Western Pennsylvania Conservancy protects, conserves and restores land and water for the diversity of the region's plants, animals and their ecosystems.

Through science-based strategies, collaboration, leadership and recognition of the relationship between humankind and nature, WPC achieves tangible conservation outcomes for present and future generations.
                               — Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Mission Statement

Building a Conservation Blueprint
for Pennsylvania

Those of us who live and work in Pennsylvania have been entrusted with a legacy that is as challenging as it is awe-inspiring. It is a gift whose defining features include breathtaking and unparalleled forestland, cascading waterways and a diverse wildlife that counts among its ranks species found nowhere else in the world. As caretakers of this natural estate, it falls upon our shoulders to make the necessary provisions that will ensure our wild lands and wildlife will be enjoyed by future Pennsylvanians.

In order to best serve the natural biological heritage of our region, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has spent the last year identifying those lands and waters in our region that, if protected, will maintain all native plants, animals, habitats and ecosystems, and has designated them as the most important opportunities to protect, conserve and restore. We are calling the document our conservation blueprint. It employs the use of both fine filters (a tool used to identify rare or declining species and habitats) and coarse filters (a broader approach that captures the larger habitats and ecological systems characteristic of an ecoregion).

Click on any priority area on the map below for more details | View a larger version of the map here

Priority Conservation Landscapes The blueprint has initially prioritized the following areas as the most significant regions for WPC’s work. These are: 1. Upper Ohio River Basin • Allegheny River (Upper, Middle and Lower) • French Creek • Shenango River (Beaver River system) 2. Middle Allegheny Forests 3. North Central Forests & West Branch Susquehanna Basin • Tamarack Swamp • Kettle Creek 4. Nittany Valley 5. Juniata River Basin 6. Potomac Tributaries • Sideling Hill Creek • Fifteen Mile Creek • Town Creek 7. Laurel Highlands 8. Great Lakes - Lake Erie • Erie Lake Shoreline • Conneaut Creek

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