Episodios

  • Built for the Future: Accessible Park Spaces

    Built for the Future: Accessible Park Spaces
    Dec 10 2025

    Featuring Ross Chapman, Parks Conservancy Chief of Operations, and Leah Northrop, parent and accessibility advocate, highlighting recent accessibility improvements like the new Sensory Nature Trail and what's ahead for creating more inclusive park spaces.
    Más Menos
    23 m
  • The People Behind the Petals

    The People Behind the Petals
    Dec 3 2025

    Get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep our parks blooming all year round, from careful ecological planning to boots-on-the-ground morale. Learn why fostering relationships with park visitors is just as important as caring for park gardens and how you can have more of a green thumb in your own backyard. We hope you enjoy these notes from the garden.

    Más Menos
    21 m
  • Hays Woods: From Coal Mines to Conservation – Part II

    Hays Woods: From Coal Mines to Conservation – Part II
    Nov 26 2025

    Enjoy the exciting conclusion to the story of Pittsburgh's newest and wildest city park, diving deeper into its industrial past, ecological challenges, and the partnerships driving its restoration.

    Más Menos
    20 m
  • Hays Woods: From Coal Mines to Conservation – Part I

    Hays Woods: From Coal Mines to Conservation – Part I
    Nov 19 2025

    A sweeping introduction to Pittsburgh's newest and wildest city park, uncovering its industrial past, ecological challenges, and the partnerships driving its restoration.
    Más Menos
    14 m
  • The Secret Life of Frick Park

    The Secret Life of Frick Park
    Feb 14 2022
    We're counting down the top five most surprising and interesting things about Pittsburgh's largest regional park. Loved by hikers, bikers, birders, and nature lovers of all ages, Frick Park is also home to the Frick Environmental Center. Throughout this episode, you'll also hear Pittsburghers' reflections about the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse.
    Más Menos
    45 m
  • A Work in Progress: Lawrenceville's Arsenal Park

    A Work in Progress: Lawrenceville's Arsenal Park
    Feb 7 2022
    Arsenal Park is a place where solemnity and joy sit side by side. It was the site of the largest single loss of civilian life during the Civil War. 78 people were killed - most were women and children. And even though some of the historical structures from that time remain, many who use the park today have no idea about its history. The tragedy that happened there has been overshadowed by new memories. That's something a park is particularly good at – creating new stories.

    For the past seven years, the citizens of Lawrenceville have been engaged in a master plan for their beloved park that they hope will honor its past and reimagine its future. But Arsenal Park is still in that sometimes rocky period of going from vision to reality.

    Más Menos
    18 m
  • Landslides, Deer, Crazy Jumping Worms, Vines: The Ecological Threats Facing Riverview Park

    Landslides, Deer, Crazy Jumping Worms, Vines: The Ecological Threats Facing Riverview Park
    Feb 7 2022
    We are back in Riverview Park for this episode and the story we want to tell this time is about the very serious ecological threats facing many of our city parks, especially this one. Any geologist will tell you that the geology of Pittsburgh, and especially Riverview Park, is unstable shale. That makes conditions even more favorable than usual for landslides. But there are many other ecological threats facing Riverview. And we're going to hear about those from Robin Eng, the Ecological Project Manager for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Robin was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area and has always felt at home in the forests of Western Pennsylvania - including the urban ones. She went to the University of Pittsburgh, where she studied both Ecology & Evolution and Philosophy. Later, she got a master's degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation. Robin's work in both forest ecology and wildlife biology makes her particularly good at understanding and explaining the factors that contribute to a healthy ecosystem.

    We met up with Robin in Riverview Park to talk more about landslides, the out-of-control deer, crazy jumping worms, vines — all of it.

    Más Menos
    24 m
  • BONUS EPISODE: Back to the Beginning

    BONUS EPISODE: Back to the Beginning
    Jan 31 2022

    We are hard at work on the next few episodes (did you hear about the bridge collapse?). In the meantime, please listen back to our very first episode to hear how it all began.

    The Parks Conservancy might feel like an institution today, but in many ways, we are still a grassroots organization full of dedicated volunteers. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, learn the origin story of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and how one woman's idea led to a unique public-interest partnership that has changed Pittsburgh in so many positive ways.
    Más Menos
    44 m