Welcome to the newsletter for Floodplain Studios! This 8-acre stretch of land sits just outside Pittsburgh, along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP Trail) and the Youghiogheny River, in Little Boston. Faye Miller acquired the land in the fall of 2023, with a goal of stewarding it into an ecologically sound, thriving space where where creativity and nature intersect.

GET INVOLVED!

• Land Clean-Up volunteer session - Sunday May 17, 10am-12pm

• Upcoming Program — Colors of the River with Sierra Weir, Thursday June 11, 6pm

• Seeking artists interested in land art!

  UPDATES

• Article about Floodplain Studios in the Mon Valley Independent

• Building Improvements!

• Ecological restoration progress

• Fiscal Sponsorship

• Many thanks!

• Follow us on Social Media!

Volunteer Session May 17, 10am-12pm

Cleaning up this formerly neglected space is a big job, and the more people who are helping out, the faster and more fun it is. Our next volunteer session is this Sunday May 17, 10am-12pm. Tasks may include removing invasive plants, building ‘dead hedges’ from branches, planting native plants, clearing trails, and whatever else reveals itself to us!

If you plan to come please RSVP to faye@floodplainstudios.org so we can make sure that you have the details you need.

If you would like to help out but can’t make it this time, shoot us an email at faye@floodplainstudios.org and we can discuss alternative times.

Upcoming program: Colors of the River, Thurs. June 11, 6pm-8pm

We are excited to host Sierra Weir for Colors of the River on June 11, 6pm. In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore riparian pigments and discover what they can reveal about water quality, through art-based research methods. Using colors from foraged materials such as leaves, bark, and rocks, attendees will create paintings that serve as visual data for investigating local ecology.

Artistic skills or research experience are not required, only an open mind and clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. The workshop is free, but please register here.

Seeking artists interested in land art!

We would like to connect with artists interested in creating ephemeral art outdoors, using natural materials gathered created and displayed in situ, for a pilot project at Floodplain Studios this summer. If you are curious or might be interested, email faye@floodplainstudios.org for more info.

UPDATES

Check out this article in the Mon Valley Independent to learn more about Faye Miller and about her goals and vision for Floodplain Studios!

Building Improvements

We recently began renovating the building on the property, a former truck garage, with the goal of creating a gathering spot and workshop space for activities and events, and to ultimately be a point of interest along the GAP Trail.

It is one of a few buildings directly on the GAP trail in this area, but was so overgrown people did not even know it was there! Vacant for years, neglected and vandalized, it has needed a lot of work. Thanks to Mike Keenist, Keno Contracting, for his vision and work getting it into shape.

Ecological Improvements!

This spring has been focused on ecological restoration. Thanks to the help of volunteers and professional restoration companies, we have been removing all sorts of invasive species that have long dominated the landscape there, from Japanese Knotweed to Garlic Mustard, as well as some invasive plants that are more commonly found in riparian areas, such as Reed Canary Grass and Japanese Hops.

And thanks to the work of Kersti Savage, a neighbor who we met through the Pittsburgh Area Native Plant Group, we have planted over 80 native trees and shrubs, a variety of herbaceous plants, and more than 100 live stakes to prevent erosion along the creek and the river shoreline.

The transformation of the property from an ecologically disturbed area full of invasive plants and illegally dumped construction debris to a robust native ecosystem is a challenge, and it will take some time to see major results, but we are seeing improvements all the time! This spring we were very happy to discover spring ephemeral flowers popping up, as well as fairy shrimp in our vernal pools, and wood frogs, American toads, salamanders, spring peepers, snails, garter snakes...

Fiscal Sponsorship

As this is a mission-based project, we are seeking a fiscal sponsor to enable us to receive grant funding and other tax-deductible contributions. We have a lot of work to do, and would love to partner with a non-profit so that we can go farther with our vision. Stay tuned for updates!

Shout outs!

What we have achieved these past few months could not have been done with the work of the many volunteers and professionals we wish to thank:

Matthew Anderson, Vickie Babyak, Al Donaldson, Holly April Harris, Mathias Jonsson, Erika Johnson, Barbara Moore, Mary Claire Moore, Joann Crater Aurand, Tina Hamilton, Diane Pittman, Kersti Savage, Mike Keenist, Allegheny Land Trust, Ecological Restoration, Inc., Fourth River Workers Guild, The GAP Trail Conservancy, The Mon Yough Trail Council, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, ArcheWild, Ecological Field Services.

Follow us on Social Media!

For photos, videos and up-to-date info, follow us on Instagram and/or Facebook @Floodplain_Studios.