WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONSERVANCY 2018 ANNUAL REPORTThe Western Pennsylvania Conservancy protects and restores exceptional places to provide our region with clean waters and healthy forests, wildlife and natural areas for the benefit of present and future generations. To date, the Conservancy has permanently protected more than 257,000 acres of natural lands. The Conservancy also creates green spaces and gardens, contributing to the vitality of our cities and towns, and preserves Fallingwater, a symbol of people living in harmony with nature. BOARD OF DIRECTORS David E. Barensfeld Franklin Blackstone, Jr.* Barbara Bott E. Michael Boyle William Conrad Geoffrey P. Dunn, M.D. Beverlynn Elliott James C. Finley, Ph. D. Dan B. Frankel Dennis Fredericks Felix G. Fukui Caryle R. Glosser, Ph.D. Stephen Guinn, Ph.D. Carolyn Hendricks M.D. Bala Kumar H. Lewis Lobdell Robert T. McDowell Paul J. Mooney Carolyn Rizza, Ph.D. Jean Robinson* Jennifer Shuey Samuel H. Smith Alexander C. Speyer III K. William Stout Timothy R. Thyreen Megan Turnbull Joshua C. Whetzel III *Emeritus Directors OFFICERS Susan Fitzsimmons Chair Stephen G. Robinson Vice Chair Daniel S. Nydick Treasurer Debra H. Dermody Secretary ON THE COVER: The new 193-acre South Branch French Creek Conservation Area in Union Township, Erie County provides access to outdoor recreation including trout fishing. For information on WPC and membership | 412-288-2777 1-866-564-6972 | info@paconserve.org | WaterLandLife.org PRESIDENT AND CEO Thomas D. Saunders MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Thomas D. Saunders PRESIDENT AND CEO This annual report of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy looks back on some of the work you made possible in 2018. I am pleased to share successful outcomes in our land conservation, watershed restoration, conservation science, gardens and greenspace work, and our preservation and education efforts at Fallingwater. Our projects over the past year all worked toward implementing our mission to protect and restore the most special and ecologically significant places in Western Pennsylvania. In 2018, we conserved 16 properties totaling close to 2,000 acres across the region, including forestland and wetlands in the French Creek watershed north of Pittsburgh, and land for Toms Run Nature Reserve, a natural area near Pittsburgh. Farther east, on important properties near Loyalsock Creek, Elk State Forest and Bald Eagle Mountain, conservation-minded landowners generously donated conservation easements to protect their lands permanently. Our land protection efforts also included launching a new initiative to purchase farms and lease land to farmers to support local organic food production for the Pittsburgh region, ongoing monitoring of more than 200 properties protected by conservation easements, and caring for and managing WPC-owned properties open to the public on nearly 14,000 acres. In partnership with many private landowners and watershed groups, we improved more than 60 stream miles and stabilized almost 40,000 feet of stream bank, resulting in healthier streams and improved habitat. One of our 2018 watershed partners, American Rivers, helped us remove dams on Dunbar Creek to improve water flows and habitat, while reconnecting flow in that tributary to the Youghiogheny River. We shared Fallingwater with visitors from around the world, while also advancing our education programs and preservation work — all while welcoming the leadership of Justin Gunther as our new Fallingwater director and vice president. With massive community and volunteer support we were able to advance our community greening work, with results across the region. Thanks to the Allegheny Regional Asset District, we opened a new ADA-accessible garden, the first of its kind for the Conservancy and in Pittsburgh. We also worked with many local partners on a new stormwater capture project in Pittsburgh’s Hill District community. This new bioswale includes thousands of perennials, shrubs and trees planted with the help of our volunteers, and reduces stormwater overflows and flooding in the area. Many of our greening projects provided schoolchildren the opportunity to work with plants and nature in their outdoor learning and play environments. And planting efforts in Pittsburgh and around the region resulted in more than 3,800 new trees along streets, parks and trails, and more than 2,500 trees and shrubs along our rivers and streams. Since 1932, the Conservancy has been dedicated to improving our region on so many fronts and in so many different ways. The staff and board of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy are grateful and humbled by the high level of support entrusted to us by our members, partners, funders and volunteers. We are able to do this array of programs, projects and initiatives because of all of you. We greatly appreciate your commitment and support in helping to shape the future of our region. 2 Western Pennsylvania Conservancy2018 BY THE NUMBERS 3 2018 Annual ReportLAND CONSERVATION This property in Lower Turkeyfoot Township protects scenic views and wildlife habitats along the Great Allegheny Passage and Casselman River in Somerset County. 4 Western Pennsylvania ConservancyAdditional conservation-minded landowners, Dennis and Joan Thomson, donated a conservation easement covering 377 acres of their farm and forest in Centre County. The property, high on the slopes of Bald Eagle Mountain, includes one of the largest areas of remaining untouched forest in Halfmoon Township. The easement also protects Warriors Mark Run, a tributary to Spruce Creek that originates on the property and supports a population of native brook trout. NEWLY PROTECTED LAND OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL-SCALE FARMERS We progressed with our Farmland Access Initiative in 2018, by acquiring a property on which we will establish two farms on 47 acres of farmland near Grove City in Mercer County. With this acquisition, we plan to replicate the success of the Plain Grove Fens Natural Area in Lawrence County, where the Conservancy currently leases 57 of its almost 400 acres to Fallen Aspen Farm, which raises produce and livestock for Pittsburgh-area restaurants. Proposals are being considered from area growers who are interested in leasing the Mercer County farms to be part of Pittsburgh’s burgeoning farm-to-table market. The Conservancy’s land conservation efforts continued to advance in 2018, protecting 1,948 additional acres, bringing the total WPC-conserved land in Western Pennsylvania to more than 257,000 acres. Thanks to the generosity of our landowners and donors, we were able to continue to build on efforts in areas where we have been protecting land for decades, as well as support new, important projects for the region. INCREASING LAND IN CONSERVATION TARGET AREAS Our ongoing work to preserve French Creek, the most biologically diverse stream of its size in the northeastern United States, continues. In October, the Conservancy announced the opening of the South Branch French Creek Conservation Area in Erie County, which protects 193 acres that span 1.5 miles of frontage along the creek’s south branch. As the first property acquisition along the South Branch of French Creek for WPC, it provides a forested, riparian buffer for the creek, which will help regulate water temperatures and improve aquatic habitat and water quality. To date, the Conservancy has protected more than 5,000 acres within the 1,250-square-mile French Creek watershed. The Conservancy expanded the Casselman River Conservation Area in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County, by purchasing 35 acres of forested frontage across from the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. The conservation area now totals 640 acres of scenic views, rare plant species and wildlife along the GAP Trail. EXPANSION OF TOMS RUN NATURE RESERVE CONTINUES This Conservancy-owned reserve, located just 10 miles from downtown Pittsburgh, expanded by more than 50 acres in 2018, as WPC protected land that was formerly part of Dixmont State Hospital, which closed in 1984. Land surrounding Toms Run, a tributary of the Ohio River, has been protected by the Conservancy since 1977. In recent years, the reserve has become increasingly popular for outdoor exploration and learning among local residents and school groups. This latest acquisition – a large forested slope above Toms Run – continues our efforts to help restore the forest and streams on the reserve. Work also began in 2018 to create a 2.5-mile trail loop, which will contain an ADA-accessible path, along with expanded parking. The new trail and parking area will open by next year. CONSERVATION EASEMENT DONATIONS EXTEND WPC’S REACH The Conservancy and Western Pennsylvania benefited from the donation of three conservation easements from generous landowners in 2018. A 110-acre property in Shippen Township is the Conservancy’s first easement in Cameron County. The mostly forested property includes part of the West Creek Recreational Trail, as well as high-quality cold water fishing creeks. Joseph Wolfgang, who donated the property with his wife Miranda, said he sees this “as my way of improving the health of local residents and nature.” A landowner who describes her family’s land as “a little slice of heaven” donated two easements in 2018 and early 2019 on 62 acres of adjoining properties along Loyalsock Creek in Sullivan County. The Yasui family properties are mostly forested; the creek that borders the land was named Pennsylvania’s 2018 River of the Year by the PA Department of Conservation and National Resources. Toms Run Nature Reserve in Allegheny County is 10 miles from downtown Pittsburgh and open to the public for hiking, nature watching, hunting and birding. This land protected through a donated conservation easement in Sullivan County safeguards Loyalsock Creek. 5 2018 Annual ReportWe welcome nature lovers of all ages to reconnect by fishing, hiking, wildlife watching and exploring on Conservancy-owned properties all year long. Our four land stewardship staff members are dedicated to making the more than 40 Conservancy-owned properties, almost 14,000 acres in total, enjoyable, accessible and open to the public for nature experiences. Our land stewardship team’s core responsibilities also include monitoring more than 200 properties, which total about 37,000 acres, protected by conservation easements. The Conservancy greatly appreciates our many stewardship volunteers, most of whom are also WPC members, without whom we could not maintain and care for the land we protect and own. NEW TRAIL CONSTRUCTION Named in honor of a former WPC president, the Joshua C. Whetzel, Jr. Memorial Recreation Area Trail was largely completed in 2018 but fully opened and dedicated in May 2019. As president, Josh Whetzel was responsible for many successful conservation projects in the 1970s, including protecting the first segment of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. Whetzel recognized the value of protecting a former railroad corridor as green space for hiking and biking, which led to the preservation of 25 miles along the Youghiogheny River near Ohiopyle that ultimately became the first segment of the GAP. This new 0.6-mile hiking trail is part of the 640-acre Casselman River Conservation Area and leads to a scenic overlook providing a view down to the Borough of Confluence, the Youghiogheny River and Laurel Ridge. The trail provides a nice side trip for users of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. NEW HEMLOCK INSECTARY PLANTED In a proactive effort to combat the invasive and deadly threat of hemlock woolly adelgid insects, we planted a small grove of hemlock trees in 2018 at our Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area. If/when hemlock woolly adelgid appears at the preserve, the growing hedge of hemlock trees could be used as an insect nursery for raising predatory beetles. “We hope this insectary will never have to be used,” said Andy Zadnik, director of land stewardship for the Conservancy. “But we are trying to be proactive in light of this threat, and we would prefer biological rather than chemical control methods.” Similar efforts are also underway at Bear Run Nature Reserve, where the adelgid is present. HABITAT RESTORATION CONTINUES The eastern massasauga rattlesnake remains listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a federally threatened species. Our work to continue restoring habitat for this small, stout rattlesnake occurred on approximately 20 acres at Tippery Meadows Natural Area in Venango County in 2018, thanks to funding assistance from the PA Game Commission. WPC staff and volunteers also planted trees and shrubs on 1.3 acres of riparian and upland areas at Plain Grove Fens in Lawrence County and on two acres at Conneaut Marsh Natural Area in Crawford County. LAND STEWARDSHIP Land stewardship volunteers (from left to right) Paul Miller, Michael Couch, Marty Joyce and Armando Sinicropi helped build a trail bridge at Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area in Butler County. 6 Western Pennsylvania ConservancyIn 2018, the Conservancy’s conservation scientists worked in field and stream, documenting and assessing the locations of native, rare and endangered plants and animals and developing strategies to improve and protect their habitats. Through our partnership with the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program, whose partners include the Conservancy, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Game Commission and PA Fish and Boat Commission, our scientists collected data to update information and verify the statuses of 839 rare species and more than 100 plant species. Scientists also completed more than 470 field surveys, including 25 for freshwater mussels. Nestling in the bottom of rivers, lakes and streams, mussel species dissipate silt and polluting particles, helping to purify local waters. Conservancy scientists are working to reverse declining mussel populations. WORK CONTINUES IN AND AROUND INDIAN CAVERNS Until its closure in 2016, Indian Caverns, located in Spruce Creek off Rt. 45 in Huntingdon County, was a popular family destination. Western Pennsylvanians will remember the red and black road signs that lined area highways for more than 80 years. The family-run business shut its doors in 2016. In 2017, the Conservancy protected Indian Caverns and its surrounding 13 acres, with two primary goals in mind: returning the cave to its original inhabitants, native bats, and providing public access to Spruce Creek. Bat species including the Indiana and tri-colored bats have been decimated by white-nose syndrome in recent years, and scientists have found that the dark, cool, humid climate of limestone caves, like Indian Caverns, is ideal bat habitat. We continue working with our partners, the PA Game Commission and PA Fish and Boat Commission, to improve cave access, airflow and climate consistency for hibernating bats. While the work is not yet complete, Conservancy scientists report that an increasing number of bats are already using the cave for hibernation. As work continues inside the cave, scientists from the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program completed an assessment and inventory of the caverns’ exterior biodiversity. Limestone caves offer a congenial environment for both plants and bats: 16 rare plant species and 25 limestone plants were documented. Nineteen invasive species were also noted, and recommendations were made concerning both invasive plant and deer management. Protection of Indian Caverns and the surrounding environment also means more public access to Spruce Creek, a celebrated wild brown trout fishery and tributary to the Little Juniata River, which currently has little public access along the length of the creek. STUDENTS STAY UP LATE FOR A NOCTURNAL MOTH LESSON Last summer, Pete Woods reminded a group of young people that moths are cool and very important. During the night hike in the Laurel Highlands, Pete, who is an inventory ecologist with the Conservancy’s natural heritage program, explained that moths play a vital role in our ecosystem, affecting many other types of wildlife as pollinators and food sources for birds and bats. As part of the young naturalists program through the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, stu- dents learned that although nocturnal moths have evolved to rely on celestial light sources for nighttime navigation, scientists are still studying moths’ attraction to bright, artificial light. Pete assisted students with setting up non-kill traps using buckets, funnels and lights to catch moths for the morning’s study session. Students caught many different kinds of moth species of various sizes and colorings, including sphinx and rosy maple moth species. Students were ecstatic. “I’ve been wild about moths forever, and I finally got to meet someone who didn’t just share my fascination, but who had become an expert and made a career out of his passion,” said one student about the experience. CONSERVATION SCIENCE Pete Woods, inventory ecologist with WPC’s natural heritage program, explains the importance of nocturnal moths to young naturalists. 7 2018 Annual ReportWATERSHED CONSERVATION Conservancy staff members conducted freshwater mussel surveys in the Upper Allegheny River in Warren County. 8 Western Pennsylvania Conservancynegative impacts to aquatic habitats and breeding success for species. Eliminating or replacing barriers improves stream and river health, and species habitat connectivity. During 2018, four dams within State Game Land 51, where much of the stream basin resides, were removed and an abandoned water utility line that created a passage barrier just above the town of Dunbar was disassembled and removed. As a result, more than 51 miles of Dunbar Creek and its tributaries are now reconnected with the Youghiogheny River, creating an entirely free-flowing stream system for the first time in more than 100 years. Along with the dam removals, other instream habitat work was completed to fully reconnect the stream with its historic floodplains. While much of the work is completed, one final dam structure remains in the floodplain but is scheduled to be removed by the end of 2019. Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy is the director of river restoration for American Rivers’ Western Pennsylvania field office and says that the Conservancy’s work is part of a larger movement across the county. “We appreciate WPC’s work day in and out as part of the movement to free our rivers and restore the fisheries, habitat and communities that love flowing rivers,” she said. SUCCESSFULLY ADVANCING ACCESS TO RIVERS AND STREAMS FOR PADDLERS For the ninth consecutive year, the Conservancy’s Canoe Access Development Fund supported projects to improve canoe and kayak access to the region’s waterways. Funded by WPC donors and outdoor enthusiasts Roy Weil and Mary Shaw, it provides grants to qualified watershed organizations for the construction and enhancement of access locations, which can include stabilizing access areas to rivers or streams, adding nearby parking areas or purchasing riverside access. For Annie Quinn, the executive director of the Jacobs Creek Watershed Association in Scottdale, Pa., CADF project funding is a win-win for her organization. “The fund has been instrumental in our organization’s shift from a project-based institution to an association that supports recreation enthusiasts. The two access ramps that we recently built using CADF funds have allowed us to introduce Jacobs Creek to hundreds of individuals,” she noted. In 2018, nine access sites on local streams, including the Connoquenessing Creek, Jacobs Creek, West Branch Susquehanna and Sewickley Creek, were funded. We installed six of the nine sites by the end of the year due to record rainfall that limited construction activities. Restoring and improving our region’s watersheds starts within the headwaters of the region’s rivers and streams. But the small life-sustaining tributaries and creeks that make up these headwaters face regular environmental challenges, sometimes resulting in poor water quality, degraded streambanks, pollution and loss of aquatic life. The Conservancy’s watershed conservation team’s primary focus is to address these and other challenges facing the region’s waterways. With the help of private landowners and partnerships with other conservation groups, we continued to concentrate our resources in 2018 to strategically identify projects that seek to increase vegetation on streambanks though tree and live-stem plantings, reconnect streams by removing obstructions and improve aquatic habitats with large in-stream projects. In 2018, we protected or improved 64 streams miles and planted 2,650 riparian trees and shrubs along local waterways. Despite extremely rainy weather conditions and high water levels that prevented some aquatic studies to occur, our team still successfully surveyed four streams for hellbender salamanders and assessed five aquatic mussel sites. DAM REMOVAL CRITICAL TO STREAM HEALTH AND SPECIES PASSAGE Dunbar Creek is one of the high-quality waterways of the Laurel Highlands known for its fly fishing and remote beauty. A tributary to the Youghiogheny River, this creek drains 37 square miles of rugged forested mountainside in Fayette County, is home to wild brook trout and hosts a rich diversity of aquatic life and wetland habitat. Dams, unfortunately, were also part of the creek’s legacy. But that recently changed, thanks to our watershed team’s four-year partnership effort with American Rivers to assess and remove any remaining obstructions and structures from Dunbar Creek. Manmade structures such as dams impede the movement of free-flowing water in streams, which contributes to poor water quality and After the dams were removed, 51 miles of the Dunbar Creek were reconnected, restoring the creek to a free-flowing ecosystem with improved spawning habitat for fish. WPC and project partner American Rivers removed four dams from along the creek within SGL 51. Dams and barriers blocked fish migration, degraded water quality and altered habitat in Dunbar Creek in Fayette County for decades. BEFORE DURING AFTER 9 2018 Annual ReportNext >