening events, as well as cycle maintenance “on demand.” Arrival day one celebrated an opening ceremony with an outing to the infamous Rosa’s Cantina. According to legend, it is here that a love-struck cowboy gunned down another in a jealous rage. Onward, day two in New Mexico featured the Mexican Canyon trestle, offering spectacular views of the White Sands National Park. Day three highlighted the Old Lincoln County Courthouse, made famous as Billy the Kid’s jailhouse break. In addition, Los Burros De Carrizozo, a small, but celebrated town, extends a scavenger hunt to visitors of the many fiberglass burros situated around the town’s two streets. Durango was the destination for day four. There, one can visit Camel Rock Monument, Santuario de Chimayo built in 1816, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, and Chimney Rock. Although a non-activity night, day five featured a visit to the world’s highest Harley store, Silverton Harley-Davidson, then a meander over to Doc Holiday’s Saloon. Days six and seven tallied more than 443 foothill miles to Loveland, Colorado. Here, Estes Park, home base for the Rocky Mountain National Park, is native country to wildlife, including elk and bear, plus miles of perilous trails. The park’s Trail Ridge Road winds past craggy peaks, forests, and tundra. Nearby is the wilderness area of Roosevelt National Forest. The Estes Park Aerial Tramway summit of Prospect Mountain affords breathtaking valley views below.

From Cody, Wyoming, Bozeman, Montana, was the next point of interest and home to Belgrade Beartooth Pass, elevation 10,947 feet, via Chief Joseph Scenic Byway. At this point, northeast Yellowstone National Park (Tower-Roosevelt) is accessible with a park pass purchased in advance. The 132-foot drop of Tower Creek, framed by eroded volcanic pinnacles, has been documented by park visitors from the earliest trips of explorers into the Yellowstone region. Its idyllic setting has inspired numerous artists, including Thomas Moran, an American painter and printmaker of the New York Hudson River School. His career showcased the Rocky Mountains, and his painting of Tower Fall played a role in the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Nearby Bannock Ford on the Yellowstone River was an essential travel route for notable native Americans, the Crow and Sioux nations. Historically, the 1800s marked a time of vast exploration, expansion due to fledgling wealth-seeking miners and inquisitive Europeans looking for western homesteads. On the final day ten, 365 miles were added, which ended in Missoula, Montana, via the Canadian border bypass V2. Visited, as well, was the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the union of Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and Glacier National Park in the U.S. Both parks are declared Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO and as World Heritage sites. Here, as in all national parks, visitors are advised to enjoy wildlife at a distance. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviors, and exposes them to predators and other dangers. Bright yellow flyers assert that “A fed bear is a dead bear!” It illustrates a moose, a Grizzly, and a black bear. How close is too close? It is advised to stay at least 100 yards (eight tour buses) from bears and wolves and for all others, 25 yards (2.5 tour buses) away. Designated observation zones are secure for viewing and photos. Keep in mind that motorcycle daily excursions on this trip can vary between 200 to 400 miles and two to seven and a half hours ride time, depending on the weather and terrain. So, how did Al and Ted amass 7000+ miles? Beside the HOG-planned 2600 miles, their itinerary, which started in Pittsburgh, took them south to Lexington, Kentucky, westward to Branson, Missouri, a stop at Fort Sill (U.S. Army Post) in Lawton, Oklahoma, and then on to El Paso, Texas, a route that is a bit more than 2000 miles each way. Overall, the weather cooperated with clear skies, no measurable precipitation, and temperature highs between 60 and 90 degrees. With the coming of summer 2022, Al and Ted look forward to planning their next bike adventure, with destinations yet to be determined. Never owned or rented a motorcycle? Now is the time! Take a Harley Davidson new rider course to apply learned skills of riding safely and with confidence. Wisdom is knowledge gained by having experiences in life. A Posse ride affords plenty of freedom to choose your own way. No matter where your interests lie, resolve to check off one from your bucket list in 2022. n

Ted, holding TODAY along Beartooth Pass, Wyoming Al and Ted roadside at Glacier

Ted, with TODAY at White Sands National Park, New Mexico As you grow older, you’ll find the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do. —actor Zachary Scott National Park, Montana

Space Adventure

Ship Atlantis replicating landing on the Moon

This past November, a visit to the Kennedy Space Center was, well, out of this world! A few miles north of Cape Canaveral, Florida, it was an exploration for all ages. Visiting just one week after a private rocket launch, you could still feel the excitement. An important first stop was to the information booth, where an attendee shared insight about the events and made suggestions for mapping out the day’s exploration. Heading first to the Heroes and Legends exhibit that celebrates the pioneers of NASA’s early space exploration programs, the next stop was to the IMAX theater for a presentation about Artemis, the renewed space exploration activity that NASA is undertaking. A full-scale model of Orion, a spacecraft under construction and development for the Artemis program that might one day carry astronauts to Mars, is prominently displayed onsite.

Boarding a bus for a short excursion to the Apollo/Saturn V Center, authentic artifacts of the Apollo missions were displayed, as well as the space shuttle Atlantis which hung from the ceiling. Here you can learn about NASA’s space program’s early importance to the world and relive the final few moments in the actual control room leading up to the first words ever spoken from the surface of the moon by Neil Armstrong during the Apollo 11 mission, where he exclaimed, “… the Eagle has landed.”

Returning to the visitor’s center, and driving past the VAB (vehicle assembly building), the largest one-story building in the world, you can also see the actual missile launch pad sites in the distance that are situated on protected beachfront property along the Atlantic Ocean.

The center provides a number of places to grab a bite of food and recharge, as well as interactive play areas for young explorers. While visiting the center, pets can be housed in the onsite air-conditioned kennel, free of charge.

Historic space flight is being bolstered by private entrepreneurial exploits by Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic, Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin, and Elon Musk of SpaceX. Carving out a piece of the fledging space tourism industry, travel to the heavens will surely continue and escalate for thrill seekers, as well as for NASA. n

One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind. —Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, July 16, 1969

September 1959 Life magazines focus on U.S. astronauts and their wives The Artemis Program

The Artemis program is a U.S.-led international human spaceflight program. Its primary goal is to return humans to the Moon, specifically to the lunar south pole, by 2025. If successful, it will include the first crewed lunar landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972, the last lunar flight of the Apollo program.

The Artemis program began December 2017 as the reorganization and continuation of successive efforts to revitalize the U.S. space program since 2009. Its short-term goal is to land the first woman on the Moon. Mid-term objectives include establishing an international expedition team and a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Long-term objectives are laying the foundations for the extraction of lunar resources, and eventually, making crewed missions to Mars and beyond feasible.

The Artemis program is carried out predominantly by NASA and U.S. commercial spaceflight contractors, in partnership with the European Space Agency and space agencies of several other nations.

Full-scale model of NASA’s Orion spacecraft

Original NASA control room, with screens depicting the lift off of Apollo 11 at 26 seconds.

Dakotas Offer a View of American History

On a mission to find a geocache in every state, Kerry Turner, accompanied by TODAY and a couple friends, took a road trip to North Dakota. The first geocache she found in that state was hidden along a portion of the North Country Trail as it passed through the Sheyenne National Grasslands. While in North Dakota, Kerry and companions also visited the world’s largest Sandhill Crane statue and the world’s largest buffalo monument.

On their way home, they traveled through Deadwood, South Dakota, where they spent the evening at the 1899 Inn and visited Moriah Cemetery and the burial plots of Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, and Marshall Seth Bullock. Before leaving Deadwood, the small group hiked Friendship Tower on Mount Roosevelt for some beautiful vistas. Before beelining it back to Upper St. Clair, a visit to Mount Rushmore, the Badlands, Wall Drug, and the Minuteman Missile national historic site rounded out the whirlwind trip. n

The world’s largest Sandhill crane statue in Steele, North Dakota

Kerry Turner at Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota The world’s largest buffalo monument in Jamestown, North Dakota

Traveling Locally to Volunteer

While dressed in festive winter holiday attire, Paul Fox traveled with TODAY in hand on his rounds at nearby St. Clair Health. Since retiring from the Upper St. Clair School District, Paul volunteers his time and is a member of the red-coat volunteers, helping wheechair-bound patients in, out, and around the hospital. As Paul says, “This is a heart-warming chance to help others during times of their greatest needs.”

To learn more about volunteering at St. Clair Health, call Sharon Stander, director of Volunteer Services, at 412-942-2085. n

Paul Fox holds up a copy of the TODAY magazine and also helps distribute them throughout the hospital’s waiting rooms.

Instructions for Traveling with TODAY

Read the following criteria to find out how to submit information. • Clear, close-up digital photo of USC resident(s) holding his or her TODAY magazine. • Attach jpg (at least 300 dpi) and send via email, including required information (see below) in the body of the email. • List name(s) of resident(s), group, and specific photo location, and objective of visit (leisure, volunteer, career, etc.) or stay-athome project. • Include email address or phone number should further contact be necessary. • Email information to usctoday@uscsd.k12. pa.us, with “TODAY” listed in subject line.

Note: Submitted photos and information for this feature section will remain on file for upcoming editions until published.