WPC Staff Favorite Moments of 2022
Last year our staff met inspiring people and worked on rewarding projects throughout the region. We hope you enjoy these personal reflections, described in their own words.
Ann Sand, Land Protection Manager
After working for almost 10 years on this land protection project, I would say my favorite moment was when WPC closed on the Bentley Run Wetlands conservation easement near Union City in Erie County. The project protects 348 acres adjacent to State Game Land #102 and is located within an important natural heritage area that includes a number of rare plant species. This beautiful forested property is open to the public for outdoor recreation. I can’t wait to take my grandson there one day!
Andy Zadnik, Director of Land Stewardship
One of my favorite moments was a day in April when some volunteers, other staff, and I planted a new hemlock insectary at Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area. The purpose of the insectary is to serve as an eventual nursery for predatory beetles that we hope will control hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA). While it’s depressing that HWA is even around, it’s encouraging that we have a potential long-term biological control option. On that day, I felt we were really doing something to address the threat of HWA, and I simply enjoyed spending the time with colleagues and friends.
Shawn Terrell, Field Technician, Community Greening
I really enjoyed installing the new garden at the Laurel Valley Elementary School in New Florence, PA. This pollinator garden serves as a dedication in memory of two students who attended the school. The garden includes hardscaping such as walls, raised beds and walkways, which allows visitors to feel fully-immersed in this garden and take in its beauty. It also includes a variety of native plants, like echinacea and monarda, which provide food for birds and insects in the area. I am hoping to assist with more projects like this.
Jenny Wagner, Fallingwater Visitor Services Manager
I thoroughly enjoyed the 2022 tour season. Fallingwater life was simple, exciting and rewarding with a great Visitor Service team in place. One of my favorite moments was with a young visitor. He was excited to visit Fallingwater and bring his own masterpiece, a model of the house that he designed and constructed. He carried it in so very gingerly and placed it on the counter. He was so very proud and was looking forward to seeing Fallingwater for real to see if his design met all of the specifications. Many of the staff from all different departments came out to see the model and take pictures with him. It made his day and brought big smiles to all.
Rod Cross, Fallingwater Educator
By the time I walked my Family Field Trip group down the boardwalk and along the cutting garden I knew that I was with a special family and was in for an exceptional tour.
The brother and older sister identified the butterflies, and the flowers they were on. They were also earnestly sketching in the pads that we had given them. A nature-loving family.
From the Bridge, onto the east terrace, looking inside and being outside, the observations and questions flowed like a conversation, for all of us. A curious, fun-loving family.
At the View, the two young visitors stood in awe as they looked back at what they had experienced in nature, and in architecture. The parents looked proud of the genuine interest their kids showed, and they should be.
I looked back on an hour…that was way too short.
Charles Bier, Senior Director of Conservation Science
I am impressed with the Conservancy’s forests. Over the last two years I have been involved in helping to review and update the management plans for more than 40 Conservancy-owned natural areas and nature reserves. Special places like Bear Run Nature Reserve, Plain Grove Fens and Wolf Creek Narrows natural areas.
While I have appreciated and enjoyed the forest habitats on our properties for many years, during these recent visits I repeatedly had an epiphany. The issue of climate change has been on our minds nearly every day for the past couple of decades. Carbon sequestration and storage is a critical need that we have in order to solve the climate challenge. Forests can capture about 15% of our annual carbon emission in the U.S. Considering all of that, it turns out that the Conservancy has been working on the climate challenge by protecting forests that capture carbon since we established McConnells Mill State Park in the 1940s.
Come out and enjoy the Conservancy’s properties like I have, and perhaps with a refreshing new perspective.
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