Janet Thomas is passionate about gardening and loves the rush of watching plants grow and bloom. A former manager of a community garden in upstate New York, Janet moved to Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 2015. Sadly, her new home didn’t have adequate outdoor lighting or soil, making gardening nearly impossible. That’s when she noticed the… Read More

Pittsburgh – June 12, 2018 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announced today the protection of two properties totaling 205 acres in Dunbar Township, Fayette County that conserve forested ridges and headwater streams and expand both State Game Lands 51 and Ohiopyle State Park. A 72-acre forested property with extensive stream frontage on Bruner Run, a… Read More

John Tautin knows a thing or two about wildlife species and their habitats in Crawford County. A former wildlife biologist and lifelong resident of the area, he made a career out of studying and observing animals, their behaviors and associated ecosystems. “I am still fascinated by wild plants and animals and the ongoing ways we… Read More

MEDIA ADVISORY – EVENT PHOTO, VIDEO AND INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES Students Initiate Changes and Funding to Protect Local Stream and Save Their Outdoor Playground WHO: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, EQT Foundation and Joe Walker Elementary School in the McGuffey School District WHAT: Students in Laurie Maglietta’s fifth-grade class noticed a problem: The school’s recreation areas, including a… Read More

Pittsburgh – May 1, 2018 – Government, nonprofit and faith leaders gathered today in Shadyside to open the City of Pittsburgh’s first ADA-accessible community flower garden. This new Western Pennsylvania Conservancy-owned community flower garden, located at the First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh, will provide and expand gardening opportunities for people with disabilities or other… Read More

Pittsburgh – April 26 – TreeVitalize Pittsburgh accepted the 2018 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in Allegheny County yesterday during the Pennsylvania Environmental Council’s annual dinner and awards ceremony. TreeVitalize Pittsburgh was one of 23 initiatives honored for their dedication to public health and safety, environmental, economic and recreation benefits across the commonwealth. “It’s an… Read More

Lynda Waggoner first visited Fallingwater as a teenager in 1965 when interviewing to become a tour guide. “I arrived here to be a guide – an anxious teenager fearful of speaking in public,” recalled Waggoner of her feelings as a 17-year-old. Little did she know that this encounter was only the beginning of a long… Read More

TAKE ACTION TO STOP TAX SHELTER ABUSES The land conservation work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, along with many land trusts, is made possible by the generosity of conservation-minded individuals, including our members and donors of conservation easements. Recently, bad actors in other parts of the country have been exploiting the rules and abusing conservation… Read More