For the third time in as many decades, the beautiful and dynamic Allegheny River has been named Pennsylvania’s River of Year by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the PA Organization for Watersheds and Rivers. The accolades, given in 1994, 2017 and 2024, are a testament to the Allegheny’s vitality and importance… Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – December 21, 2023 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announced today the purchase of conservation easements to permanently protect and limit development on two forested properties, totaling 163 acres, within the Ligonier Valley of Westmoreland County. One of the easements is on approximately 33 acres in Cook Township and now a new addition… Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – December 4, 2023 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy announced today the permanent protection of 410 acres of steep forested slopes and riparian forest in Somerset County that safeguards water quality and wildlife habitat along Clear Run Creek, a tributary to Laurel Hill Creek. The Jefferson Township property was immediately conveyed to the… Read More

Dams, undersized culverts and sedimentation are no friends to fish, hellbenders, mussels and other aquatic organisms. When stream-dwelling creatures can’t move upstream freely, “There’s very limited intermingling of genetics in that ecosystem,” says Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Watershed Manager Greg Schaetzle.  “A limited genetic pool lends itself to genetic weaknesses and diseases.” Acid mine drainage, farmland… Read More

To protect the biodiversity of the ecosystems from invasive species on our nature preserves and across the region, says Brian Daggs, invasive plant ecologist with WPC’s Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, the Conservancy takes a multi-pronged approach by participating in: Education and public engagement, especially through the iMapInvasives annual invasive species scavenger hunt each August. “The… Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – Nov. 2, 2023 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and BHE GT&S are now accepting proposals for the 2024 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