Author Archives for Jennifer Kissel

Volunteers at Mt. Oliver garden planting

WPC, Community Partners Plant Flowers and Open a New Community Flower Garden in Mount Oliver

December 3, 2024 12:54 pm Published by Comments Off on WPC, Community Partners Plant Flowers and Open a New Community Flower Garden in Mount Oliver

Pittsburgh, Pa. – December 3, 2024 – Officials from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Hilltop Economic Development Corporation, Mount Oliver Borough and Pennsylvania American Water recently transformed a vacant lot into a new Conservancy-owned community flower garden. Members of the community-based Hilltop Economic Development Corporation contacted The Conservancy last year asking... Read More


Volunteers and WPC staff stand near a newly planted rain garden in Kittanning near the YMCA.

WPC Installs Rain Gardens in Kittanning with Grant from American Water Charitable Foundation

December 3, 2024 12:20 pm Published by Comments Off on WPC Installs Rain Gardens in Kittanning with Grant from American Water Charitable Foundation

Pittsburgh, Pa. – December 3, 2024 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, along with its partners, the Armstrong County Board of Commissioners, Kittanning Borough, the Downtown Kittanning Revitalization Committee (DKRC) and Armstrong Trails, recently designed and implemented two rain gardens along the Armstrong Trail in Kittanning, Pa. The gardens were made... Read More


WPC Seeks Fall Grant Applications for Canoe, Kayak Access Projects

October 15, 2024 8:37 am Published by Comments Off on WPC Seeks Fall Grant Applications for Canoe, Kayak Access Projects

Pittsburgh, Pa. – October 15, 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


WPC Welcomes Community Feedback on a Plan for Improving the Juniata Watershed

October 1, 2024 2:40 pm Published by Comments Off on WPC Welcomes Community Feedback on a Plan for Improving the Juniata Watershed

Hollidaysburg, Pa. – October 1, 2024 – Residents of the Juniata Watershed are invited to review and provide feedback on “Juniata Forward: Building on 25 years of Conservation,” a conservation plan for the Juniata River watershed. The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and multiple partners have released the draft of the plan... Read More


WPC Welcomes Community Feedback on Future Use and Improvements to the French Creek Watershed

October 1, 2024 2:26 pm Published by Comments Off on WPC Welcomes Community Feedback on Future Use and Improvements to the French Creek Watershed

Franklin, Pa. – October 1, 2024 – Residents of the French Creek watershed are invited to review and provide feedback on the French Creek Watershed Conservation Plan through October 31. The plan is a project of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in partnership with the French Creek Valley Conservancy and other... Read More


Volunteers remove invasive Japanese stiltgrass on the Fallingwater grounds.

Keep a Messy Winter Garden for Stem Nesters

September 10, 2024 4:44 pm Published by Comments Off on Keep a Messy Winter Garden for Stem Nesters

When we consider the ways insects benefit from plants, we often imagine pollen-coated bees drowsily buzzing on echinacea and butterflies flitting from milkweed to Joe-pye-weed, seeking nutritious nectar under the warm summer sun. However, pollinating insects benefit from plants during winter too. “Most butterflies and moths overwinter as a caterpillar... Read More


Observe Earth Month with WPC! Volunteer, Get Outdoors and Much More

April 10, 2024 3:11 pm Published by Comments Off on Observe Earth Month with WPC! Volunteer, Get Outdoors and Much More

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


WPC Seeks Spring Canoe Access Grant Applications

March 19, 2024 12:59 pm Published by Comments Off on WPC Seeks Spring Canoe Access Grant Applications

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


We’re Happy to Support the Allegheny River: 2024 River of The Year!

January 30, 2024 4:37 pm Published by Comments Off on We’re Happy to Support the Allegheny River: 2024 River of The Year!

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


Volunteers remove invasive Japanese stiltgrass on the Fallingwater grounds.

You Can Help Control Invasive Species

December 6, 2023 2:35 am Published by Comments Off on You Can Help Control Invasive Species

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