Pittsburgh, Pa. – October 10, 2024 – The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has helped advance an important community effort, the “Untold Stories of Pennsylvania’s State Parks & Forests,” to discover, interpret and share the untold and/or lesser-known stories of underrepresented and marginalized peoples associated with lands currently operating as state parks and forests in Western Pennsylvania.

This work was done in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and other partners to provide cultural and historical research and the historical context for two significant landscapes in Western Pennsylvania: Laurel Hill Settlement in Cambria County and the Slippery Creek Watershed in Butler County. Via a new webpage, read more about, watch videos or see photos of the people who lived in these communities and how their livelihoods and stories are integral part of Western Pennsylvania’s heritage and legacy.

Please contact Jeffrey Bergman, senior director of community forestry & TreeVitalize Pittsburgh at the Conservancy at 412-586-2396 or jbergman@paconserve.org, to learn more or if you have questions.

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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.