Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

The FAW (Friends of Allegheny Wilderness) volunteers honored Earth Day by having a trail stewardship weekend along the Allegheny National Forest’s scenic Hickory Creek Wilderness trail. Using only axes, they cut a hiker passage through a large-diameter oak tree that had fallen on the trail. In federal wilderness areas such as the Hickory Creek Wilderness, no power tools are used for trail clearing or for any other purposes. The pictured method of trail clearing also has significant value because, while it allows easy passage for hikers on foot, it acutely frustrates and discourages illegal non-conforming uses of the trail such as by motorized and mechanized vehicles. Rough axe cuts also provide a rustic, aesthetically pleasing appearance for the wilderness hiker. Pictured are volunteer trail stewards with the Warren-based non-profit organization Friends of Allegheny Wilderness (FAW) along the Allegheny National Forest’s scenic Hickory Creek Wilderness trail during FAW’s recent...

The Sustainability Committee of the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford is seeking individuals and organizations to take part in a farmer’s market and agricultural fair as part of Earth Day activities on Sunday. The fair is being held in conjunction with the Second Annual Bradford Earth Day Wild and Scenic Film Festival from 12:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday in Blaisdell Hall. Vendors or organizations who farm or create or stimulate local agricultural products may sell or promote their work; solicit volunteers; provide information on activities and events; and mingle, network and collaborate with other groups. There is no charge to reserve a table. Concessions, food and beverages will be provided, and prizes will be raffled throughout the day. All vendors receive free raffle tickets for their participation. Donated raffle items are always welcome. For more information or to reserve a table, contact committee member Emily Parana at eap18@pitt.edu. The news leader of th...

The 2013 Wild & Scenic Film Festival is coming up on April 21. It's free and open to the public -- and a great way to celebrate Earth Day. Hear more about it here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Canticle Farms was one of many exhibitors during the Wild & Scenic Film Festival at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Sunday. In observance of Earth Day, the Allegheny Defense Project and Pitt-Bradford's Environmental Studies Club co-hosted the film festival that featured several films with a "water" theme. Allegheny Outdoor Adventures also led two hikes on Sunday -- one was to clean up trash on the Community Park Trail in Bradford; the other was to enjoy nature on the Marilla Springs Trail. Cathy Pedler of ADP hopes to make this an annual event. Photo courtesy of Sandra Rhodes You can see more pictures here . The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

In case you missed today's Weekend Wrap about the film festival -- and more -- you can listen here . You can find more information at: http://alleghenyoutdooradventures.com/ http://www.alleghenydefense.org/ The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Films from the Wild and Scenic Film Festival held earlier this year in California will be featured as part of an Earth Day celebration planned for Sunday at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Events are co-sponsored by the Pitt-Bradford Environmental Studies Club and the Allegheny Defense Project. Activities begin with a hike at 9 a.m. from Blaisdell Hall, but will center around nine short films from the national festival. Films will show from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Bromeley Family Theater with several intermissions for food, music, door prizes and exhibitors. The event is free and open to the public. Those attending have an opportunity to win a kayak, Osprey backpack, a hand-crafted backpack mandolin, a sleeping bag, a fishing pole and other small items. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Environmental Studies Club and next year’s film festival. A schedule of the films follows: 1 p.m. – “Gloop” and “One Plastic Bea...

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing When University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students Phylicia Patterson and Kaitlin Zapel went to Costa Rica last summer as Vira Heinz scholars, they gained a new appreciation for trees in the earth’s ecosystem. Now they’re working with educators at School Street Elementary School to help fourth- and fifth-graders there understand the importance of trees. After visiting Melissa Cornelius’s green and technology enrichment group last week to talk about the value of trees in the environment, the Pitt-Bradford students took the younger students to plant trees at the trailhead for the Tuna Valley Trail Association’s newest trail, the Blaisdell-Emery trail. The School Street students seemed to have learned their lessons well and could list quite a few reasons why trees are important to the environment as they planted Tuesday morning. “It takes in carbon dioxide and gives off oxy...

In 1970, a Senator from Wisconsin named Gaylord Nelson raised his voice and called on every American to take action on behalf of the environment. In the four decades since, millions of Americans have heeded that call and joined together to protect the planet we share. Since that first Earth Day 40 years ago, we have made immense progress – from the landmark legislation of the 1970s, the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, to the conservation of America’s precious landscapes. And since taking office, my Administration has worked to build on this progress. We have made a historic investment in clean energy that will not only create the jobs of tomorrow, but will also lay the foundation for long-term economic growth. And we have also renewed our commitment to passing comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will safeguard our planet, spur innovation and allow us to compete and win in the 21st century economy. Earth Day has always been about people from different backgrounds and d...

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) made the following statement on the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day: “This 40th Earth Day is an important milestone. The environmental movement that rose to national prominence in 1970 has resulted in cleaner air and water for all Americans and has saved millions of lives. “Today is also the 40th anniversary of the first Earth Week, which I am proud to say started in Philadelphia in 1970. Environmental regulation has come a long way since that time, when, as District Attorney of Philadelphia, I had to resort to an 1860 law to bring a public nuisance suit against a contractor who was spraying asbestos at a construction site, endangering workers and passers-by. “This year is also the 40th anniversary of the historic Clean Air Act and of the founding of the EPA. The Clean Air act is a vital tool in combating air pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The air in Pennsylvania is cleaner than it was 40 years ago, but it c...