WPC Seeks Grant Applications for Canoe, Kayak Access Projects

Indiana, Pa. – Oct. 17 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) is now seeking 2017 grant applications for the Canoe Access Development Fund (CADF), which supports projects that will improve canoe and kayak access to the region’s waterways.

WPC’s Canoe Access Development Fund helps to make the region’s rivers and streams more accessible for outdoor recreation by providing grants for developing rustic access sites. Currently, 35 fund-supported projects are completed and open to the public.

“When we started canoeing, access to some of the streams in Western Pennsylvania was problematic,” said Roy Weil, co-founder of the fund. “We established the fund to address that problem by improving some of the primitive walk-in access sites, and WPC has been doing a great job, working with local organizations to create these access points. We hope that making it easier for people to canoe the streams will get them involved in preserving the great natural heritage of the area.”

Proposed new access sites should be located along a stream or river featured in “Canoeing Guide to Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia” (located online at cs.cmu.edu/~shaw/CG.html), a similar guidebook or resource, or be recognized as a paddling waterway in Western Pennsylvania.

Accepted applicants will receive up to $4,000 per site for the construction and enhancement of canoe and kayak access locations. The funds received by participants could be used in multiple ways, including but not limited to stabilizing access areas to rivers or streams, adding nearby parking areas or purchasing riverside access.

“Thanks to this fund, we assisted 35 organizations with more than 45 projects over the past seven years,” said Eli Long, a watershed manager and the fund’s coordinator at the Conservancy. “It’s great to see these groups planning and creating new paddling trips for the public by connecting other funded access sites.”

An online application, including a complete list of requirements, is available at WaterLandLife.org/371/. Applications must be postmarked by Nov. 18 and grant recipients will be notified by Dec. 16.

Questions concerning the Canoe Access Development Fund may be directed to Eli Long at WPC’s Watershed Conservation office at elong@paconserve.org or (724) 471-7202 ext. 5105.

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Photos are available for media use courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:

Canoe access site in Renfrew

Canoe access site in Tunnelview

About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) protects and restores exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped to establish ten state parks, conserved more than a quarter million acres of natural lands and protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams. The Conservancy owns and operates Fallingwater, which symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 130 community gardens and other green spaces that are planted with the help of about 12,000 volunteers. The work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org.

Media contact:

Kristen Blevins
Communications Specialist
412-586-2328
kblevins@paconserve.org