Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to partner with Allegheny Goatscape to improve Hays Woods Park

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy said Monday it will use grant money to improve the ecosystem at Pittsburgh’s newly acquired Hays Woods Park and partner with Allegheny Goatscape to remove invasive plants.

The nonprofit received a $233,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

The wooded space in Pittsburgh’s Hays neighborhood officially became a city park in December 2021. It is the city’s second-largest park.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy will look to revisit key habitat sites to assess their current conditions and perform maintenance work to ensure they are stable for future comprehensive management plans, the organization said.

The conservancy will partner with Allegheny Goatscape to remove invasive plants. Allegheny Goatscape, which has partnered with the city to do similar work at other sites, provides goats that gobble up invasive plants that can be harmful to local ecosystems.

A herd of goats is slated to graze multiple acres of Hays Woods throughout this year and next year.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy also plans to partner with Allegheny Cleanways on litter clean-up events. The partnership also will disperse native seed material to replenish the seed bank and introduce beneficial plants to the park.

“The park has incredible potential to become an ecological gem within the city of Pittsburgh, but like many of our urban forest remnants, it faces severe threats from invasive species, dumping and climate change,” said Robin Eng, who serves as the ecological project manager for the conservancy.

Before the city acquired Hays Woods, the space had seen no restoration or management efforts, the conservancy said. The organization said the site is in “dire need of an ecological management plan” to create a healthy space for public use.

Mayor Ed Gainey said the work demonstrates an investment into preserving the sprawling greenspace.

“By tackling the issues with invasive species, it will not only improve the ecological health of Hays Woods, it will allow it to thrive well into the future,” Gainey said.

The urban forest, which overlooks the Monongahela River between Pittsburgh’s South Side and Hays neighborhoods and Baldwin Borough, marked the city’s largest parkland acquisition since 1927, when the city acquired Frick Park.

Hays Woods Park includes forests, wetlands, open streams, meadows, waterfalls and steep wooden slopes, according to the conservancy. It also provides valuable habitats for species like bald eagles.

“From recreation to air quality, wildlife and pure scenic beauty, our parks are some of Pittsburgh’s most valuable assets,” said Barb Warwick, the city councilwoman who represents the area.

The 626-acre site is “already a destination for avid nature enthusiasts,” she said.