Pittsburgh, Pa. – March 17, 2025 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is seeking grant applications for its Canoe Access Development Fund (CADF), which supports projects to improve canoe and kayak access to Western Pennsylvania’s waterways.

The Conservancy’s CADF provides technical assistance and grants of up to $5,000 for the construction and enhancement of canoe and kayak access locations.

Founded in 2008 and funded by longtime Conservancy members and outdoor enthusiasts Roy Weil and Mary Shaw, CADF provides grants to watershed organizations and other community groups to make the region’s rivers and streams more accessible for outdoor recreation by developing and improving access sites for canoeists, kayakers and anglers. Grant funding could be used to help to stabilize access areas to rivers or streams, add nearby parking areas, purchase riverside land for an access site or other improvements.

The Conservancy has funded 100 canoe access site projects along 40 different waterways in 24 counties in the region. An interactive map on the Conservancy’s website allows users to explore the region’s Conservancy-funded access sites.

Mountain Watershed Association has received two CADF grants. In 2020, MWA built a canoe launch on Indian Creek along Indian Creek Valley Road in Saltlick Township, Fayette County, and in 2024 installed a gravel access path to the launch and improved the parking area. Taylor Robbins, conservation and recreation manager with MWA, says, “Without grant support, the canoe access area would not exist or be in its current accessible state.”

The most recent awardees include:

• Tionesta Lake Army Corps of Engineers for the Nebraska Bridge access on Tionesta Creek in Forest County;
• Rose Point Park Cabins and Camping for the Rose Park at old Route 422 access in Lawrence County;
• Shenango River Watchers for the Budd Street access and improvements to Kidds Mill Bridge access, New Hamburg access and Halfway Road access in Mercer County.

Kelly Horrell, watershed conservation program administrator at the Conservancy, says the fund provides technical assistance for all aspects of project development, including helping a group decide on a site location and assisting with the permit process. “We can assist with a site design to show where a ramp or trail to the stream could be situated, or help determine ideal surface materials,” Kelly notes, adding that the access sites restore and stabilize the streambank, reducing erosion and sedimentation into the streams.

A downloadable application, including a complete list of requirements, is available at WaterLandLife.org/canoe-access-development-fund-cadf/. Applications open March 17 and must be mailed and postmarked by April 25. Grant recipients will be notified by May 23, 2025.

###

About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped establish 11 state parks, conserved more than 290,000 acres of natural lands, protected or restored more than 3,000 miles of rivers and streams, and assessed thousands of wildlife species and their habitats. The Conservancy owns and operates Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List and 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 and thousands of trees that are planted with the help of more than 7,000 volunteers. The work of the Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 10,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org or Fallingwater.org.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Sumoske
Communications Specialist
412-586-2328
jsumoske@paconserve.org