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 Our 2024 Partners and Projects

  (Click the logos to go to partner websites)

Rider Park is an 867-acre nature preserve that’s open to the public. Located in Lycoming County, north of Williamsport, PA, the park offers 10 miles of beautiful trails leading through woodland and meadows. Rider Park plans to enhance American Woodcock habitat with a generous grant from the Pennsylvania Society of Ornithology’s 2024 Breeding Bird Blitz.

Blitz NC Region

Approximately four acres along the western edge of the meadows will be turned into a mosaic of multi-stem shrubs and trees. American Woodcocks who feed on earthworms, have been observed in this area of wet ground and it is hoped they will benefit from enhanced habitat complexity. In addition to habitat enhancements, several interpretive signs describing American Woodcock behavior, nesting needs, and habitat requirements will be installed. To round off these efforts, we will partner with Lycoming Audubon Society to offer public programs to experience American Woodcock spring courtship displays. Visit RiderPark.org to find more information about the park.

Blitz NE Region
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Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) is a non-profit dedicated to connecting people to nature through experiential learning. For over 50 years, PEEC has engaged school groups, families, scouts, and the general public in learning about and conserving our natural resources. Located within the heart of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and within a short driving distance to the most densely populated region of the United States, PEEC is fortunate to serve over 27,000 people each year.

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In 2004, PEEC’s award-winning, passive solar Visitor Activity Center was developed with architects Bohlin Cywynski Jackson. This space serves as the PEEC dining hall and also hosts seasonal Community Dinners and Festivals. Its sustainable design is integrated into many of PEEC’s educational programs. Unfortunately, the expansive, passive solar windows on the south, west, and east sides of the building are the cause of many fatal bird strikes each year.

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With a small amount of funding from the Alliance for Watershed Education, PEEC is working with artist Eurhi Jones to conceptualize an art installation project in an effort to deter bird strikes at the Visitor Activity Center. In addition to conserving bird species, this project strives to engage the community in the creation of the art installation and provide environmental education opportunities including introducing new and diverse audiences to birding. Funds raised during the 2024 PA Breeding Bird Blitz will be contributed toward the installation and educational programming associated with the project.  

Allegheny Land Trust’s mission is to conserve and care for local land for the health and well-being of future generations. Our organization envisions a resilient region with abundant green space that is easily accessible and recognized as essential to the quality of life for all. One of our premier green spaces is Wingfield Pines.

Wingfield Pines is located within the townships of Upper St. Clair and South Fayette in the southwestern corner of Allegheny County. It is situated within the floodplain of Chartiers Creek. The land has seen more than of its share of use and abuse. Strip-mined in the 1940’s, and later turned into the Wingfield Pines Golf and Swim Club, Wingfield Pines is among several restoration and enhancement projects undertaken in the Chartiers Valley. Allegheny Land Trust purchased the 87-acre conservation area in December 2001. Working in conjunction with local environmental groups, we designed and implemented a passive treatment system to address the abandoned mine drainage (AMD) problem on the site. The system mitigates 43 tons of iron oxides flowing into Chartiers Creek. Completed in 2009, the system operates by gravity and treats iron-laden mine discharge that is running at 1,500 – 2,000 gallons per minute across the property before it enters Chartiers Creek. The AMD treatment system occupies approximately  25 acres of the 87-acre site. In addition to recovering iron oxide from the water, the system accommodates trails, a wetland boardwalk, overlooks, and interpretative signage providing educational opportunities.

This project aims to expand upon existing wetlands of Wingfield Pines to provide an additional 4 acres of prime wetland habitat for the more than 200 species of birds that utilize Wingfield Pine’s prime habitat either year round or as a migration stop over. This would increase the overall wetland to 30 acres of invaluable habitat along one of the busiest migration flyways.

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In addition to the restoration of habitat, this project also aims to increase bird related educational programming offered by ALT. This project would provide 6 free or low cost bird programs for the southwestern Pennsylvania region including a World Migratory Bird Day hike (2nd Saturday in May), World Fall Migratory birding hike (2nd Saturday in October), Female Bird ID

webinar for Female Bird Days (Memorial Day weekend), an International Bird Day Webinar (January), a bird banding talk and program with a local certified bird banding expert and a Pennsylvania Songbirds Professional Development Workshop.

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Overarching program goals:

  • Restore 4 acres of Wingfield Pines habitat to wetlands, increasing overall wetland acreage of Wingfield Pines to approximately 30 acres.

  • Run 2 Migratory Bird Day hikes, free to the community, that would serve as data collection hikes for the World Migratory Bird Day counts in May and October.

  • Create a Female Bid Day Webinar and an International Bird Day Webinar, both of which would be free to the public.

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