Protecting Nature s home. Enriching ours.

Transcription

1 Westmoreland Conservancy s Westmoreland Conservancy Protecting Nature s home. Enriching ours. Mission: To acquire land that conserves the rural and rustic nature of Western Pennsylvania. We may also partner with other entities to achieve this goal. Presented in Partnership With Westmoreland Conservancy 2012 The Municipality of Murrysville and S.L.A.M

2 Please, Stay on the trails. Wear appropriate clothing and footgear. Enjoy your day! Notes: Find us at: Contact us: Westmoreland Conservancy PO Box 446 Murrysville, PA 15668

3 Letter From Westmoreland Conservancy Shelly Tichy, President Westmoreland Conservancy PO Box 446 Murrysville, PA Westmoreland Conservancy Membership Please join the Westmoreland Conservancy in preserving green spaces for the enjoyment of all. Individual.. $15 Family... $20 Business. $40 Additional Donation. $ Total: $ Name Address City Welcome to Westmoreland Conservancy s 2012 Caching with the Conservancy (CWTC) event. Co-sponsored by the Municipality of Murrysville and Sportsmen and Landowners Alliance of Murrysville (S.L.A.M.), CWTC is a family-friendly day of exploration and discovery. This day will take you all around Murrysville, to historically significant sites and beautiful natural locations. We hope that you come away with an understanding of why it is important to protect these locations and how they enrich our lives. Westmoreland Conservancy celebrated 20 years of Community Service in In that time we have been instrumental in protecting more than 315 acres of green space in Murrysville, 261 acres of which bear the designation Westmoreland Conservancy Reserve. By protecting this land we provide habitat for the wildlife and wildflowers, and our rustic trails allow quiet interaction with Nature. Caching with the Conservancy is celebrating its 5th year in 2012, and we re looking forward to many more. Join us and become a member of our team! Help us protect these lands for all generations to enjoy! Westmoreland Conservancy meets on the 4 th Wednesday of every month. Please see our website for more information. Thank you for attending CWTC2012! Shelly Tichy President State Zip Telephone Newsletter preference:(please circle) paper / web pdf Protecting Nature s home, enriching ours.

4 Table of Contents Parking and Relevant Coordinates.. 3 Schedule of Events.. 4 Introduction to the Westmoreland Conservancy. 5 Temporary Cache Coordinates Don Harrison Community Trail Map.. 7 McGinnis Reserve Map... 8 Walter, Caywood Reserve Maps. 9 King/Potter Reserves Map..10 Tomer Reserve Map Westmoreland Conservancy Temp Cache Stamps. 12 Murrysville/Historic Temp Cache Stamps Murrysville Map Pleasant Valley Park Map...15 Murrysville Recreation/Parks S.L.A.M programs & membership/info Geocaching Bingo Westmoreland Conservancy Bingo.19 Volunteers Caching Word Find Contributors.. 22 Cache Hiding Guidelines /Conservancy Reserves. 23 Westmoreland Conservancy Membership Form. 24 Guidelines for Hiding a Cache on Westmoreland Conservancy Reserves Westmoreland Conservancy is happy to welcome geocachers to our reserves. We encourage active enjoyment of our properties and have established the following guidelines for placing caches on the properties. Please note that any cache that does not follow these guidelines will be removed. 1. Avoid steep slope placement: Slopes may be exciting, but traffic is far more damaging. Remember that our mission is to acquire and preserve these lands. 2. We prefer that items/information NOT be nailed into the trees. 3. Check on the cache on a regular basis. Watch for animal disturbances or damage to the cache. Keep items contained. 4. Request permission from the Westmoreland Conservancy Board of Governors. 5. After receiving permission from the Westmoreland Conservancy Board of Governors, a small endorsement should appear in your logbook or container indicating that such permissions were granted. Thank you for considering our properties for your geocaching enjoyment.

5 Contributors We would like to thank everyone who so generously contributed to our annual Caching with the Conservancy event. These businesses, organizations and individuals help make this event special for everyone! Parking and Other Relevant Coordinates Ads-Tuit* Always Green Garden Supply Atrias Cache Station Carnegie Science Center Coinsandpins.com DBJ Geocaching Dairy Queen dogsupplies.com Drives Cache Closet Dunham s Sports Eat n Park* Edwards Family Chiropractic* The Ferreters* geocaching.com* Go Girl Half-Price Books* Hoss s Hyperionics* IHOP Log Cabin Embroidery Monster Mini Golf* Municipality of Murrysville* National Aviary Pasqualino s Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Rodney s Ron Cain (cainrcc)* redisthebestcolor.com* Sen. John Heinz History Center Shur Save, Murrysville Glenn Skena S.L.A.M.* Shelly Tichy* Parking Coordinates: Townsend Park (Upper Pavilion) N W Townsend Park (Lower Pavilion) N W Lower Pavilion spaces reserved for handicapped and volunteers Townsend Park (Ballfield Parking) N W Caywood Reserve N W King/Potter's Corner Reserves..N W McGinnis Reserve N W Tomer Reserve..N W Walter Reserve..N W Tollhouse.. N W Duff Park..N W Skena Reserve...N W Pleasant Valley Park..N W Murrysville Community Park Upper N W Murrysville Community Park Lower N W Additional Townsend Park Locations Thank You for Supporting CWTC2012 Gazebo, Townsend Park N W Hill/Memorial, Townsend Park.N W MCP Wetlands Wetlands (across from MCP).N W *repeat

6 Schedule of Events Caching Word Find Registration/Information (Upper Pavilion, Townsend Park) 8:30 am 4:30 pm Register here for DHCT* hike, Picnic 7:00 am 5:00 pm Geocaching (Various Locations, Murrysville) Presentations (Lower Pavilion, Townsend Park) 8:20 am Welcome Address (S. Tichy) 9:00 am Skull Duggery (Dick Byers) 9:30 am: DHCT hike leaving from Townsend Park ballfield parking lot 10:00 am Motion-activated Wildlife Observation (B. Powers) 11:00 am Gardening for Health & Wealth (Murrysville Garden Club) 12:00 noon: Lunch 1:00 pm Nature Photography (S. Khwaja) 1:30 pm DHCT hike leaving from Walter Reserve 2:00 pm Murrysville Recreation Events & Programs: (C. Greene) 3:00 pm Westmoreland Conservancy Observations (S. Tichy) Lunch (Upper Pavilion) westmorelandconservancy :30 am 1 pm: Hot dog lunch provided by S.L.A.M. Picnic 5:30 pm Lower Pavilion, Townsend Park Raffle Drawings 12:30 pm: Lunchtime Raffle, 5 items, Upper Pavilion 6:15 pm: Evening Raffle, Lower Pavilion during Picnic * DHCT: Don Harrison Community Trail hike: 5-mile trek across Murrysville. Led by Tom Dittman. FTF Geodog Micro Muggle Waypoint Log CITO Smiley Swag Bisontube DNF TFTC GPS Multi Nano PNG Puzzle TFTH

7 Volunteers Westmoreland Conservancy would like to acknowledge the dedicated people responsible for making this day happen! Introduction to the Westmoreland Conservancy Our Vision: The Westmoreland Conservancy will act to preserve land and natural resources, connect green spaces and help balance Nature and development by protecting rural landscapes and woodlands for all generations. Our Mission: To acquire land that conserves the rural and rustic nature of Western Pennsylvania. We may also partner with other entities to achieve this goal. Bill Powers Ron Cain Chris Koteles Joe Ball Dick Byers Sohail Khwaja Juliene Graham Tom Dittman Carly Greene Myra Mamo Alan Halperin Jackie Stempfer Bjoerg Granger Janet Golia Glenn Skena Thank You! Our Slogan: Protecting Nature s home, enriching ours. Westmoreland Conservancy is an all-volunteer non-profit land trust which has been instrumental in the preservation of more than 315 acres in the Murrysville area since We presently hold title to 261+ acres distributed over 7 reserves. Approximately 160 acres are the result of beneficial gifts. All of our reserves are freely open to the public for the enjoyment of nature now and for future generations. No structures, roads or athletic playing facilities are permitted. Hiking trails are provided on most of the Conservancy's nature reserves for the enjoyment of the public. The trails are designed for minimal impact in order to help preserve habitat for the indigenous wildlife and allow maximum enjoyment of unspoiled nature. Photography and nature study is strongly encouraged. Westmoreland Conservancy is dedicated to preserving rural and rustic open spaces for the benefit of community residents. The generosity of the community and the friends of Murrysville is making that goal a reality. Westmoreland Conservancy also participates in educational outreach activities, the most recognized of which are a popular exhibit at the annual Community Day and an annual geocache event. All Conservancy events are open to the public. Westmoreland Conservancy is online. Please visit our website ( or our facebook page to stay informed of current Conservancy events and news. PixController installed the Westmoreland Conservancy bluebird cam in early April. Our first clutch of 3 fledged May 16 & 17 and we re waiting for the 2 nd nest to take shape. Join us and watch Nature at work!

8 Caching with the Conservancy 2012 Event Geocache Coordinates Westmoreland Conservancy Bingo Get attendees to sign off on your Bingo card. (Please have each person sign only ONE square). Please note that all temp cache locations are within a few feet of the trail. There is no need to bushwhack. Caywood (multi)... N W King....N W McGinnis...N W Potter.N W Tomer....N W Walter.... N W Tollhouse N W Skena..... N W MCP Wetlands N W Duff Park.. N W Pleasant Valley Park (multi)..... N W DHCT Cache Hike Series Castalina N W Potters N W Shagbark N W Caywood con N W MCP N W Walters con N W hiked all 5 miles of the DHCT Can quote the text on boundary signs blazed a trail on a reserve Attended the DHCT CITO Can identify 3 types of trees by their leaves attended a Autumn Excursion Can name all 7 Reserves pulled garlic mustard along a trail liked Westmoreland Conservancy on Facebook Is a member of Westmoreland Conservancy seen a raccoon sleeping in a tree completed a newsletter word search attended a meeting removed a fallen tree from a trail Thinks a camera is mandatory hiking gear watched the Bluebird webcam heard the Spring Peepers seen an owl in the wild attended all 6 geocache events Can identify at least 1 bird by its song Children s Event Geoache Coordinates and Townsend Park cache coordinates page available at registration a shirt with the logo Can identify a chanterelle Attended Conservation Connection at the Zoo hiked a trail in the snow Get Bingo for a raffle ticket. Complete the card for one more. had a tick BINGO FULL

9 Traveled more than 40 miles to be here had an FTF solved a puzzle cache been caching for 5 years or longer found a cache on reserve (not temp) Geocaching Bingo Get attendees to sign off on your Bingo card. (Please have each person sign only ONE square). hidden 5 or more caches Is wearing a cachingthemed t-shirt found more than 12 caches in 1 day liked Westmoreland Conservancy on Facebook been to 2 or more Murrysville Parks a Geo s Cache t-shirt Is carrying insect repellent taken a geocache -themed vacation Brought a travelbug Get Bingo for a raffle ticket. Complete the card for one more! BINGO cached in the snow cached at an historic Murrysville location FILL a cache on a Westmoreland Conservancy Reserve Is attending their 1 st geocaching event today been to a CITO event a pathtag collected more than 12 pathtags Owns multiple GPSr units created a pathtag completed a multistage cache a GeoDog The Don Harrison Community Trail (DHCT) is an east-west 5-mile trail across Murrysville. It goes through 4 Westmoreland Conservancy reserves [Walter, Caywood, King & Potter s Corner], 3 Murrysville Municipal properties [Murrysville Community Park, Public Works, & Townsend Park], 3 right of-way designations [Dominion, Shagbark & Castalina] and the Sloan School property. DHCT is a stellar example of how inter-organizational cooperation can create wonderful opportunities for a community. The DHCT Geocache hike will allow those new to caching to work as part of a team. The morning hike will leave promptly at 9:30 AM from the Townsend Park baseball parking lot. The afternoon hikers should be ready to leave the Dog Park lot on Wiestertown Road at 1:20 PM and the Walter Reserve lot at 1:30 PM. Park at your destination location and carpool to the start so you can head out to the remaining caches as an experienced participant! Don Harrison Community Trail

10 Westmoreland Conservancy Reserves Sportsmen and Landowners Alliance of Murrysville SLAM Serving the community and sportsmen through projects and education with dedication to conservation, hunting, fishing, and the shooting sports as well as environmental and historical preservation. Murrysville Living Tree Sign SLAM has maintained the Murrysville Tree Sign located along Pleasant Valley Road since The tree sign was planted by local Boy Scouts in 1933 and was features in Ripley s Believe It Or Not as the world s largest arboreal sign in Maintenance efforts are supported by local donations. Additional SLAM activities and events include: Murrysville Light Up Night Fishing Derby & Events Haymaker Run Youth Fishing Area SLAM meets on the 4 th Thursday most months at the Murrysville District Sportsmen s Association on Gun Club Rd. Membership Information First Year: $15 Annual renewal: $10 Donation NOTES Name Address City State Zip Please make check payable to: SLAM, PO Box 514 Murrysville, PA 15668

11 Murrysville Parks & Recreation Westmoreland Conservancy Reserves The Murrysville Recreation Department strives to create community through people, parks and programs. The vision of the Murrysville Parks and Recreation Department is to improve our residents health while creating a sense of community by developing and supporting varied recreational and educational opportunities for the citizens of Murrysville. This summer a wide variety of programs are available for all ages, including adult fitness, tennis and ballroom dance classes, Pickle Ball, a youth Nature camp, Pioneer camp, and Outdoor Games camp, drawing and mosaic tile art classes, quilting for American Girl doll classes and an American Girl tea party, youth karate, tennis and basketball classes, a youth 5K camp, swim lessons, Fabulous Facts math classes, Safety Town for kindergarteners, Lego camps, science camps and more! The Recreation Department also hosts several special events throughout the year. Murrysville s Community Day will be held on August 18 at Murrysville Community Park from 10am-9pm, when the fabulous fireworks display will begin! Several new features will be part of the event this year, including a Touch a Truck event, tethered hot air balloon rides, Segway rides and a few more fun things to do that you will have to attend to see! The ever-popular chili Oktoberfest will be held at the Murrysville Fire Company pavilion on Sardis Rd on Saturday October 20. Guests will get to sample more than twenty fantastic chilis and vote on whose should be crowned as Murrysville s Best Chili. Murrysville offers a wide variety of parks and recreational facilities including sports fields, neighborhood parks, community parks, a Community Center, and extensive natural areas for hiking and enjoying the beauty of nature. Bear Hollow, Chambers, Heritage, and Kovalczik parks are very popular neighborhood parks that boast playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, and more. Duff Park is a 148-acre natural area and Wild Plant Sanctuary located in hilly, heavily wooded terrain. Pleasant Valley Park is a 262-acre undeveloped property on Pleasant Valley Rd. The property contains a wide variety of woods, open fields, hills and valleys, and a small tributary to Lyons Run. Murrysville Community Park, located on Weistertown Road in Export, offers soccer, baseball and softball fields, multiple trails, and is the future site of the Murrysville-Export Rotary s Miracle Sports Complex to serve the special needs population. For more information on any of these programs and events please contact the Recreation Department at ext. 115 or 131.

12 Westmoreland Conservancy Reserves NOTES Pleasant Valley Park Another stellar example of how Volunteers in Murrysville help build a strong, vibrant community

13 Westmoreland Conservancy Reserves * NOTES * Townsend Park While the map is small and difficult to read, it provides an overview of the area to help determine your routes for the day s events.

14 Bring your collectible cards to the information table to get the block stamped for each location below. One stamp per reserve, each stamp earns one raffle ticket. Bring your collectible cards to the information table to get the block stamped for each location below. One stamp per reserve, each stamp earns one raffle ticket. King Reserve Potter s Corner Reserve Townsend Park Duff Park McGinnis Reserve Tomer Reserve Pleasant Valley Park MCP Wetlands Walter Reserve Caywood Reserve DHCT 6 = 3 tickets Toll House