Spring 2026 Volunteer Workdays Round Up

They say time flies when you’re having fun. We’d be remiss if we did not acknowledge all we accomplished during our crag stewardship days earlier this Spring. As usual, none of it would be possible without the help of volunteers.  

SWPACC hosted work days at three of our main climbing areas this past March and April: Breakneck, Ohiopyle State Park, and Frank Curto Park. Thirty five dedicated individuals showed up, rolled up their sleeves, and got sh*t done!

Breakneck

Let’s start with Breakneck. Neighbors asked us for help cleaning up the streambed and SWPACC stepped up. In less than two hours’ time, on a Saturday morning in March, 13 volunteers picked up a trailer full of trash and improved the stream crossing to get to the rocks. We were glad to help out and the neighbors really appreciated our efforts – they even bought pizza for us!

Ohiopyle

The following month, we teamed up with staff from Ohiopyle State Park to re-establish the quarter mile approach trail from the Bruner Run parking lot to the climbing area. On a beautiful April day, fifteen volunteers spent six hours scoping the woods and duffing out a trail line. Duffing is the process of scraping away the top layer of organic matter (called “duff”) and loose debris down to mineral soil to carve a clean, sustainable, and easily identifiable trail tread. A big thanks to DCNR staff who arrived to clear out some deadfall for us. There is more work to be done; stay tuned for details on a future work day.

Frank Curto

And last but not least, on a wet weekday evening in late April, seven dedicated volunteers showed up for a cleanup at Frank Curto Park. While the park needed some spring cleaning in general, we were there specifically to prepare the site for a visit from Allegheny Goatscape, a nonprofit that improves community ecology by clearing overgrown land with goats. The SWPACC volunteers worked hard removing decades-old debris amounting to what seemed like a ton of trash – creating a safe zone for the goats on the steep hillside below the belay area. A few days later the friendly herd of goats stopped by to munch on the vegetation. Our vision is to restore this hillside over time with native species. A special thank you to Allegheny Goatscape for their support!

We are so grateful for each of you who have joined us on one of these stewardship days. Thank you for helping us keep these areas in good shape and allowing us to strengthen our relationships with landowners and land managers.