THE CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AS SEEN FROM A BLUFF IN HAYS WOODS PARK IN FEBRUARY 2025 | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

Are you curious about Pittsburgh’s newest park — Hays Woods?

Season 2 of the “For the Love of Parks” podcast begins with a two-episode look at this 626-acre park south of the Monongahela River that was just transferred to the city for development in 2023.

Produced by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the podcast this fall debuts new episodes through Dec. 10.

The podcast’s first season premiered in 2021 and offered 12 episodes exploring the history of the nonprofit conservancy, which was established in 1996, and information about a variety of the city’s parks, ranging from George Westinghouse in Point Breeze North, the August Wilson Park in the Hill District and Arsenal Park in Lawrenceville as well as some of the largest ones like Schenley, Riverview, Frick and Highland parks.

Natalie Bencivenga, an independent journalist and entrepreneur, moderates the current season and discusses the newest park with Jared Belsky, ecological restoration coordinator who has been leading public tours at Hays Woods since earlier this year, and Kate St. John, a birder, daily blogger and one of the original members of the Friends of Hays Woods advocacy group.

It has a fascinating history, including an elaborate plan in the early 2000s to turn the land into Pittsburgh Palisades Park, a thoroughbred racetrack and casino, retail town center and residential development. That plan never moved forward. Decades ago, the land also was used for coal mining and heavy industry.

JARED BELSKY, ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION COORDINATOR, LEADS A TOUR OF HAYS WOODS IN FEBRUARY 2025 | PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LINN

Since the city’s acquisition, conservancy staff and volunteers have been cleaning up dumping sites and other debris in the park. The urban forest includes 9 miles of legacy roads and trails left behind by earlier uses. It’s home to what are considered two species of “special concern”: nesting bald eagles and red-fruited hawthorn trees, and it’s also the site of one of three Bird Lab bird-banding sites in the region.

Other podcast episodes this season will look at the care of the parks’ gardens and efforts underway to make the parks more accessible for all.

Episodes are available for free on the Parks conservancy website and major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and others.