North Area Environmental Council dissolving, capping 57 years with a community celebration June 28 in North Park

After 57 years of raising environmental awareness in Pittsburgh’s northern region, the North Area Environmental Council is dissolving.

The nonprofit is capping its efforts with a community celebration June 28 in North Park.

Founded in 1969, the NAEC began in an era when the environmental awareness movement was just beginning, said member Eileen Lessman of Bradford Woods.

The group was created “to raise environmental awareness in a time when few people were concerned … or even had a clue about its importance,” Lessman said.

However, efforts to bring in new members have been a challenge.

“Sadly, most of the members have passed on, and the rest of us are aging out. We’ve had trouble attracting young blood to take over,” she said.

With many municipalities creating their own environmental councils, along with other like-minded organizations such as Tree Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Land Trust and Allegheny Parks Foundation, to name a few, the need is not really there anymore, Lessman said.

Members hailed from anywhere considered “north of the city, though we didn’t exclude any interested parties,” she said.

Over the years, the NAEC started and sponsored many recycling events and a popular annual tree seedling sale.

“At one point, years ago, it was estimated that we were responsible for the planting of well over 40,000 seedlings,” Lessman said.

Since most of the area is in the Pine Creek watershed, members of the NAEC conducted water-quality studies, encouraged stream bank plantings to minimize erosion and implemented various methods to reduce runoff and improve water quality.

Educational workshops on invasive species, chemicals, pesticides and usage, among other topics, were held.

“We tried to raise awareness on the need for mindful housing development, awareness of wetlands, slopes, rare and special plants and trees,” she said.

The council has awarded more than 30 scholarships since 1977, according to naecwpa.org.

The remaining funds of the nonprofit will continue to support this mission. A significant donation is planned for the Allegheny County Parks Foundation to support projects in North Park, with a focus on the Latodami Nature Center, and for local Scout projects.

The rest will go to the Pine Creek Land Conservation Trust, which preserves environmentally sensitive land in the Pine Creek Watershed and is working on revitalizing the North Park Arboretum, according to a June 3 news release from the NAEC board.

A final farewell picnic is planned from 2 to 6 p.m. June 28 at the Bevridge Grove on South Ridge Drive in North Park, near Pie Traynor Field. RSVPs are requested to eileen.lessman@gmail.com.