Earth Day Volunteers Needed to Beautify Mount Washington

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  April 12, 2007).  The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is partnering with the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (CDC), Friends of Grandview Park and the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works on an Earth Day planting project in Mount Washington’s Grandview Park on Sunday, April 22 from noon until 3 p.m.

Volunteers will plant and mulch perennials to beautify the entrance to the Park. Volunteers are asked to wear work clothes and sturdy shoes, and to dress for the weather because the event will be held rain or shine.  Water and light refreshments will be provided.  Volunteers should meet at the top of the stone staircase at the park entrance at 499 Boggs Avenue.

This Earth Day event is an outgrowth of a partnership between WPC and Mt. Washington CDC that began with the development of the Grandview Scenic Byway Park Master Implementation Plan in late 2005.  The WPC team found that there are major opportunities for enhancing the forests on Mount Washington, and there are numerous partial trails that could be developed to increase access.

The plan recommended replanting Mt. Washington hillsides with low growing native plants that will rarely need pruning. Since the report was issued in late 2005, the community has convinced the Pittsburgh City Council to declare more than 250 acres of undeveloped city-owned land on Mount Washington to be a new city park.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is planning to be a part of the Grandview Park planting project to celebrate Earth Day.

For more information about the Earth Day planting in Mt. Washingon, contact Chris Farber at 412-586-2324 or email cfarber@paconserve.org.

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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
Since its founding 75 years ago in 1932, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has protected more than 212,000 acres of natural lands in Pennsylvania, restored watersheds and saved natural habitats for a diversity of life and uses.  Since 1963, WPC preserves Fallingwater®, the masterpiece home designed in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Edgar J. Kaufmann in Mill Run, Pennsylvania.   As a symbol of living in harmony with nature, Fallingwater offers a wide variety of educational programs to its more than 135,000 annual visitors.  Each year, WPC partners with 5,000 volunteers and dozens of community organizations and businesses to plant and maintain 135 gardens and greening projects in 20 western Pennsylvania counties.