April 10, 2024 – Pittsburgh, PA – April is an exciting month: It’s Earth Month, the redbud trees and wildflowers are blooming, we’re planting trees in communities and readying our preserves for warm-weather visitors, and much more. At WPC, we celebrate Earth Day 365 days a year! Read on to... Read More
Pittsburgh, Pa. – March 19, 2024 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is seeking grant applications for its Canoe Access Development Fund (CADF), which supports projects that will improve canoe and kayak access to Western Pennsylvania’s waterways. The Conservancy’s CADF provides technical assistance and grants of up to $5,000 for the... Read More
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... Read More
Invasive species are a major threat to Pennsylvania’s native plants and animals. Introduced to an area outside their native range, invasive species compete with native species for space and resources. They can alter habitats, impact the economy and introduce disease. Amy Jewitt, WPC’s iMapInvasives program coordinator with the Pennsylvania Natural... 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... 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... Read More
Pittsburgh, Pa. – October 16, 2023 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is seeking grant applications for its Canoe Access Development Fund (CADF), which supports projects that will improve canoe and kayak access to Western Pennsylvania’s waterways. The Conservancy’s CADF provides technical assistance and grants of up to $5,000 for the... Read More
Public meetings will be held May 17, 18 and 23 Hollidaysburg, Pa. – April 27, 2023 – Residents of the Juniata Watershed are invited to provide input and suggestions via public meetings and a community survey to help inform the Juniata Watershed Management Plan, a project of the Western... Read More
Pittsburgh, Pa. – September 9, 2022 – Trees do so much more than provide shelter from the elements and homes for wildlife. Their beauty calms us and can even increase a home’s property value. They reduce noise, heat, glare and stormwater runoff. These workhorses of the environment filter pollutants and... Read More
Pittsburgh, Pa. – July 28, 2022 – As if on cue, storm clouds gathered and the skies opened as government and nonprofit leaders gathered today in Larimer to celebrate the installation of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s rain garden system in a community flower garden. The rain garden, which was installed... Read More