The Hollow Oak Land Trust began its mission in 1991 to protect greenspace in the Pittsburgh Airport corridor long before one current board member was even born!
It all started with the tract of land surrounding the former Nike missile base in Moon Township, Allegheny County. How Hollow Oak is now on the verge of acquiring that military base and adding it to the 300-acre Montour Woods Conservation Area.
Land protection, trash removal, and environmental stewardship have continued for three decades through the leadership of just three Executive Directors: Founder Roy Kraynyk was followed by Janet Thorne and then Sean Brady, who has served Hollow Oak Land Trust and airport area communities for the last nine years.
Sixty-seven different directors have served on the board and innumerable volunteers have contributed mightily to the land trust's success.
Today, Hollow Oak owns five conservation areas totaling over 550 acres in Moon, Kennedy, Franklin Park, North Fayette and Hopewell in Allegheny County. Hollow Oak also owns two conservation easements for 90-acre Sahli Nature Park in Chippewa Township, Beaver County.
Hollow Oak conservation areas are protected to maintain and enhance their ecological values. Protected wildlife habitats include mature forest, steep slopes, floodplains, wetlands, and meadows.
Their conservation areas are accessible to the public for non-motorized use. They also can be used by schools and other groups for nature study and research.
The Hollow Oak Land Trust has also helped create the Montour Run Watershed Association and secured some of the earliest funding for development of the Montour Trail.
Hollow Oak also conceived a network of greenways along Montour Run, from its upper reaches at the border of Washington County to its mouth at the Ohio River in Allegheny County.
Toward this vision, they have acquired land and established conservation areas open to the public, including 300-acre Montour Woods Conservation Area and 88-acre Trout Run Conservation Area to link the Meeks Run and Trout Run stream valleys at Moon Park.
The goal is to establish a new 10-mile greenway trail, linking several communities to those conservation areas, Moon Park and the Montour Trail.
For more on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and how you can get involved, visit the Hollow Oak Land Trust website. Follow them on Facebook. Click Here to sign up for regular updates. Click Here to support their work.
[Posted: February 5, 2021] PA Environment Digest
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