Member
Steve Parks and Angela Ludwig
“Our land is a gift, as are its natural resources,” says longtime WPC member Steve Parks. “It must be protected and nurtured, so naturally, the Conservancy’s goals align with my own.”
While growing up in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, Steve was surrounded by wooded hills bisected by the Juniata River. He spent his time hiking, fishing, climbing anything vertical and building makeshift cabins and treehouses. This exploration left him confident that nothing is better than all nature has to offer — forests, fields, streams and animals.
After studying landscape architecture at Penn State University, Steve began his career as a landscape architect/park planner with the National Park Service and in 1974 opened his own practice in Hollidaysburg. After a trip to Fallingwater, he became a Western Pennsylvania Conservancy member and has since become an ardent supporter.
Steve’s wife, Angela Ludwig, shares Steve’s passion for the environment. Growing up in a village on Lake Constance on the Swiss border, Angela was accustomed to spectacular landscapes. “I’ve learned that the land ethic in Germany is respectful and protective of all natural resources,” Steve says. “I was impressed by her insight into the natural environment and how important it is to people.”
Steve retired in 2025. He actively advocates for the environment, writing elected officials to share the importance of protecting our natural resources. He still explores the landscape, including by flying over Pennsylvania’s ridges and valleys (he has his pilot’s license). “You can clearly appreciate the topography, forests, streams and cultivated valleys. In any season there is beauty and wonder.”
Steve believes that educational outreach, particularly in public schools, sparks passionate interest and involvement and “should bring long-term benefits to our efforts to protect our natural resources.”
He includes the Conservancy in his estate plans as an expression of his life’s dedication to Western Pennsylvania ‘s landscapes, and as an intentional way for future generations to experience and care about nature.
The following lists some of the ways you can volunteer at the Conservancy. We welcome volunteers to help in our community flower gardens, plant trees or maintain our preserves and trails, among other tasks. View a list of our current or upcoming volunteer opportunities and register for one today.