Rooted in Community: 2025 in Review
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy – 2025 Year-End Recap
Parks are the last great unifiers—places where neighbors can come together, regardless of background. Our mission at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is to improve the quality of life for Pittsburghers by enhancing our city's green spaces in partnership with the community. We believe that parks should be inspirational places where everyone feels welcome. We achieved that this year, in more ways than one, with the help of tireless community partners, park champions, and supporters like you. Thank you for a wonderful year, filled with community, stewardship, and unity.
National Recognition: Parks for People
This year, Pittsburgh’s park system earned national recognition for what it has always been striving toward: accessible, welcoming parks that serve everyone in our community. According to the Trust for Public Land’s 2025 ParkScore Index, Pittsburgh ranked #15 among the 100 most populous U.S. cities for the quality of its public parks — a testament to the strength of our green spaces as community assets and gathering places. ICYMI: Check out the write up from Union Progress.
The ParkScore ranking evaluates cities based on key indicators of equitable access, amenities, investment, and more — including how many residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. In Pittsburgh, 94% of residents now live within reach of a park, far exceeding the national average.
This achievement reflects not just acreage or facilities, but a shared commitment to ensuring parks are places where people of all backgrounds, neighborhoods, and abilities can come together, get outside, and enjoy nature. It’s a reminder that parks are powerful community infrastructure — places for play, rest, celebration, and connection — and that the Parks Conservancy’s efforts in accessibility and inclusion are making measurable impacts across the city.
Breaking Barriers: Making Strides Towards an Accessible Future
In 2025, the Parks Conservancy took bold steps toward making nature truly accessible for all Pittsburghers — not just in words, but in real places and programs designed with people’s needs at the center.
This spring, the Parks Conservancy officially opened the Outdoor Discovery Space and Sensory Nature Trail at Frick Park, a fully accessible, one-third-mile woodland trail built to invite people of all abilities to connect with nature in engaging, multi-sensory ways. The space (developed with community feedback and guided by accessibility principles) features stations like whisper tubes, pebble harps, and rest spots that are intentionally designed to engage sight, sound, texture, and reflection along an ADA-friendly paved path.
"People who might previously have been unable to explore parts of Frick Park — including those with mobility or sensory needs — can now experience the woods, wildlife, and wonder of the outdoors," said President and CEO Catherine Qureshi.
Real stories from the trail reflected that mission in action. A park visitor with an autistic son, shared that the accessible loops give her family peace of mind and the freedom to enjoy nature together in ways that weren’t possible before. Another educator described how students in wheelchairs could reach and interact with sensory stations independently — a milestone in inclusive programming that strengthens community connection to the parks
Building on that foundation, the Parks Conservancy also launched a Trackchair pilot program at the Frick Environmental Center this fall, giving youth and adults with limited mobility the opportunity to ride all-terrain electric wheelchairs on natural trails that would otherwise be difficult to navigate. The Trackchairs, equipped with features like joystick steering, leg support, and rugged treads, unlock experiences that folks should be entitled to when accessing nature, expanding who gets to enjoy the woodlands and open air.
Program staff and accessibility coordinators noted enthusiastic community response and are already planning for expanded availability in spring, with an eye toward future growth across more parks.
Together, the Sensory Nature Trail and Trackchair pilot illustrate a core Parks Conservancy principle: accessibility is not an add-on — it’s central to how we build and steward parks. These milestones represent more than bricks and paths; they embody a vision of parks where everyone can belong, explore, and thrive together.
Education and Community: The Heart of What We Do
At the core of our work is a deep commitment to education, community engagement, and inclusive experiences — inviting Pittsburghers of all ages to learn, explore, and steward the natural world together.
This year, our Earth Month celebrations brought families and neighbors into parks across the city to learn about the environment while having fun together. Free events at Westinghouse Park and McKinley Park featured music, nature crafts, hands‑on activities, and opportunities to connect with educators and conservation partners — all designed to inspire stewardship and spark curiosity in parks as community spaces.
In September, the Freedom Harvest Fest at the Frick Environmental Center once again united community members around food, culture, and history. The celebration — inspired by the From Slavery to Freedom Garden — highlighted crops with deep historical meaning while offering interactive activities, live music, and garden tours that honored resilience and connection to the land.
Our summer camps continued to be a transformative experience for young learners. With hands‑on nature exploration, science experiments, and outdoor team challenges, these weeklong programs at the Frick Environmental Center helped children build confidence, curiosity, and a deeper sense of belonging in the outdoors.
For high school students, our Urban EcoStewards program also brought community members together to care for the parks. Young people serving as EcoStewards engaged in stewardship tasks like removing invasive plants and planting native species, learning practical conservation skills while cultivating relationships with peers and the landscapes they protect.
Across multiple parks this summer, our expanded Family Days programming brought inclusive, free activities to families throughout Pittsburgh. From themed adventures and performances to nature walks and meet‑and‑greet characters, these events celebrated community and offered joyful ways for people, young and old, to connect with each other and the great outdoors.
And through year‑round public programming, from birding walks and naturalist‑led hikes to seasonal workshops and ecological explorations, we continued to create spaces where learning happens naturally and where parks become places for shared discovery, connection, and civic pride.
Together, these efforts underscore our belief that education and community experiences are not extras, they are essential to vibrant, equitable parks. Through collaboration, creativity, and intentional engagement, we are helping build a city where nature and community grow stronger together.
Capital Projects: Building Spaces for All
Across Pittsburgh this year, investment in parks was about more than concrete and construction, it was about community vision, connection, and belonging. From revitalizing cherished gathering spaces to co‑creating new ones with neighbors, these projects reflect how parks can serve as places where people come together, celebrate their history, learn from one another, and build stronger connections to nature and to each other.
Valley Refuge Shelter Completion in Riverview Park
One of Pittsburgh’s most beloved outdoor gathering spots, the Valley Refuge Shelter in Riverview Park, saw a thoughtful restoration in 2025 that brings this historic space into the future while honoring its past. Originally built in the 1930s through New Deal‑era programs, the shelter — long a backdrop for celebrations, community picnics, and neighborhood events — was refurbished to ensure years of continued use and enjoyment.
The project included masonry restoration, roof replacement, modernized plumbing and restrooms, updated electrical systems, improved flagstone paving, and enhanced accessibility — all elements that make the space more comfortable and welcoming for people of all ages and abilities.
Community Grove Project — Revitalizing McKinley Park with Neighbors
In the heart of Beltzhoover, Bon Air, and Knoxville, the McKinley Park Community Grove initiative represents a collaborative visioning process that began with neighbors and community stakeholders and is now moving toward design and implementation.
Rooted in the park’s rich history, including an area once home to a community‑built baseball field, this project is being shaped with input from local residents, community groups, and park visitors. The goal is to create a vibrant gathering space right in the neighborhood that balances passive and active uses while responding directly to what community members said they want: a place for connection, learning, play, ecological restoration, and multi‑generational use.
City planning meetings in fall 2025 marked key milestones in the process, continuing a dialogue between neighbors, City staff, and the Parks Conservancy to ensure the Grove reflects community aspirations.
These projects show how capital investment and community voice can intersect to create spaces that feel like home. Whether restoring a historic shelter treasured for generations, or planning a new grove co‑designed with neighbors, the Parks Conservancy remains focused on people first — building places that are welcoming, accessible, and rooted in local community identity.
Horticulture, Forestry & Ecological Stewardship: Growing Resilience in Our Parks
In 2025, the Parks Conservancy’s Horticulture and Forestry work continued to expand both in scope and impact — rooted in ecological science, community engagement, and a long‑term vision for healthier, more resilient park landscapes.
At the core of this effort were expanded Stewardship Days, where volunteers joined Parks Conservancy staff in hands‑on activities like invasive species removal, trailside planting, and caring for newly planted trees. These sessions now take place regularly in Frick Park, mobilizing neighbors to care for native woodland areas and deepen their connection to ecological stewardship and place‑based learning. These volunteer efforts not only enhance ecological health but strengthen the community of people who care for our parks.
A particularly exciting development this year was the creation of the deer exclosure in McKinley Park — an enclosed area set aside to protect young tree plantings from over‑browsing by deer. In many of our forests, an overpopulation of white‑tailed deer has led to heavy grazing that suppresses woody plants and prevents tree regeneration.
Protecting newly planted trees from deer is a critical step toward restoring healthy forest structure. In the exclosure and adjacent planting areas, dozens of native trees were installed this year as part of broader initiatives to increase Pittsburgh’s urban tree canopy and build ecological resilience. Over time, these trees will grow into a robust understory and mid‑canopy, contributing to improved air quality, enhanced wildlife habitat, shade and cooling for park visitors, and a diversified forest that can better withstand pests, disease, and climate stresses.
This work aligns directly with the McKinley Park Master Plan’s ecological goals, which emphasize selective replanting and forest health improvements as part of a coherent vision for the park’s future. The master plan — developed with community input and guided by ecological priorities — proposes restoring natural areas, strengthening trail connections, and ensuring that park landscapes serve both ecological function and community use.
By combining expert forestry care, resident volunteers, strategic planting, and wildlife management like the deer exclosure, the Parks Conservancy’s horticulture and stewardship work this year helped lay the foundation for a greener, more resilient park system. These efforts show how science, care, and community participation can work together — planting seeds today that will grow into thriving forests tomorrow.
Community Engagement: Celebrating, Caring for, and Connecting in Our Parks
Across Pittsburgh’s parks this year, community engagement was much more than attendance at events, it was people coming together around shared spaces, shared values, and shared care for the places we love.
One joyful highlight was Riverview Park Day, held in early October as a celebration of one of Pittsburgh’s largest and most cherished green spaces. Hosted in partnership with Friends of Riverview Park, the City of Pittsburgh, the Northside Leadership Conference, and the Parks Conservancy, the annual event drew neighbors and families for live music, yoga, guided hikes, children’s activities, and food — all free and open to the public. The goal of the day is both celebration and stewardship: raising awareness of the park’s beauty while supporting ongoing preservation and enhancement work.
Another example of community stewardship in action was the annual What the Muck? volunteer effort at Lake Elizabeth in Allegheny Commons Park. This spirited, three‑day spring cleanup brought volunteers together to roll up their sleeves, get outdoors, and help care for one of the city’s most beloved urban waterways. Participants, including Parks Conservancy staff, city workers, and community partners, removed accumulated debris from around the lake and grounds, helping prepare the park for the spring season.
These events, from park celebrations to volunteer action days, show how the Parks Conservancy’s work goes beyond programming into community building: creating spaces where people can celebrate together, care together, and have a voice in how parks are preserved and enhanced. This kind of engagement strengthens not only the health of our green spaces but also the sense of belonging, shared responsibility, and connection that makes Pittsburgh’s parks truly special.
Looking Ahead: Celebrating 30 Years of Community, Accessibility, and People-Centered Parks
As we look toward 2026, we’re preparing for one of the most meaningful chapters in our history — a year defined by community and the continued commitment to creating parks that welcome everyone. Next year marks the Parks Conservancy’s 30th anniversary, a moment to celebrate three decades of working alongside neighbors, volunteers, educators, and partners who share a vision for a greener, healthier, and more inclusive Pittsburgh.
Our upcoming milestone year is also highlighted by two beloved community spaces reaching major anniversaries:
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The Frick Environmental Center turns 10, celebrating a decade as an accessible, innovative, and sustainably designed home for environmental education. The Environmental Center has become a place where children discover the natural world, where families learn together, and where visitors of all abilities can experience nature with dignity and ease.
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Schenley Plaza turns 20, marking two decades as a welcoming public gathering space in the heart of Oakland. What was once a parking lot is now a lively, green, inclusive destination where people study, picnic, play, and celebrate — a testament to what accessible public spaces can do for community life.
These anniversaries arrive just as we launch our new five-year strategic plan, which centers on a simple, powerful idea: parks thrive when people do. Over the next five years, we will deepen our investment in accessible trails, inclusive design, adaptive equipment, multilingual signage, culturally relevant programming, and community-driven decision-making.
We’ll continue building parks where every Pittsburgher, regardless of age, ability, neighborhood, or background, can feel a sense of belonging and connection.
In our 30th year, we will celebrate not just the spaces we’ve built, but the people who bring them to life — the volunteers planting trees, the families exploring trails, the students discovering science outdoors, the community groups shaping programming, and the neighbors who inspire our work every day.
Together, we’ll move into the next chapter of the Parks Conservancy’s story with renewed purpose: to create parks for people, built with people, and shaped by our shared vision of an accessible, vibrant, and connected Pittsburgh.