StepKeepers
Pittsburgh has around 800 sets of public city steps, some of which suffer from illegal dumping and invasive species overgrowth. Many of these staircases are critical pieces of infrastructure for pedestrians, but these obstacles can make the stairways more difficult and less appealing to use. Our StepKeeper program works to rehabilitate particular steps by conducting initial cleanups, removing invasive species and replanting natives, and repainting railings. ACW and Landforce work in conjunction to identify staircases and improve them.
Thanks to generous funding from the Garden Club of Allegheny County and the Clean Pittsburgh Commission, we have been able to provide initial cleanup support to 10 staircases.
Now we need you!
If you are interested in being a StepKeeper, please see the list of adoptable stairs on the next page. We are looking for volunteers who would be able to visit their staircase at least once per month to trim back overgrowth, remove trash accumulation, and report any serious problems. All equipment will be provided. Please fill out this form and indicate which set(s) of stairs you would be interested in stewarding. If you select multiple, we will only match you with one.
We know that there are many other sets of Pittsburgh steps that could also benefit from this program, and we are working to continue expanding. Stay tuned for updates by filling out this interest form! If you have any questions about the program or sets of stairways you believe would be good candidates for a stewardship program, please email [email protected].
In the meantime, you can sign up as a steward in our Gratekeepers program, or volunteer on one of our scheduled cleanups.