ENGAGING PARTNERSHIPS: USING GEOLOGY TO RAISE CITIZEN AWARENESS ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE NINE MILE RUN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION

The Nine Mile Run Watershed, an urban watershed measuring 6.5 square miles and located in Frick Park, is the site of a major aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem restoration project. Funded jointly by the US Army Corps of Engineers and the City of Pittsburgh and completed in 2006, the restoration is considered to be the largest project of its kind in a major metropolitan area. Despite the extensive restoration efforts, during rain events excessive stormwater and sewage overflows from the City of Pittsburgh and the boroughs of Edgewood, Swissvale, and Wilkinsburg continue to threaten the integrity of the restoration and contribute to creating inhospitable conditions for most wildlife and human recreation. Although the stream is open for 2.2 miles from the main outfall culvert at Braddock Avenue to the Monongahela River, the majority of the stream remains hidden in culverts throughout the larger portion of the watershed, creating an out of sight out of mind consciousness in the citizenry. Thus, many watershed residents continue to be unaware of the impact their actions have on the health of Nine Mile Run. Reaching these citizens has become a priority for improving stream habitat.

Since its incorporation in 2001, the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association (NMRWA) has consistently worked to engage citizens in a variety of activities designed to raise individual and collective awareness of critical watershed issues. A strategic method for increasing awareness is developing unusual and creative partnerships that offer unique ways for people to connect with complicated issues. One such partnership is the relationship NMRWA has generated with Albert Kollar, geologist with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh.

By developing a walking tour that focuses on the geology of Frick Park and the major geologic activities that shaped the Nine Mile Run valley, Albert Kollar increases citizen understanding of the local geology while NMRWA increases interest, knowledge, and understanding of the complex issues of stormwater runoff, nonpoint source pollution, and sewage overflows. This field experience connects participants to the local geology and engages them in a visual experience of the watershed. Each year NMRWA hosts two geology tours, rapidly becoming NMRWA's most popular events, these attract over100 participants yearly.