Seton Hill, Westmoreland Land Trust to host outdoor family event

Seton Hill students from the university’s honors program seminar will host an outdoor family event with the Westmoreland Land Trust from 1 to 3 p.m. April 13.

Attendees can participate in a nature-themed scavenger hunt, lawn games and a children’s craft activity while learning about the importance of protecting the environment. The event is free to attend and will take place at the St. Xavier Nature Preserve, 106 Saint Xavier’s Road in Unity.

The nature preserve was once home to the Sisters of Mercy’s St. Xavier Academy and Convent, which was destroyed by a fire in 1972. The 248-acre property off Route 30 reopened its grounds to the public for the first time in September 2023 as a nature preserve.

The Westmoreland Land Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to conservation of Westmoreland County land, worked with the Sisters of Mercy to acquire the property in August 2022. The trust has protected more than 370 acres of land in seven Westmoreland County communities since its founding in 2007.