The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, signed into law November 15 by President Joe Biden, will not only help fix Pennsylvania’s crumbling roads and bridges but address cleaning up the state’s abandoned coal mine legacy. The legislation includes extending federal funding through the Abandoned Mine Land Reclamation Program, which helps fund projects to address abandoned… Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – October 25, 2021 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is seeking grant applicants for its Canoe Access Development Fund, which supports projects that will improve canoe and kayak access to the region’s waterways. Founded in 2008 by WPC donors and outdoor enthusiasts Roy Weil and Mary Shaw, WPC’s Canoe Access Development Fund provides… Read More

The board and staff of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy are saddened by the unfortunate news that longtime Conservancy board member James C. Finley, Ph.D. was tragically killed on Saturday, Oct. 2 while cutting down a tree on his property in Ridgway, Pa. He was 72. Jim had recently retired from Penn State University as a… Read More

Pittsburgh, Pa. – October 1, 2021 – More wildlife habitat and scenic views in the Laurel Highlands along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail will remain forever intact thanks to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s permanent protection of 50 acres in Black Township, Somerset County. The steep northern hardwood forested slopes contain a number of springs,… Read More

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