Announcing the 2022 Scenic SWPA Photo Contest Winners – and Fan Favorites Winner

Posted July 21, 2022 by KAngell

We are honored to be announcing our 2022 Scenic SWPA Photo Contest winners and our Fan Favorites Photo Contest winner!This is the first year Scenic Pittsburgh has held the photo contest, which asked for submissions in 6 categories from across SWPA’s 10-county region. We hoped to call more attention to the overwhelming beauty and unique sights of this area that we believe should be preserved for future generations. We received hundreds of submissions and we owe a debt of thanks to our 5 volunteer judges: Brad Berkstresser, Nick Garuccio, Clare Kaczmarek, Christine Montgomery, and Emmanuel Panagiotakis. Learn more about them and their work.

Our Grand Prize Winner: Angelo Mamone, with Fall Lake Reflections, Moraine State Park.

Angelo had several photos that caught the judges’ eye, but this was their absolute favorite. You can see more of his work on his Facebook page.

Urbanscapes and Townscapes
Category Winner: Cherry Blossoms – North Shore Pittsburgh, by Carolyn Doyle

Some may be familiar with Carolyn’s beautiful pictures around the Pittsburgh region that include a lensball. Carolyn’s work can be seen on her Facebook page and her Instagram.

Landscapes and Farmscapes

Category Winner: On the Way Home, Portersville, PA by Nicolette Tolomeo Germain

Nicolette Tolomeo Germain submitted several photographs that were among the finalists, but her winner is this lovely pastoral. Nicolette markets her work under the name Nicolette’s Memories Photography and you can see more of her work in her Facebook group: Moraine State Park * McConnells Mill * Marblehead * Memories Photography

Historic Sites and Buildings

Category Winner: Cathedral of Learning, by Mike Kutilek

Mike also had several photos that made it into our final review. You can find his work on his website and on Instagram at @mikekutilek.

Scenic Rivers and Waterways

Category Winner: Walk Along Twin Lakes by Dana Rukse

Dana Rukse won in two categories with unique drone photographs of scenic places. He’s been a professional photographer for 30 years, and specializes in drone photography. You can find more of Dana’s work at his website.

Scenic Trees and Forests
Category Winner: Winter’s Drive Near Ligonier, Dana Rukse

People in Scenic Places

Category Winner: Pittsburgh View from the Strip District by Bruce Howard, Sr.

Bruce Howard, Sr. won for this unique perspective of the strip. The judges commented on the way the photo showcased people’s celebratory mood. You can see his work at his website or you can check him out on Instagram at @bruceh18.

Fan Favorites Winner

Blue and Gold Forever, the Mary Schenley Memorial Fountain by Allen Howard

Allen Howard’s photo received 249 votes to be named the Fan Favorite. Check out more of his work at his website or check him out on Instagram at @allenhoward.photo

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Introducing the Scenic SWPA 2023 Photo Contest judges! All are all accomplished photographers and hail from different parts of the region. We are honored to have them judge our photo contest. Learn more about each of them below, and take a look at some of their photos as well. 

Want to enter the contest? Find out more here.

Brad Berkstresser

“A camera never out of reach.” Brad Berkstresser, owner of Bradley B. Photography, has been photographing Pittsburgh from the air and on the ground for the past several years.  He discovered his penchant for aerial photography after purchasing his first quadcopter (drone) to fly for fun.  From there, the hobby took off with clients residing all over the US.  Some of Brad’s favorite things to photograph include the many bridges Pittsburgh has to offer, the iconic Duquesne Incline, and the colorful homes of various Pittsburgh neighborhoods such as Lawrenceville and Mount Washington. Brad’s work has been featured in the internationally known pop-culture website “Accidentally Wes Anderson,” Mt. Lebanon magazine, promotional materials for corporate real estate firm CBRE, NEXTPittsburgh, and The Incline, among other online publications. An Investment Management focused attorney by day, Brad also enjoys playing hockey, golfing with his son, Jack, and kayaking on the rivers of Pittsburgh. You can find Brad’s work at his website, and on Etsy, as well as on his Facebook page and Instagram feed.

Carolyn Doyle

“I have always had a passion for photography and I absolutely love photographing our beautiful city, Pittsburgh.” Carolyn is known for her use of a lensball in many of her photos, and has had her work featured in several local venues, including featured by Visit Pittsburgh. She is a category winner of the 2022 Scenic SWPA Photo Contest. Carolyn is also a cyclist and bikes Pittsburgh city trails with her backpack and camera, all the better to capture unique shots on the way. You can see more of Carolyn’s work on her Instagram and her Facebook page.

Nicolette Tolomeo Germain

“There is so much beauty and magic in the world around us, often overlooked or taken for granted. I have been carrying a camera around with me for over 40 years, from film to digital, learning and refining new techniques along the way.”

Nicolette’s photography reflects her great love of nature, from local parks and countryside to southern Georgia marshes, the Florida Gulf coast and Lake Erie Shores and Islands. A former local business owner and small business advocate in Butler County, Nicolette now spends much of her time on photography. You can find her work on Facebook at Nicolette’s Memories Photography, or join her private group at Memories Photography * Moraine State Park * McConnells Mill * Marblehead or sign up for her newsletter.

Angelo Mamone

“My interest in photography started when I worked at an advertising agency in New York and got to know some of the staff photographers. Upon my return to Western Pennsylvania, I developed a deep respect for the beauty of our area. From that point on, nature and landscape photography has been my passion.”

A resident of the Penn Trafford area in Westmoreland County, Angelo’s work has appeared in the Natural World Photo Exhibition at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and an exhibition at the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts in New Castle. He has won photo awards from the Pennsylvania State Parks, Laurel Highlands, Moraine State Park, and Scenic Pittsburgh, and received an honorable mention in last year’s Scenic America Photo Contest. You can find his work at Fine Art America.

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Please see the following links to view the presentations shared during our 2022 Scenic Symposium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Visual Resources Stewardship Part 1: The Viewshed Approach to Scenic Protection
Richard Smardon, professor emeritus, SUNY dept of environmental studies & landscape architecture;
Patrick Miller, FASLA, FCELA, professor emeritus, Virginia Tech landscape architecture program
Brent Chamberlain, assoc prof, dept of landscape architecture & environmental planning, Utah State

Creating & Marketing Self-Guided History Tours
Mary Ellen Pethel, Ph.D., executive director, Nashville Sites
Jessica Reeves, historic preservation planner, Metro Nashville Historical Commission

What’s Ahead for Scenic Byways?
Mark Falzone, president, Scenic America
Sharon Strouse, executive director, National Scenic Byway Foundation
Mark Dudney, historic preservation planner, Upper Cumberland Development District

Placemaking: Jefferson Street
LaTonya Turner, editor, Nashville Public Radio; documentary producer, Facing North
Tifinie Capehart, TSU urban studies; board member, Jefferson St United Merchants Partnership
Lorenzo Washington, founder, Jefferson Street Sound Museum
Butch Spyridon, CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
Kenneth Chilton, associate professor, department of public administration, Tennessee State University

Revisioning/Rebuilding Nashville’s Second Avenue Historic District
Ron Gobbell, FAIA, president emeritus, GHP; project manager, Second Avenue recovery project
Michelle Scopel, senior project manager, Metro Development & Housing Agency
Gary Gaston, CEO, Nashville Civic Design Center

East Bank Design Dialogue 
Anna Grider, project manager, Metro Nashville planning department
Andrés Duany, FAIA, founding partner, DPZ CoDesign;
Ben Crenshaw, BLA, senior vice-president for design, Southern Land Company
Moderator: Ron Fleming, FAICP; founder, the Townscape Institute

Billboard Updates
1. The SCOTUS decision in Austin v Reagan 
Cooke Kelsey, Parker Sanchez, Houston, Texas (attorney for amicus brief)
Shawn Bible, beautification office coordinator, Tennessee DOT
2. Local Sign Ordinances & the Question of Local Control 
Sunny Sandos, city attorney, city of Johnson City

VRS Part 2: TN’s Scenic Viewshed Register
Patrick Miller, FASLA, FCELA, professor emeritus, Virginia Tech landscape architecture program
Paul Dudley, location intelligence analyst, state of Tennessee Strategic Technology Services
Kari Williams, GIS specialist, state of Tennessee Strategic Technology Services

Update on Tennessee CLEAN (Cleaner Landscapes for the Economy, Agriculture & Nature)
Kevin Botts, conservation policy director, Tennessee Wildlife Federation

Scenic Tools & Ordinances
1. Undergrounding utilities 
Nathan O’Neill, policy and program director, Scenic America
2. Nashville’s dark sky ordinance
Burkley Allen, Metro Nashville Council
3. Passing scenic ordinances in a gateway community 
Jeff Ownby, director of building & planning, City of Gatlinburg

Scenic Considerations of the EV Revolution
Moderator: Mike Dawida, executive director, Scenic Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)
Savannah Robertson, Drive Electric Tennessee / East Tennessee Clean Fuels
McKale Carter, EV specialist, TVA Energy Services & Programs
Matthew Meservy, PE, TDOT long-range planning division
Laura Leigh Harris, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce

Essential Agritourism: Scenic, Climate, Social & Economic Impacts 
Megan Bruch Leffew, marketing specialist, UT Extension Service’s Center for Profitable Agriculture
Amy Ladd, owner, Lucky Ladd Farms
John Noel, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy; Climate Institute
Christie Henderson, director of land conservation, TennGreen Land Conservancy
John Patrick, founding member, Burns Village & Farm Agrihood

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Read our press release on the Fountain Street Overlook opening.

Scenic Pittsburgh has been at work on this project, which we originally called the Fineview Greenspace, for 5 years. We renamed it in the winter of 2021 when it became clear that we would be undertaking more projects in the Fineview neighborhood.

100 Years of History: The Story of the Fountain Street Overlook

Located on the Northside of Pittsburgh directly behind Allegheny General Hospital, the Fountain Street Overlook takes advantage of an abandoned wedge of land between Fountain and Henderson streets that was once home to a block of houses. Always a steep-slope area, for decades this 2.2-acre wedge has accumulated garbage and invasive plants among crumbling stone foundations. But it was also clear to Scenic Pittsburgh staff that the space offered stunning views of the city all the way to Mount Washington, was directly adjacent to the Fineview Fitness Trail and the James Street and Graib Street stairways, and held enormous potential as an urban forest patch. We started developing a vision around how to restore this kind of land: the kind that is less suitable, because of its location, size or steep slope, for housing or business development, but that is typically larger than smaller, more limited Adopt-a-Lot projects. Land that offers something to the community, whether it’s a view, a connection between neighborhoods, or mature stands of trees.

Find out more about our greenspace partnership, which includes Allegheny Cleanways, Grounded Pittsburgh, and Landforce, the unique approach we are taking to greenspace restoration in the City of Pittsburgh, and our other projects.

In 2017, Scenic Pittsburgh managed to purchase a large lot in this area from the local school district. The surrounding lots were mostly city-owned, and we set to figuring out how to work with the city to create a greenspace there, using tools like the Land Bank and the Adopt-a-Lot program but also extending beyond them. Since then, a series of grants from local foundations such as the Laurel Foundation, the Colcom Foundation and the Richard King Mellon Foundation, as well as support from Highmark Corporate giving, has allowed us to involve our partners in cleaning up and shaping the space. We’ve received free native shrubs from the Keystone 10 Million Trees effort (part of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation) to help restore the native plant balance. We’ve started needed repairs at the Fountain Street stairs and created pathways throughout. And with our partners, we’ve taken back a piece of urban forest that was a source of visual blight, and a liability to the surrounding community, and made it into an asset – a place where the residents of Fineview and the Northside can look at the view, take a short hike, or walk their dog.

With our partners and the surrounding community, we look forward to improving and maintaining the Fountain Street Overlook for years to come.

Find out more about our other greenspace restoration projects.

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If you’re looking for a unique gift that celebrates the irreplaceable beauty of southwestern Pennsylvania, why not gift one of our scenic coffee mugs? Showing an early morning scene of one of Pittsburgh’s beautiful bridges, it’s the perfect way to wake up with a beverage in one of the most scenic regions on earth.

PLUS a purchase of one of our mugs helps to support our work: preserving and restoring greenspace, working with our communities on their beauty-centric zoning and legislation, recognizing scenic champions through our awards, and advocating for high scenic standards across our region.

Mugs are $20 which includes shipping.

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November 6 Ceremony to Highlight the Borough’s Scenic Accomplishments

Pittsburgh, PA–Scenic Pittsburgh, a nonprofit focused on protecting and preserving the scenic resources of southwestern Pennsylvania, will present a scenic award to the Borough of Ligonier on Saturday, November 6.  

Scenic Pittsburgh will present the Community Scenic Achievement Award to Ligonier Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the award ceremony, which will take place in the bandstand at the Diamond in downtown Ligonier.

The award is given to a southwestern Pennsylvania community that has demonstrated “a consistent, long-term, and visionary commitment to protecting and promoting their scenic resources.”

This will be the second such award Scenic Pittsburgh has given in 2021. The first was on September 23 at a ceremony at The Highline on Pittsburgh’s South Side, when Scenic Pittsburgh presented the Scenic Achievement award to Indovina Associates Architects.

Scenic Pittsburgh’s Executive Director, Michael Dawida, said that when considering award winners, Scenic Pittsburgh looked at Ligonier’s history of preservation and renewal of its historic Diamond and shopping district, and the town’s longtime commitment to leveraging its greenspaces and history for the benefit of its residents.

“Ligonier has long been known as a scenic town, and they’ve worked hard to preserve what makes them unique – as well as being a leader in using their history as an asset for economic development in the area,” he said.

Ligonier Mayor Ormond “Butch” Bellas said the borough’s leaders are looking forward to celebrating Scenic Pittsburgh’s recognition in its historic Diamond, which underwent a complete renewal concluding in 2018.

“Ligonier catches the eye of travelers because of its ‘Hallmark Card’ appearance, and once they stop, people find they enjoy our small-town charm,” said Mayor Bellas. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the Borough, and pleased that Ligonier is being recognized for its beauty.”

The awards are each individually made by glass artist William Haynes at the Pittsburgh Glass Center, and feature a wrought metal stand and green and blue glass in a mountain and river pattern. They were designed to evoke both the landscape of southwestern Pennsylvania and two of its historic industries: glass and steel.

Dawida says both award winners exemplify the scenic values, and the positive economic consequences of those values, that his organization is hoping to promote across the region.

“Our motto is that beauty is good for business, and I think the leaders of Ligonier and Indovina Associates Architects understand that principle – and it shows,” he said. “As a result, their enduring work has benefited our region and will continue to benefit future generations in Pennsylvania.”

For more information about Scenic Pittsburgh’s Awards, or to nominate a group or individual for an award, go to Scenic Pittsburgh Awards – Scenic America

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Pittsburgh, PA–Scenic Pittsburgh, a nonprofit focused on protecting and preserving the scenic resources of southwestern Pennsylvania, has announced they will present two Scenic Awards in 2021.

The Award for Scenic Achievement will be given to the Pittsburgh firm Indovina Associates Architects at a ceremony at Pittsburgh’s Highline on the South Side on Thursday, September 23. The award honors a business or organization that has shown a “consistent, long-term, and visionary commitment to protecting and promoting the region’s scenic resources.”

Indovina Associates Architects’ work often incorporates scenic and green elements and creates unique public spaces. Their portfolio includes the PPG Aquarium at the Pittsburgh Zoo, the Carnegie Science Center PPG Science Pavilion, the Barco Roof Garden at the University of Pittsburgh, the Green Roof at the David Lawrence Convention Center, and the newly opened Highline on the South Side.

Scenic Pittsburgh Executive Director Michael Dawida oversaw many public design and building projects during his time as state representative, state senator and Allegheny County Commissioner, and says that the choice of Indovina Associates as a Scenic Award recipient was an easy one for the organization.

“This firm has given our region so many outstanding scenic and cultural assets through their design work,” he said. “There’s no question that they have greatly contributed to Pittsburgh’s scenic beauty and attractive greenspaces and are a leading example of the high aesthetic and environmental standards we advocate for.”

Ryan Indovina, principal of Indovina Associates, said the firm was pleased to be recognized for their many decades of innovative design.

“The conversion of the Terminal Warehouse complex for McKnight Realty Partners represented a unique opportunity for combining our firm’s knowledge and experience in adaptive reuse with creating beautiful outdoor landscape spaces,” he said. “We are therefore extremely appreciative of Scenic Pittsburgh’s recognition of The Highline as a distinctive addition to the Pittsburgh architectural and natural landscape in keeping with its core mission.”

“Since the firm’s inception in 1978, Indovina Associates has had the opportunity to contribute a vast array of projects to the ever-evolving architectural landscape in Western Pennsylvania. We are thrilled to be part of the next leap in Pittsburgh’s architectural growth as new technologies and typologies become more vital to the region’s architectural landscape,” he added.

The award ceremony at The Highline will begin at 5 p.m. outside overlooking the city of Pittsburgh, during which representatives from Indovina and McKnight Realty, the owner of The Highline development, will speak. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place in the West Lobby.

On Saturday, November 6 at the Diamond in downtown Ligonier, Scenic Pittsburgh’s Community Scenic Achievement Award will be given to the Borough of Ligonier during the “Fall into Ligonier” restaurant tasting event.

The award is given to a southwestern Pennsylvania community that has demonstrated “a consistent, long-term, and visionary commitment to protecting and promoting their scenic resources.”

Dawida said that when considering award winners, Scenic Pittsburgh looked at Ligonier’s history of preservation and renewal of its historic Diamond and shopping district, and the town’s longtime commitment to leveraging its greenspaces and history.

“Ligonier has long been known as a scenic town, and they’ve worked hard to preserve what makes them unique – as well as being a leader in using their history as an asset for economic development in the area,” he said.

Ligonier Mayor Ormond “Butch” Bellas said the borough’s leaders are looking forward to celebrating Scenic Pittsburgh’s recognition in its historic Diamond, which underwent a complete renewal concluding in 2020.

“Ligonier catches the eye of travelers because of its ‘Hallmark Card’ appearance, and once they stop, people find they enjoy our small-town charm,” said Mayor Bellas. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of the Borough, and pleased that Ligonier is being recognized for its beauty.”

Dawida says both award winners exemplify the scenic values, and the positive economic consequences of those values, that his organization is hoping to promote across the region.

“Our motto is that beauty is good for business, and I think Indovina Associates and the leaders of Ligonier understand that principle – and it shows,” he said. “As a result, their enduring work has benefited our region and will continue to benefit future generations in Pennsylvania.”

For more information about Scenic Pittsburgh’s Awards, or to nominate a group or individual for an award, go to Scenic Pittsburgh Awards – Scenic America

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Using the educational gaming platform Agents of Discovery, the organizations launched a free new mobile game focusing on issues like visual pollution and the importance of protecting parks and green spaces. This smartphone-based platform, which is geared towards students, teachers, and families, uses augmented reality (AR) to guide users through a “mission,” similar to a scavenger hunt.

The Point State Park Mission explores the area of the park and the Pittsburgh skyline, and prompts users to identify examples of local visual pollution, such as billboards. 

In addition to this Pittsburgh-specific mission, Scenic America has also created an Agents of Discovery mission that can be played from any location. This mission aims to educate users about the principles of scenic conservation, like preservation of scenic beauty, the eradication of scenic pollution in the visual environment, and the value of scenic areas. Some examples of scenic pollution include billboards, overhead wires, light pollution, litter, and tree cutting. This mission includes challenges like selecting which scenes have been affected by visual pollution, identifying sources of visual pollution, and using AR to play a recycling game.

A classroom curriculum developed in partnership with Project Green Schools enables the Agents of Discovery missions to be easily incorporated into elementary and middle school curricula.

Scenic America President, Mark Falzone said, “These missions help young people learn about scenic conservation in a fun and engaging way. Tying missions to specific locations, like Pittsburgh, is a way to get them interested and invested in their surroundings. Studies show that the more young people make a connection between scenic assets and their communities, the more likely they are to value those communities and fight to make them more scenic.”  

Scenic America hopes to partner with Scenic Pittsburgh for additional Pittsburgh-area missions in the Agents of Discovery app and will continue to develop a broad range of educational resources for young people that encourage preservation and appreciation of our scenic heritage.

“We are excited to find ways to use this technology to reach young people in our region with our message that everyone deserves scenic beauty,” says Scenic Pittsburgh Executive Director Mike Dawida. “Southwestern Pennsylvania can be even more beautiful if our next generation helps to keep it that way.”

Learn more about Scenic America’s Agents of Discovery missions and how to download the app to play the game here. 

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Next month is Scenic Pittsburgh’s 10^th anniversary, but staff isn’t planning a celebration. Executive Director Mike Dawida, former PA state senator and representative, as well as former Allegheny County Commissioner, says with the region reeling from the economic blow of the COVID-19 pandemic, they don’t have the time — even if they could hold an event.

“I’ve seen this region in good times and bad over the years, but right now we’re seeing how an acute event like the pandemic is hitting towns and neighborhoods that have been trying to catch up since the steel mills closed,” he says. “And when it comes to helping these places get healthier and really thrive, we believe it’s their scenic resources that are the key.”

View from Fineview Space Overlook. Photo by David Demko courtesy of Scenic Pittsburgh.

That’s why the nonprofit, which has the mission to protect, enhance, and promote the scenic beauty of southwestern Pennsylvania, has never been busier, added Dawida — especially since communities have seen how important outdoor public greenspace is to people during the pandemic.

He points out that multiple studies prove the health and economic benefits of green space and scenic beauty, and that people in the hospital recover more quickly if they can see even one tree from their window.

“We like to say that we sit right where economic development, health, and environmental and historic preservation come together, and this region seems to be in crisis in every one of those areas right now – with economic and health concerns leading the pack.”

People tend to associate Scenic Pittsburgh with billboards – specifically, the ongoing, multi-year fight to remove the Mount Washington billboard, which the organization has labeled an eyesore on an otherwise scenic hillside.

But their work goes well beyond the battle against the billboard companies. With the motto “Beauty is Good for Business,” Scenic Pittsburgh offers all levels of consultation and advice on zoning, scenic preservation and strategic planning to any community in their 10-county region that needs it.

As a former politician, Dawida is a particularly good spokesperson for the importance of what the organization calls scenic resources.

“We advocate for communities saving the things that make them unique,” says Dawida. “The green spaces, the rivers, the historic buildings and the overlooks – these are economic and health resources for their residents that have a real return on investment.”

“These places are leaving quantifiable benefits and money on the table if they don’t make the most of what they have – or they let it be destroyed.”

Billboards in Downtown Pittsburgh. Photo by David Demko.

Assistant Director David Demko says that it’s sometimes a challenge for the organization is convince community leaders in former mining and steel towns and disadvantaged urban neighborhoods that they will do better long-term if they prioritize their scenic resources.

“We get it – these communities are looking for revenue, and they see a big box store or a billboard moving in and they’re happy to have them. They don’t ask for concessions, or realize they have the power to demand changes,” he explains.

The organization believes that prevention in the form of strong zoning ordinances and strategic planning is the best solution. That’s why they focus on motivating communities to change, or even overhaul, their ordinances and create community standards that are aimed at preserving and improving the scenic beauty they have.

But if a fight is what’s called for, Scenic Pittsburgh is ready for it. They monitor zoning disputes across southwestern PA and work closely with law school interns to investigate ways the law can protect communities’ rights against what they term “scenic blight”: billboards and oversize, light-up signage, poorly planned development, and removal of trees and greenspace.

“We get calls all the time from people needing guidance,” says Demko. “We try to help everyone we can. And we’re getting ready to roll out more information on how people can take the lead in protecting scenic resources in their own neighborhoods.”

A pocket park in Latrobe, an example of the kind of greenspace recovery Scenic Pittsburgh advocates for. Photo by Kate Angell.

Although COVID created an uptick in the need for their services, Scenic Pittsburgh has been in expansion mode since 2019, when they achieved three milestones:  a new strategic plan, the hiring of Communications Director Kate Angell, and becoming the first full chapter of the national organization Scenic America.

“With Kate on board and the partnership with Scenic America, we got a lot more capacity,” says Demko. He says that prompted a greater focus on proactively reaching out to their 10-county region, which includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Butler, Beaver, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland county.

The strategic plan also helped them see that they had another challenge to overcome: the perception that scenic beauty shouldn’t be a first-level concern for disadvantaged communities with “bigger problems.”

“There’s the assumption out there that scenic beauty is only for the wealthy, or that communities can get around to it when they can afford it,” says Kate Angell, communications director. “We believe that everyone deserves beauty, and should be able to benefit from their community’s scenic resources. And that can’t wait until everything else is done.”

Dawida echoes that thought when he points out the great scenic beauty that the region is known for.
“Southwestern PA has one of the richest legacies of beauty in the nation,” he says. “We’ve also got a lot of people who want to see it preserved for future generations.

That’s what we’re here for: to help unlock the benefits of all that irreplaceable beauty so we can hand it down to our kids and grandkids.”

Learn more about Scenic Pittsburgh at www.scenicpittsburgh.org or contact Kate Angell, communications director, at kangell@scenicpittsburgh.org.

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