Conservationists and peregrine falcons received wonderful news in September 2021 when Pennsylvania removed the bird from its threatened species list! In 1989, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy staff members observed a pair of falcons hunting around Pittsburgh’s skyscrapers. Before that, it had been 33 years since peregrine falcons had been known to nest in the region. The… Read More

During recent years, visitors to the section of Gallagher Run that flows through the St. Leo Magnus Church yard in Ridgway might have noticed rusting wire baskets precariously holding rocks on a badly eroding streambank. Gallagher Run is a cold water stream that provides clean water to Elk Creek and the Clarion River watershed and… Read More

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is grateful to team up with premium outdoor clothing manufacturer, KÜHL, at the grand opening weekend, September 24-26, 2021, of Dick’s Sporting Goods’ first new outdoor specialty store, Public Lands, located in Cranberry Township, Butler County. Everyone is welcome to attend the Public Lands Vendor Village Friday, Sept. 24 and Saturday,… Read More

After a long and valiant battle with cancer, we are saddened to share that longtime Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Board Member and Fallingwater Advisory Council Member Steve Guinn, Ph.D. passed away September 1, 2021. He was 73. Conservancy staff and fellow board members described Steve as a kind, thoughtful, and caring, a wonderful person who consistently… Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 26, 2021 – The fall months offer prime opportunities for nature lovers to experience a variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, nature exploring, fishing and birding on Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s 41 nature preserves located across the region. An August 31 webinar will provide more information on the preserves as well… Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – August 6, 2021 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and BHE GT&S are now accepting proposals for the 2021 Watershed Mini Grant Program, which provides financial assistance to watershed groups and organizations across the region. The watershed mini grants can be used to support projects in three areas: water quality monitoring, watershed restoration,… Read More

Hundreds of tiny young plain pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium) mussels, each no bigger than a clump of several grains of sand, are spending the summer and fall housed in underwater concrete silos in 13 streams across Western Pennsylvania. The mussels’ survival rate and growth will help researchers assess which streams are candidates for restocking freshwater mussels…. Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – June 23, 2021 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announced today the permanent protection of two forested properties totaling 152 acres in the Pennsylvania Wilds along First Fork Sinnemahoning Creek. The lands were immediately conveyed to the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry to become public state forestland. A… Read More