PITTSBURGH, PA (January 8, 2025) — On Thursday, January 8, 2026, Upstream Pittsburgh, formerly Nine Mile Run Watershed Association, officially turns 25. The Wilkinsburg-based nonprofit that oversees the Nine Mile Run Ecosystem Restoration Area in Frick Park and develops green stormwater capture sites across the East End and environmental justice programming county-wide officially received its 501C3 nonprofit status from the IRS on January 8, 2001.
To mark the occasion, UpstreamPgh is planning a full year of programs that honor its past, celebrate this milestone present moment, and help vision its future. Each month of 2026 will focus on a different aspect of the nonprofit’s programming, past and present, while bringing together stakeholders. Details for the first six months, and themes for all months, are listed at the end of this release.
Principal among these celebrations will be the Turn It Upstream Music Festival, a one-night-only fundraiser in the heart of Lower Frick Park next to Fern Hollow Creek. This family-friendly event is designed to celebrate the unique intersections that gave birth to UpstreamPgh’s mission and work.
“UpstreamPgh was born from the creativity of artists working out of a trailer in Frick Park, who married the passion of community activists with the common sense idea that even urban dwellers deserve access to clean, safe green spaces and water,” said UpstreamPgh Executive Director, Mike Hiller. “We can see no better way to celebrate those roots than by bringing that spirit back into Frick Park for an awesome night of celebration and reflection. We’re so excited to welcome everyone to Frick Park for such a special moment!”
The event will feature local music acts, food, vendors, nature walks, environmental demonstrations, and more and will take place Friday, June 26, 2026 starting at 5pm, rain or shine at the confluence of Tranquil and Falls Ravine Trails in Fern Hollow, Lower Frick Park. Festival goers are encouraged to lean into the spirit of the event by showing up in their most colorful and fun festival wear and decorating their lawn space in the field. Tickets will start at $20 and go on sale later this spring. Sponsorship opportunities are available– email donate@upstreampgh.org for more sponsorship information.
UpstreamPgh’s 25 Year History
Throughout most of the 20th century, the Nine Mile Run stream in Frick Park was little more than an open sewer. Called “stink creek” and worse, it was such a health and safety hazard that by the second half of the century, it was devoid of aquatic life. Far from a popular destination, the southernmost end of Frick Park was often nearly deserted. The slag dump that dominated the lower stretch of the stream below Commercial Avenue was a desolate moonscape.
While community groups in Swisshelm Park and Squirrel Hill advocated for many years for an end to the dumping and improvements of the stream and park, the movement for restoration didn’t gain traction until the late 1990s when the possibility of building housing on top of the slag pile was introduced (where Somerset at Frick Park sits today).
Concurrently, The Studio for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University spearheaded the Nine Mile Run Greenway Project, an ecological art project led by Tim Collins, Reiko Goto, Bob Bingham and John Stephen that focused on the slag piles and the stream; they invited the public to imagine what the area could be like if restored. Carried out in partnership with The Heinz Endowments, the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning, and the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the project worked to:
- Develop stewardship for the Nine Mile Run Greenway
- Identify and model sustainable approaches to public greenway development
- Utilize contemporary technologies to communicate about complex environmental problems
- Promote ecological standards for brownfields reclamation
Participants in the NMR Greenway Project identified the need for a professional watershed organization to do outreach and education with residents of the watershed. They foresaw that even a physical restoration of the open portion of the stream in Frick Park would not, by itself, significantly improve water quality, because the stream’s problems originate upstream, in the upper watershed communities.
The Nine Mile Run Watershed Association was incorporated in 2001, at first with a part-time Executive Director (Marijke Hecht, 2002-2007). Over the years, the Association played a key role in the NMR Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration (completed in 2006), stewardship of the area, outreach, education and advocacy, and the development of a variety of green stormwater infrastructure projects in the upper watershed to improve water quality in the stream. In 2011, under the organization’s second Executive Director, Brenda Smith (2008-2021), this work led to the creation of a green stormwater infrastructure planning and building program in the watershed and beyond, which still serves as a core program of the organization today.
By 2020, the organization’s work was growing beyond the Nine Mile Run watershed. UpstreamPgh’s expertise in moving water projects forward in the region, combined with its knack for convening stakeholders and advancing environmental justice work, led to an expanding footprint and scaled services. Reflecting this reality, NMRWA rebranded in 2021 as UpstreamPgh, launching a new chapter of working “upstream” of problems to address them at the source. Since then, under the vision of Executive Director Mike Hiller (2022-Present), UpstreamPgh has scaled to absorb management of the Negley Run Task Force and establish a 4-person Advocacy team that works with communities across the county on Environmental Justice issues. Concurrently, the organization’s Plan/Build and Engage programs both continue to grow within and outside the Nine Mile Run Watershed.
Later in 2026, UpstreamPgh will unveil a new multi-decade plan for stormwater management in the Nine Mile Run area, as well as plans to improve Fern Hollow Creek in Frick Park and link its stormwater capture to the established Nine Mile Run Project.
25th Anniversary Activities and Themes by Month: January- June 2026
Events will be punctuated by online newsletters and social media content that provide context and a deeper understanding of UpstreamPgh’s legacy, programs, and plans. More special events may be added each month that coincide with monthly themes and celebrate UpstreamPgh’s work. Please sign up for our newsletter for updates, or visit our website and instagram (linked below).
NOTE: All dates, times, locations, and programming are subject to change.
January 2026- Leadership and Legacy
To kick off our 25th Anniversary, UpstreamPgh will be celebrating the visionary leaders who have shaped our programs and identity across our first 25 years.
Key Event:
Leading Upstream: A Panel Discussion on Legacy & Vision
Monday, January 26th 6:00-8:00 PM
UpstreamPgh Office (Also accessible via Zoom and Instagram Live)
321 Pennwood Ave. Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Join us for a special conversation (and cake!) with all three executive directors who helped shape UpstreamPgh’s work across its first 25 years: Marijke Hecht, Brenda Smith, and Mike Hiller. Moderated by Danielle Crumrine, Executive Director of Tree Pittsburgh, this lively panel will explore the organization’s origins, pivotal moments, lessons learned, and the evolving vision that continues to guide our work today. We’re offering both in person and virtual attendance via Zoom and Instagram Live for this event, making it easy for our community near and far to join the conversation and Q&A. In-person space is limited- please RSVP early!
Come reflect, celebrate, and look ahead with the people who helped lead UpstreamPgh from its headwaters to its future.
February 2026- Native Habitats & Species
Celebrating the ecosystems and species that call Nine Mile Run and Western Pennsylvania home, February’s events will focus on ensuring the next generation of wildlife has a chance to thrive.
Key Event:
Milkweed Madness
Wednesday, February 4th 6:00-8:00 PM
UpstreamPgh Office
321 Pennwood Ave. Suite 202
Pittsburgh, PA 15221
An annual event where participants learn about milkweed plants, their life cycle, and their importance as the only preferred habitat and food source for the endangered monarch butterfly. Things get hands on with seed pods processing and preparing your own milkweed seeds for packaging!
Volunteers are welcome to take seeds home, with the remaining packets to be given out for free at UpstreamPgh events throughout the year.
March 2026- Urban Forestry
As part of its programming over the years, UpstreamPgh has sited and planted thousands of native trees and stakes and over 1,000 large street trees in East End neighborhoods and boroughs like Regent Square, Wilkinsburg, Homewood, Point Breeze, and others. A single tree can manage between 750-1,500 gallons of water every year, making trees an important player in stormwater management. UpstreamPgh also manages the Nine Mile Run Restoration, planting and maintaining trees and using trees in riparian zones to manage stream bank erosion.
Key Events:
Live Tree Staking
Saturday, March 7, 2026 11:00AM-1:30PM
Lower Frick Park Play Area
Remember when we planted over 1,250 live stakes in Fern Hollow in 2024? Well, now it’s time to help out Nine Mile Run! While we won’t be planting as many this year, we have a goal of 250 in honor of our 25th anniversary! Live stakes are cuttings from trees and shrubs that readily root when placed in wet soil. Live stakes are embedded along streambanks to help with stabilization and improve biodiversity.
April 2026- Art & Environmentalism
From the Nine Mile Run Greenway Project that birthed us, to advocating for public art as part of the Fern Hollow Bridge replacement, to completing our first-ever large-scale public art installation on one of our vacant lot GSI sites in East Hills with artist Marlana Adele Vassar, art is baked into the DNA of UpstreamPgh. Join us in April as we celebrate art’s place in ecology all month long!
Key Event
25th Anniversary Art Drop
Throughout April
Allegheny County Locations TBA via Scavenger Hunt on Instagram
We’re sending our fans on a scavenger hunt! Local artist/ ceramicist Angie Meyers has hand made creations that speak to our work to share with our community. Check our Instagram feed daily for clues, then strike out into nature for a chance to find your very own piece of art celebrating UpstreamPgh’s 25th anniversary!
May 2026- Rain Gardens & Green Stormwater Infrastructure
Tree pits, permeable pavement, and swales, oh my! UpstreamPgh’s legacy of planning, building, and managing Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) has led to projects managing well over 10,000,000 gallons of stormwater in the Nine Mile Run Watershed annually. Join us in May as we revisit some unique projects around Regent Square for reflection, maintenance, and inspiration!
Key Event
Rain Garden Tour in partnership with Phipps Conservatory
Saturday, May 9, 2026 10:00AM-12:00PM
Various Locations
Set off on a walk with UpstreamPgh through Regent Square as we visit three examples of residential-scale stormwater maintenance projects. Tour participants will learn about design and maintenance of rain gardens, native plants, and stormwater management, all while enjoying a gentle stroll with a lovely bite and a nice, warm coffee.
June 2026- The Confluence: Putting It All Together
Everything we do at UpstreamPgh comes from working at intersections– people and place; green and gray; urban and wild– so a celebration of our work should be no different. June is all about celebrating those connections that make our work possible, and ensuring that we can do so for years to come.
Key Event
Turn It Upstream Music Festival
Friday, June 26, 2026, 5:00PM- 10:00PM
Fern Hollow, Frick Park
Party in the heart of Pittsburgh’s Frick Park! This one-of-a-kind evening will feature a curated line-up of stellar local music acts, food, vendors, and fun all in a family-friendly environment nestled under the trees of Frick Park along Fern Hollow Creek.
25th Anniversary Activities and Themes by Month: July- December 2026
Key Events will be announced in June 2026
July 2026- Pathways to Progress
Though most of the original stream is culverted, Nine Mile Run’s impact on communities still runs deep. Join us in July as we take a closer look at key segments of the Nine Mile Run Watershed that give us insight into what has been done, what we are doing, and what we’re planning on doing to improve the future of this watershed and stream.
Celebratory Event TBA
August 2026- Advocacy & Activism
From the genesis of the Our Water Campaign in partnership with 412Justice in 2014 to today, UpstreamPgh has long served as a partner in local coalitions advocating for and advancing water policy. The result? Miles of lead lines replaced. Stronger consumer protections, and a growing wave of movement to keep our local water utilities and systems public and accountable. In August as we do every day, we will celebrate the efforts of our advocacy teams past, present, and future, as they work to ensure clean water access for all in our service area.
Celebratory Event TBA
September 2026- The Living Laboratory: Science & Education in and along Nine Mile Run
Long before UpstreamPgh existed, Nine Mile Run was a space for urban experimentation and analysis. This legacy continues today with monthly testing, ecology and environmental science programs for youth, and formal and academic study of the stream’s chemistry and biodiversity. Join as we go ‘back to school’ and review some of the key highlights of Nine Mile Run’s legacy as a space for study and science.
Celebratory Event TBA
October 2026- Recreation & Connection
Connecting people with nature has long been a core tenant of UpstreamPgh’s work, and fall has long been a favorite season for nature lovers in and around Pittsburgh to get outside one last time before winter’s long, dark span. Join us as we celebrate the outdoor recreational wonder that is the Nine Mile Run Urban Ecosystem Restoration Project.
Celebratory Event TBA
November 2026- Archives & Artifacts
While UpstreamPgh was officially born in 2001, attention to and work on the Nine Mile Run restoration began in earnest at least a decade earlier. Join us as we delve into archival records and the earliest history of the Nine Mile Run Urban Stream Restoration.
Celebratory Event TBA
December 2026-Origins & Originals
We’ll end at the beginning by celebrating the work and legacy of those who started it all- Bob Bingham, John Stephen, Reiko Goto, Tim Collins, Mary Kostalos, and others.
Celebratory Event TBA
