FedEx Helps Bring Vision for Emerald View Park to Life

At the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC), one thing is clear—we can't accomplish our work without the help of dedicated volunteers. And often, those volunteers happen to be Pittsburghers who work for a company dedicated to investing in a green future.

Our Corporate Champion of the summer is FedEx, thanks to their commitment to investing in the future of Emerald View Park. The company’s contributions over the years through both financial donations and hands-on volunteerism have resulted in safer, cleaner, and healthier parks for everyone.  

 An Investment in Emerald View Park

This year, FedEx's generous investment of $12,500 has allowed the Parks Conservancy to invest in the ongoing beautification and restoration of Emerald View Park, which spans 257 acres along Pittsburgh’s Mount Washington and Duquesne Heights neighborhoods. In alignment with the community-driven Emerald View Park Master Plan, the PPC is focused on improving the ecological vitality of the park, beautifying visible gardens and trailheads with low-lying native perennials that enhance the landscape without obstructing the treasured views of Pittsburgh’s rivers, hillsides, and skyscrapers, and enhancing mobility through the repair and rehabilitation of the park’s popular trail network.   

The $12,500 grant from FedEx, which leveraged a $25,000 award from the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation as part of a State Neighborhood Partnership Tax Credit Program, has allowed the PPC to complete the following: 

• Hire a part-time seasonal staff person whose role involves caring for trees, pollinator-friendly garden beds, and ecological sites, weeding, watering, mulching, and invasive species removal at nine sites throughout Emerald View Park, including the Point of View Park, Grandview Avenue Overlooks, Sycamore Saddle Trailhead, Greenleaf Trailhead, Bigbee Trailhead, Grandview Park, Mount Washington Park, and Anchor Green. This individual also engages park users who pass by and educates them on plants and invasive species found in each of these spaces. This dedicated support is instrumental in ensuring that the spaces remain clean and beautiful and create the first impression that this park deserves. 

• Plant 34 native trees throughout Emerald View Park, which include: 

• 20 trees at the Bigbee Trailhead (5 gray dogwoods, 5 nannyberry viburnum, 5 American elderberry, and 5 chokecherry as part of the FedEx staff volunteer event on April 4, 2025.  

• 1 pagoda dogwood tree on the Grandview Park lawn, as part of broader efforts to add shade and protect this well-used hillside. 

• 13 smooth sumac trees at the Bigbee Trailhead. 

• Plans for the fall include planting of at least 35 more trees. 

• Plant 350 herbaceous plugs at the Bigbee Trailhead to welcome trail users to this space. This year, staff plan to plant upwards of 1,000 herbaceous plugs throughout Emerald View Park thanks to FedEx’s investment. 

• Support the 30th annual hillside cleanup hosted in collaboration with the Explorers’ Club of Pittsburgh and community partners. This event, during which volunteers repel down the hillsides surrounding the Grandview Avenue Overlooks, removed tons of litter that scar these visible spaces and cause further erosion. The Parks Conservancy supported volunteer recruitment, day of coordination, and related opportunities to clean up nearby streets and garden beds.   

• Contract with Landforce, a local nonprofit that provides training to individuals with historic barriers to employment, to improve Emerald View Park’s vast and popular trail network. Trainees’ efforts include constructing drainage solutions to resolve saturation, building small bridges to better connect visitors to their destinations, and removal of invasive species that obstruct users’ ability to access certain trails.   

• Install a new garden bed at the very well-utilized Point of View Park trailhead. This location welcomes thousands of tourists who enjoy the beloved view of the Golden Triangle and Point State Park. The new garden bed enhances this popular photo spot and greets visitors. Photos are included below.  

From time spent volunteering, to gifts made to the PPC that will allow us to carry out our restoration goals, it's clear that having partners who invest in our local green spaces makes all the difference. Thank you to FedEx for your continual generosity, and congratulations on becoming our most recent Corporate Champion!