Fallingwater is a house designed in 1935 by renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The house was designed as a private residence and weekend home for the Kaufmann family of Pittsburgh and is one of Wright’s most widely acclaimed works and best exemplifies his philosophy of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature. Today, Fallingwater inspires students, scholars and artists during architectural tours, Learning through Architecture school programs, residency programs at the Fallingwater Institute and continuing education opportunities for adults.
EYE Con provides a fun, hands-on STEM opportunity for high school students to experience conservation science while earning college credit. The Institute is led by biologists and educators from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Natural Heritage Program, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Westminster College.
Students work with biologists to design field-based experiments that will answer research questions relevant to natural resource management. EYE Con’s data collection methods are very similar to methods used by conservation professionals. This allows students to learn more about long-term monitoring of natural communities and populations of rare species in Pennsylvania, especially as it relates to climate change.
The Conservancy works closely with teachers and partner organizations to fill specific curriculum needs for their students. Whether we lead a nature walk, attend a club or lead an activity at a summer camp, we love bringing students closer to nature. Here are some examples of our education partnership work.
- Birding Club at the Environmental Charter School: Using Frick Park as his classroom, WPC Conservation Planning Specialist and Ornithologist David Yeany shares his knowledge of birds with students in grades four through eight at the ECS.
- Outdoor Programming in Washington County: WPC staff teaches more than 300 students about water quality and fish populations during Trinity Area School District’s annual outdoor program.
- Student Groups Plant Community Gardens: Each spring and fall, thousands of volunteers help plant and care for the Conservancy’s 132 community gardens. School students are among those volunteers who regularly participate in garden plantings, as well as helping to plant trees along streets and in parks.
- Wonderful World of Water Camp: Since 2012, the Conservancy’s watershed conservation program staff has partnered with PA American Water and the PA Resource Council to provide activities for the annual Wonderful World of Water Camp. WPC staff provides hands-on water quality and macroinvertebrate presentations and activities.
