Fern Hollow in the Nine Mile Run watershed.
For the past year we have been working to protect Fern Hollow from the impacts of the bridge collapse and reconstruction. Today, with the bridge nearing completion, we call on our community, our partners and our friends to join us in reimagining Fern Hollow, and helping us create a vision for its future.
In Fall of 2022, UpstreamPgh was awarded a grant from the Commonwealth Funding Authority to undertake a multi-year visioning process of the Fern Hollow Valley. We will be engaging park users, area residents, artists, partner organizations, technical experts, and officials from the City of Pittsburgh to create a list of key interventions to reinvigorate the enchanting ecosystem that lies within this space. If you would like to stay informed about the project and ways you can get involved, please fill out the form below.
When the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed, it fell directly into Fern Hollow, into Frick Park and into the Nine Mile Run Watershed area we’ve spent 20 years stewarding. At UpstreamPgh, we feel this is a chance to turn a tragedy into an opportunity.
By working together, we won’t just have a bridge for all to use safely, we’ll make Fern Hollow better than it was when a bridge landed in it. Isn’t that why we’re all here?
If you already completed a previous version of this survey we still want your feedback here! We used your feedback from the first survey to develop the conceptual designs for this round. Your feedback on this round of the survey will be incorporated into our final conceptual designs! Please click this link to complete the survey in a separate tab for the best user experience. The survey will remain open through October 25th.
To view a full sized version of the Fern Hollow Vision Plan click here.
Please note: Only the UpstreamPgh team and project Steering Committee members will have access to this information. Your responses will be kept private and secure and will only be used for the purposes of this initiative and will not be used for a discriminatory purpose.
Project Updates
Spring/Summer 2023
We have continued to work with the Fern Hollow Vision Plan Steering Committee to implement our Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program Grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for vision planning in Fern Hollow.
Through the vision plan process, so far we have collected community feedback through visioning walks and an initial survey. The feedback that we gathered so far has informed our first draft Fern Hollow Vision Plan which you can view by clicking this link. We are currently gathering feedback on this first draft through an updated survey which you can fill out by clicking this link.
We will be collecting feedback in this survey up until our Fern Hollow Community Meeting on October 25th from 6 to 8 pm. We invite you to join us at this meeting to provide feedback and help shape the future of Fern Hollow together. For more information and to register for this event please visit our events page by clicking here.
Winter 2023
We have been using the dreary months of winter to build a coalition of partners to implement our Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program Grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for vision planning in Fern Hollow.
The vision plan process is kicking off in early 2023, and will culminate in late spring of 2024 with a plan for the future of Fern Hollow. By partnering with the City of Pittsburgh, nonprofit stakeholders, community members, artists, and more we hope to reimagine what Fern Hollow can be in the future.
These quiet months have been busy with meetings, internal planning sessions, and the pursuit of additional funding to support the work we are embarking on over the next 18 months. We hope you’ll stay tuned and offer your feedback as we move forward with the process.
2022 Recap
What a year. Most of us can remember clearly where we were on January 28th, 2022 when we heard that the Fern Hollow Bridge Collapsed. Our first thoughts were for the people on the bridge, injured during the collapse, hoping they were okay. Then we pondered the hassle of navigating Pittsburgh with one less bridge, on a main artery nonetheless, and how long it would take to restore the connection. Not long after, though, we started thinking about the stream and park below. How would the bridge be removed, how would the new one be rebuilt, how would it impact the stream, Frick Parks trails, the ecosystem?
We are one of the many voices that have advocated for Frick Park and Nine Mile Run, and knew that in the conversations about transportation and infrastructure, the park needed a voice too. Working with researchers, partner organizations, community members, our staff, and funders we used 2022 to ensure Fern Hollow was protected, but also to lay the groundwork for restoring Fern Hollow in the future.
Explore the UpstreamPgh Data Hub to find resources about Nine Mile Run water quality, the Fern Hollow Bridge Impact Reporter, printed reports and studies, and much more.
There’s a lot to be done. From environmental impact assessments to monitoring, we can use all the help we can get. You can make a donation to #ProtectFernHollow.
Let’s protect the continued health and wellbeing of the ecosystem in the Fern Hollow Valley and creek, the Nine Mile Run watershed, and Frick Park. Our Collective has produced a set of recommendations for the reconstruction of the Fern Hollow Bridge. Will you join us? Learn more and share on your social media channels below.
Let’s protect the continued health and wellbeing of the ecosystem in the Fern Hollow Valley, its namesake creek, Nine Mile Run, and Frick Park. Our Collective has produced a set of recommendations for the reconstruction of the Fern Hollow Bridge. Will you join us? Learn more and share on your social media channels below.
For up-to-date eyes on the progress
90.5 WESA – Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh officials are acting quickly to replace the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge. While that has some concerned about a rushed idea for the bridge’s aesthetic, others are sounding the alarm about what an accelerated project could mean for Fern Hollow......
14 March, 2022
KDKA – Two weeks after the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse, environmental groups are working to make sure all the debris left behind doesn’t destroy the environment of Frick Park, including the creek at the bottom of the ravine. Groups like UpstreamPgh have already noticed some......
11 February, 2022
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Editorial Board – As city, state and federal governments prepare to clean up and rebuild the Fern Hollow Bridge, the emphasis will be almost entirely on the “Bridge,” and not the “Fern Hollow.” But it’s important to remember that this bridge was, and......
11 February, 2022
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Local ecologists are monitoring the possible negative effects of the Fern Hollow Bridge collapse on the surrounding ecosystem. UpstreamPgh, previously known as the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, is an organization concerned with the preservation of Nine Mile Run, a stream that......
10 February, 2022
