20 24IN REVIEW
UpstreamPgh’s Mike Hiller, artist Marlana Adele Vassar, Diane Daniels of East Hills Consensus Group, Councilman Khari Mosely and Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak at the East Hills Rain Garden Ribbon Cutting on November 2
A Letter from Executive Director, Mike Hiller
This summer I had the pleasure of taking a road trip to Acadia National Park in Maine with my family We rented a cabin on Molasses Pond, a small lake not far from the park that was our home for the week. As we explored the area, it wasn’t long before I was taken aback by how abundant water is in the region From ponds and lakes to the coastline, water truly defines the way that people live, recreate, and eat.
We took advantage of this opportunity and ate lots of meals with fresh mussels, scallops, clams, and of course lobster I taught my son how to fish on Molasses Pond and our rescue dog experienced swimming for the first time He would leap into the lake with the biggest grin on his face. We watched the sunset and the lake would turn into a radiant show of color every evening. At the national park, the best moments were along the coast, watching the ocean waves crash against giant boulders I felt more connected to the water than I had in a long time
When we returned to Pittsburgh, it was clear just how disconnected we are from our water here We don’t feel compelled to jump in with our kids and dogs, because we’re never sure how clean the streams or rivers are I’m motivated by the dream that one day, our local waters will be restored and inviting. UpstreamPgh’s restoration projects do more than repair natural spaces they help reframe the stories people tell about their relationship to the land, water, and each other So here’s to another year of UpstreamPgh and supporters like you working towards that dream one small step at a time
A Forest Field Trip
with Pittsburgh Urban Christian School (PUCS)
“We loved our field trip with Upstream Pittsburgh! My students and I were studying forests and the Upstream team kicked off our unit with an exploration in Frick Park. It piqued my students' interests about the topic, as they were able to interact with the material in a hands-on way, collecting fallen leaves, exploring seeds and learning about squirrels from the Upstream experts who shared in a way that my students could understand and that they enjoyed!”
- Ms Hannah Williams
In Solidarity,
The Engage Program had a big focus in Fern Hollow in 2024, connecting people with UpstreamPgh’s work to restore this small stream in Frick Park We led field trips for three schools to investigate the stream and forest, held tours and nature walks for adult groups, and hosted volunteer work days along the stream Hundreds of volunteers lent a hand to help maintain green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) projects and restoration areas in Frick Park, and removed a total of 1,771 pounds of trash from Nine Mile Run during our seasonal Stream Sweeps In late fall, volunteers helped us plant 1,250 live stakes along Fern Hollow Creek to help stabilize the creek bank and improve biodiversity Finally, we partnered with Shiftworks to host an artist workshop to incorporate art in the planned interventions for the Hollow
Erica Jackson
erica@upstreampgh org
In 2024, we held 35 educational events for youth, ranging from preschoolers at Hosanna House to college students at the University of Pittsburgh While some of our education events take place in Frick Park, we also bring programming to schools, libraries, and other local parks We reached over 1,500 young people throughout the year!
"Work at the speed of trust" is a concept that highlights the importance of trust in creating lasting relationships and programming that allows for long-term success.”
In organizations or teams where trust is strong, people are more likely to communicate openly and honestly, take risks, empower each other, collaborate effectively, and make decisions with confidence In 2024, UpstreamPgh’s advocacy program worked at the speed of trust alongside community members, residents, partners, and funders While this may not always result in immediate outcomes, it has allowed us to build an advocacy network that is relational, not transactional
The best example of this is the Environmental Justice Table (EJT), a community-led coalition supported by several nonprofit partners The EJT actively works to educate the public through many channels, from door-to-door outreach to engaging 119 attendees at two Resource Fairs in Pittsburgh and the Mon Valley The EJT took part in dozens of local water authority and government of community-led advisory panels, and e Our Water Campaign and shape the narrative around ople and issues With an expanding paigns that amplify community voices,
Constructed 2 GSI projects (Dornbush & WSRP Phase II) that will manage over 3 million gallons of stormwater runoff a year combined
Installed monitoring equipment to collect data for 3 new GSI projects
Maintained 8 GSI projects
Intercepted 3,921,847 gallons of stormwater runoff
We work with partners to continue to monitor Nine Mile Run These projects include:
Yearly electrofishing surveys with Dr. Brady Porter and his students from Duquesne University
Yearly macroinvertebrate surveys with Dr Tim Nuttle and his students at the University of Pittsburgh
Soil and plant tissue sampling with University of Pittsburgh PhD student Abby Yancy LSPIV stream flow monitoring with Data and Monitoring Intern Miu Nakajima.
Aaron Birdy aaron@upstreampgh org
wo exciting major projects in 2025 will guide our work for years to come
Developing the Nine Mile Run Environmental Justice Watershed Plan to identify new opportunities for GSI projects using a people first approach.
Continuing to develop the Fern Hollow Creek Water Resources Master Plan with the U S Army Corp of Engineers
The Fern Hollow Vision Plan released spring 2024
BRINGING IT TOGETHER:
DORNBUSH
Once construction and planting was complete, it was time to begin planning an art installation for the site! Alongside a small group of residents, we selected artist Marlana Adele Vassar for the project and held outreach meetings with the East Hills Consensus Group throughout the summer to gather input on the design
On September 25th, we received approval from the City’s Art Commission for the design, and in November, hosted a block party to cut the ribbon for the site and paint rocks to accompany the art project
In spring 2024, UpstreamPgh and partners completed construction of the Dornbush Green Stormwater Infrastructure site in East Hills, Pittsburgh. This GSI site is located at the corner of Dornbush Street - the second steepest street in Pittsburgh - designed to capture up to 1 75 million gallons of stormwater annually The site was planted with Pennsylvania native species like red maple, fringetree, mountain laurel and black eyed susans, hand selected to handle the harsh conditions of urban stormwater infrastructure These sites are designed to work hard for the community, and also be beautiful
INTERVIEW WITH ARTIST: MARLANA ADELE VASSAR
“Out of all the projects that I have worked on, this one is the most focused on community as well as climate That’s rare for a lot of artists to get to work on something that is integrative in an environmental way Working with East Hills Consensus Group, Dornbush area, and UpstreamPgh, I got to see how tight knit your community is and how dedicated you are ” - Block Party RIbbon Cutting, Nov 2, 2024
“The Sankofa Bird symbol is supposed to stand for learning from your past The bird is turned backward and looking toward its back The tortoise characters represent the youthful and older generation You have the older tortoise getting his crown, recognizing that our elders are important to the community The little turtle symbolizes youth and respecting and learning from their elders ” - Benefit Dinner at Alta Via Pizzeria, Oct 2, 2024
We’re excited for the art installation in spring 2025, and to continue building relationships in East Hills Sadly, just a few weeks after the Dornbush ribbon cutting, a water line break caused severe flooding that damaged several East Hills homes, a reminder that the need for resilient infrastructure is ongoing in the neighborhood
In January 2025, the Dornbush Street Green Stormwater Project was selected by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Pittsburgh Section to receive the 2024 ASCE Sustainability Award. This project is a great example, not only of sustainability and urban green stormwater infrastructure, but also of how UpstreamPgh’s three program areas: Engage, Advocate, and Plan/Build work together to achieve our mission of a people-first approach to watershed restoration
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS & FUNDERS!
Cronin Enterprises
C&R Landscape Development
James Flower and Gift Shoppe
Wade Trim
Honor Engineering
Richard King Mellon Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
The Pittsburgh Foundation
The Fisher Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
The Rita McGinley Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (MARISA) Program
American Eagle Outfitters Foundation
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
Dylan Todd Simonds Foundation
Theo and Pia van de Venne
Charitable Fund of The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County
GET INVOLVED
Enjoy gardening?
Spending time in Frick Park?
Helping to educate youth?
Promoting equitable resources in environmental justice communities?
Get involved by volunteering with UpstreamPgh and the Environmental Justice Table
National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
The Grable Foundation Bank of America Foundation Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds
PNC Charitable Trusts
The Jack Buncher Foundation
The Waterwheel Foundation
Three Rivers Community Foundation
The Gammarus Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation HWI Foundation
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Urban Redevelopment Authority
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority
PO Box 8630
Pittsburgh, PA 15221 www upstreampgh org
Watch out for our weekly volunteer days from April to October. We do invasive species control, native plantings, trash cleanups, and more!