Beechwood: Headquarters for Audubon Society of W. Pa.

Just 8.0 miles northeast of Pittsburgh lies Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, a 134-acre nature reserve with a variety of habitats that can be enjoyed at any season. Beechwood is the largest private nature reserve in Allegheny County. The original 90 acres for the reserve were given to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1976 by Mrs. John F. Walton, Jr., and Mr. & Mrs. Joshua C. Whetzel, Jr. Beechwood was preserved not because of its unique habitats, but because its landscape typifies much of western Pennsylvania--a natural landscape that is fast disappearing to development--and even more so because it would provide an environmental education facility close to an urban area. The hilly terrain encompasses parts of two valleys, one overlooking the Allegheny River Valley. During the early 1900's, Beechwood was a 400-acre farm owned by Senator William Flynn. Fence rows and old fruit trees are reminders of that era. Today, Beechwood includes a nature center and is the headquarters of the Audubon Society of W. Pa. (ASWP). Although the raw land is still owned by WPC, the nature center is owned by ASWP. ASWP also manages the land as a diversity of habitats: fields, thickets, forests, a pond and two intermittent woodland streams. Two miles of walking trails traverse this landscape.

This Saturday, December 11, 2004, from 9 to 11 a.m., Beechwood will offer a Winter Bird Identification Workshop. Become a "citizen scientist" and help to contribute local data to the annual Christmas Bird Count survey that takes place throughout the Americas. This free pre-count workshop is designed to train the beginner birder in winter bird identification. This workshop is appropriate for all ages, and does not require pre-registration.

Pictured today is Audubon's aerial boardwalk located on one of the trails, which allows visitors to get closer to the tree tops. For more infomation on this and other winter programs, go to the Beechwood Farms website, or call (412) 963-6100.

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