SIGNIFICANT WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONSERVANCY PROJECTS 1932-2005
1932 Birth of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy under its former name--Greater Pittsburgh Parks Association. First large project: landscaping of park along Pittsburgh's Bigelow Boulevard.
1945-52 1979 Acquisition of McConnells Mill and Slippery Rock gorge property in Lawrence County for creation of McConnells Mill State Park. In 1974, the park was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark.
1951 Ferncliff Peninsula at Ohiopyle in Fayette County acquired through gift from Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Trust. In 1974, Ferncliff was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark.
1952, 1962, 1969 310-acre natural area acquired in Butler County for Jennings Nature Reserve (now known as Jennings Environmental Education Center and owned by Bureau of State Parks). Named for the famous botanist, Dr. Otto Emery Jennings, the reserve includes a relict prairie where the blazing star (Liatris spicata) blooms each August.
1955 Heiner Memorial acquired, a wildflower-covered slope along Bear Creek in Butler County.
1959-64 3,000 acres acquired along Muddy Creek in Butler County as the nucleus for Moraine State Park.
1960-65 Buchanan Run acquired: 104-acres of hemlock-hardwood forest in scenic, steep-walled ravine, Lawrence County.
1961-63 300-acre Wildflower Reserve in Raccoon Creek valley, Beaver County, acquired. Considered by many as the finest stand of native wildflowers in southwestern Pennsylvania. Now owned and operated by Bureau of State Parks.
1961-68 Nearly 10,000 acres assembled along the Youghiogheny River in Fayette County for the creation of 0hiopyle State Park~ultimately to become the largest state park in Pennsylvania.
1963-81 Kaufmann Conservation on Bear Run, Fayette County, entrusted to the Conservancy by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. Includes Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and 3,600-acre Bear Run Nature Reserve.
1964 Old Stone House, Butler County, acquired and restored. This popular 19th Century inn is now owned by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
1964 Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater opens for public tours. Nearly one million visitors from around the world have since toured the famous house on the waterfall.
1966 Conservancy coordinates restoration of Johnston Tavern (Mercer County)~a boarding house and a stop on the underground railroad during the Civil War. Now owned by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.
1966-69 897 acres in Venango County acquired and transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for creation of Oil Creek State Park.
1966-68 11,230 acres assembled along Laurel Ridge, from the Youghiogheny River to the Conemaugh River, and conveyed to the Commonwealth as a substantial part of Laurel Ridge State Park and the 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail.
1966-73 1,200-acre Schollard's Run Wetlands acquired in Mercer County and sold to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
1967-69 1,900 acres of land along the Conemaugh Gorge in Indiana and Westmoreland Counties purchased and sold to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
1969 Wattsburg Bog (Erie County) acquired; site of a unique stand of rare, wild orchids.
1970 Small fen measuring less than one acre is purchased in Lawrence County to protect a stand of the beautiful wildflower, fringed gentian.
1970-81 Over 9,182 acres of shoreline and islands acquired in the Allegheny River corridor from Warren County to Allegheny County. Most of this land has been transferred to the Allegheny National Forest. Among the 16 islands acquired were Nine and Fourteen Mile Islands, donated by McDonough Corporation of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and Nicholson Island, donated by Dravo Corporation of Pittsburgh.
1971-74 Conservancy assembles 9,500 acres of wild mountain land along the west slope of Laurel Hill in Westmoreland and Somerset Counties. Known as the "Mountain Streams" Project, this wild area has three sparkling-clear streams and includes the 3,000-acre Roaring Run Natural Area.
1972 Aided by a grant from Thomas Hay Walker of Sewickley, Pennsylvania, the Conservancy assists Bureau of State Parks in restoration of Frankfort Mineral Springs, a 19th Century health spa adjoining Raccoon Creek State Park, Beaver County.
1973 Laurel Hill Furnace, Westmoreland County, donated to the Conservancy by the
Reidenouer family. This historic structure is one of the best-preserved old iron blast furnaces in the state.
1974 16-acre tract in Allegheny County donated to the Conservancy by the Henrici heirs. The land and home have been transferred to Allegheny County.
1974 148-acre natural area near Zelienople transferred at cost to Butler County.
1974-81 395-acre Pine Swamp acquired in Mercer County. It is actually an unusual raised bog more commonly found in Maine, eastern Canada, and Alaska.
1974-81 935 acres acquired in Conneaut Marsh (State Game Land 213), Crawford County, and sold to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. One of the most significant wetlands in Pennsylvania, Conneaut Marsh has two of the state's four known nesting American bald eagles.
1975 280 acres of key lands added along the upper reaches of the Youghiogheny River and adjacent to Ohiopyle State Park in Somerset and Fayette Counties.
1975 88 acres acquired in Potter County~an important tract within Susquehannock State Forest near the Hammersley Fork Wild Area. The land has been conveyed to the Bureau of State Forests.
1975 32-acre Miller Esker acquired, a glacial formation in Butler County near Moraine State Park.
1975 A key 5-acre indenture purchased for the Pennsylvania Game Commission's Middlecreek Waterfowl Management Area in Lancaster County.
1976 The Chessie System donates to the Conservancy the abandoned 22-mile Indian Creek Valley Railway running from Kregar in Westmoreland County to the Youghiogheny River in Fayette County.
1976 Tryon-Weber Woods, an 84-acre tract of mature American beech-sugar maple woods acquired in Crawford County~considered to be one of the finest of its kind in northwestern Pennsylvania.
1976-79 Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve established in Fox Chapel, Allegheny County, through a donation of 90 acres from Mrs. John F. Walton, Jr., and Mr. and Mrs. Joshua C. Whetzel, Jr. The largest private nature reserve in Allegheny County, Beechwood Farms is operated by the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. Evans Nature Center, focal point of the reserve, was made possible through a grant from Mrs. John Berdan and the Thomas Raymond Evans Foundation of Pittsburgh.
1977 1,275 acres acquired in Fulton County as addition to State Game Land 53.
1977 190 acres purchased in the upper Pine Creek gorge in Tioga County and conveyed to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry.
1978 98 acres in Fulton County donated to the Conservancy by golfer Arnold Palmer and Latrobe contractor John M. Ridilla, for addition to State Game Land 53.
1978 Large art bequest willed to the Conservancy by Dorothy Kantner of Somerset, Pennsylvania, granddaughter of the well-known 19th Century Pittsburgh artist, George Hetzel. The bequest included many paintings by Mr. Hetzel and his daughter, Lila, the Hetzel home/studio, and 150 acres of land.
1978 500 acres in Bedford County acquired from Judge Richard C. Snyder and Hubert L. Snyder for addition to State Game Land 97. In recognition of the conservation programs carried out on the land by the Snyder family, the tract has been designated the "Snyder Wildlife and Conservation Area."
1978 224-acre private inholding acquired within Michaux State Forest, Cumberland County. Once threatened by second home development, the land is now part of the state forest.
1979 Conservancy transfers deed to Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 17 miles of abandoned railroad right-of-way from Confluence to Bruner Run in the Youghiogheny River gorge in Fayette County. This land is part of a 27-mile right-of-way that the Conservancy acquired from the Chessie System in 1978.
1979 Conservancy assembles 12,670 acres of wild mountain land in Clinton and Centre Counties for the creation of a major new State Game Land (#295). Largest project in Conservancy history, this tract is best-known for its famed wilderness trout stream~Cherry Run. The Cherry Run Project also protects four other mountain streams and nearly 20 square miles of game-rich forestland.
1979 Significant five-acre inholding acquired in State Game Land 42 along Baldwin and Powdermill Runs in Westmoreland County and sold to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
1979 Conservancy purchases 100-acre Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area in Butler County. The site is famous for its spectacular display of spring wildflowers.
1980
• In its first project in Greene County, WPC acquires the 1,152-acre Lone Star Farm for addition to State Game Lands No. 223
• The Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Forestry and Environmental Resource Conservationand the he Roger M. Latham Memorial Scholarship Fund are established at Penn State University
• Evans Nature Center, near Pittsburgh, is dedicated at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in late October
• The Fallingwater Visitor's Pavilion is constructed.
1981
• WPC protects 175 additional acres at Conneaut Marsh where several small purple fringed orchis (Platanthera psycodes) are found for the first time at the marsh
1982
• The total acquisitions for the 9,182-acre Allegheny River Project are now 22 separate land parcels and 16 islands following the purchase of five additional land parcels and three islands to be conveyed to the Allegheny National Forest.
• WPC reports in January 1982 that 102 acres have been added to Pine Swamp Natural Area off Route 965 between Jackson Center and Perrine Corners in Mercer County.
• WPC acquires a “key missing link” in the Bear Run Watershed by protecting an additional 143 acres in the uppermost portion of the watershed at the very origins of Bear Run.
• WPC updates members on the Clarion River Project; by January 1982, over 4,800 acres of land and 18 miles of shoreline are protected.
• In late summer, WPC purchases Deer Creek Access, a 7.6-acre parcel at the confluence of Deer Creek in Harmar Township along the Allegheny River's northern shore across from 12-mile Island to be sold to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission for free public access.
• In the fall, WPC acquires a 57-acre tract that borders the extreme southern part of Bear Run Nature Reserve to serve as a buffer between the reserve and private land and provide further protection to the watershed.
1983
• WPC saves additional habitat for Pennsylvania's restored elk herd with the purchase of 176 acres, which is added to Elks State Forest, located in Elk and Cameron counties.
• WPC facilitates a land/mineral transaction that provides protection to Hells Run Hollow at McConnell's Mill State Park, Lawrence County by conveying a 68-acre parcel in the Hells Run watershed to the Commonwealth to become part of the park.
• WPC solves a problem faced by the public in accessing Wolf Creek Narrows northwest of Slippery Rock, Butler County with the acquisition of 15 acres of heavily wooded land at the southern end of the gorge.
• WPC reports the sale of 3,524 acres on both sides of the lower 10-mile stretch of the Clarion River from Cooksburg to Piney Dam to the Pennsylvania Game Commission sells a four-acre parcel south of Cooksburg to the state fish commission for free boating-fishing access.
• For the first time in its history, WPC reaches a milestone by enrolling 10,000 members on Aug. 23, 1983 with membership swelling to nearly 11,000 members in the next four and a half months from all 50 states.
1984
• WPC continues its work on the Clarion River Project with the purchase of a heavily wooded, 245-acre tract in Millstone Township, Elk County in the upper 30-mile section of the river and 76 acres of wooded hillsides adjacent to State Game Lands 44 in Elk County for sale to the state game commission.
• Bear Run Nature Reserve grows with the acquisition of 173 acres
• WPC ends eight years of negotiations with the purchase of 32 acres of land adjacent to Beechwood Farm's northern boundary, making it 33 percent larger at 120 acres.
• The Great Tomato Patch raises more than 77,000 pounds of tomatoes and fresh produce near Tarentum for needy families in the Greater Pittsburgh Area through the efforts of WPC, Mellon Bank, the Allegheny County Department of Parks and the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
• The 1984 year-end drive nets nearly $116,000, which tops the previous high in 1982, the year of our 50th anniversary appeal, with the money used for the creation of the Hickory Creek federal wilderness area
1985
• WPC provides an integral piece for the state fish commission's salmon program at Lake Erie by purchasing the nursery property at the mouth of Godfrey Run, where the fish commission gets the eggs and milt for the salmon hatchery, for sale to the fish commission.
• WPC links Gallitzin State Forest, State Game Lands 26, and Blue Knob State Park with the acquisition of 1,537 wild, remote acres on Allegheny Mountain in the corners of Bedford, Cambria, and Somerset counties, for addition to State Game Lands 26.
1986
• WPC acquires the 6.8 acre site of Tytoona Cave northeast of Altoona and six miles south of Tyrone, and names it Tytoona Cave Natural Area.
• WPC member and Titusville resident Ray Gerard brings the new 31-mile Oil Creek hiking trail to life; on Nov. 21, 1986, a new pedestrian footbridge over Oil Creek, a joint project of WPC and the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks, is dedicated.
• The 1,000-acre Enlow Fork Natural Area, home to blue-eyed Mary, is protected through the efforts of WPC, Consolidated Coal (Consol) of Pittsburgh, and two public agencies for sale to the state game commission to create State Game Lands 302.
• In late 1986, WPC buys a 75-acre tract in southern corner of Bear Run Nature Reserve to further consolidate the area and provide a “broader umbrella of protection for its many natural features.”
• -- The 1986 50th anniversary season of Fallingwater sees a substantial rise in visitation to Frank Lloyd Wright's masterwork with attendance reaching 92,000.
• “Fallingwater, A Frank Lloyd Wright Country House,” by Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. is published; a television special, “The House on the Waterfall,” is produced by Pittsburgh's WQED-TV; and “The Friends of Fallingwater,” a national fund-raising membership drive for Fallingwater is launched.
1987
• WPC continues its work on the Clarion River Project with the acquisition of a 674-acre tract in the northern stretch of the river above Hallton, bringing total property to 6,833 acres.
• For the first time in WPC history, membership exceeds 14,000.
• WPC reports that it now owns 1,275 acres of the Loyalhanna Gorge
• WPC acquires a 431-acre canoe access on the west branch of the Susquehanna River between Karthus and Keating in Centre and Clinton counties to be transferred, at cost, to the Bureau of Forestry
• In late 1987, WPC completes it most complex transaction ever with the acquisition of oil, gas and mineral rights at Tionesta Research Natural Area (TRNA) with trees more than 500 years old.
• In early October, WPC announces its acquisition of a rare stand of old growth white pine and hemlocks just west of Warren; the 96-acre Anders Run Natural Area is near Buckaloons Recreation Area on the Allegheny River.
• In 1987, a record 104,000 visitors from around the world visit Fallingwater.
1988
• WPC's Allegheny River Project continues to move forward with the acquisition of a 430-acre tract on the west side of the Allegheny River between West Hickory and Tionesta in Forest County.
• WPC acquires 40 more acres at Conneaut Marsh (State Game Lands 213) to be transferred, at cost, for addition to State Game Lands 213
• WPC partners with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) to sponsor PennACCORD, which is the state's first center for resolution of environmental disputes.
• WPC and the Audubon Society team up to open the newest attraction at Beechwood Farms, a 40-acre native plant sanctuary.
• On April 22, the Fallingwater program “The House on the Waterfall” is broadcast nationally on PBS.
• WPC acquires two parcels totaling 880 acres on the Allegheny River in the Warren/Tidioute area within Allegheny National Forest, paving the way for a new biking/hiking trail planned by the Tidioute Area Development Association.
1989
• WPC adds 165 acres to the Pine Swamp Natural Area with the addition of two new parcels further consolidating the 639-acre natural area.
• WPC is given the 380-acre farm of Elizabeth M. Totten of Plaingrove, Lawrence County for Plaingrove Fen Natural Area, featuring the spreading globe flower, Pennsylvania Endangered.
• WPC donates Evans Nature Center at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve and the surrounding four acres to the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.
• After 25 years of negotiations, WPC in late 1989 purchases 16 acres of privately owned streamside property near Drake Well Park to be added to Oil Creek State Park.
1990
• WPC protects 2,731 acres for the Laurel Highlands Conservation Project, including three separate parcels totaling 1,036 acres in the Quebec Run Wild Area.
• WPC gives six miles (62 acres) of abandoned Indian Creek Valley Railway right-of-way to Saltlick Township, Fayette County for a new hiking/biking trail.
• WPC, which acquired 32 acres for Wattsburg Fens Natural Areas in 1969, acquires an additional 251 acres at the natural area.
• WPC brings the total land in the Clarion River Project to nearly 7,700 acres with the acquisition of 418 acres.
• Mrs. Robert Kirkpatrick of Pittsburgh makes possible the addition of 67 acres to Bear Run Nature Reserve.
• WPC starts a pilot Farm and Woodland Program to protect open space, preserve scenic beauty and raise capital funds.
• In August, WPC purchases a 7,225 acre in-holding of private land in the central portion of Sproul State Forest near the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and north of Renovo for the state.
• In October, WPC uses the bankruptcy court to acquire a 22-acre property contiguous to State Game Lands 174 in the northeastern part of Indiana County near Glen Campbell.
1991
• WPC protects a strategic French Creek access, a 1.4-acre parcel of streamside land located north of the Utica Bridge between the creek and the railroad tracks, to be conveyed to the state fish commission.
• WPC reports the Shenango Outing Club of Mercer, Pa. plans a new hiking trail for McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County, connecting Kildoo Trail at the eastern end of the park with Hell's Hollow Trail at the western end.
• WPC acquires USX property in Erie County to create a new 3,131-acre state game lands that will be named the “David M. Roderick Wildlife Reserve” in honor of the former USX board chairman.
• WPC continues its work on the Clarion River Project by adding 400 acres, which involves five parcels of land near Clarington in Forest and Jefferson counties. WPC receives title to the 400 acres of land for timber rights that are granted to Collins Pine Company of Kane, Pa.
• As part of the Allegheny River Project, WPC acquires a 61-acre riverside campground/boat launch area two miles north of Tionesta and across the river from the state fish commission access for addition to Allegheny National Forest.
• A 75-acre forested parcel near DuBois in Clearfield County is the first gift to WPC's Farm and Woodlands Program. The second gift is 377 acres of forest and farmland featuring a native trout stream near Galeton in Potter County.
• WPC buys a 2,200 acre private in-holding in the northwest portion of Sproul State Forest and the oil, gas and mineral rights to consolidate public holdings, eliminate improper development and make forest management easier.
1992
• WPC protects 67 acres containing Sideling Hill Creek barrens, the largest shale barren along the Pennsylvania portion of the stream.
• WPC continues its work on the Laurel Highlands Conservation Project by acquiring 96 acres adjacent to the Quebec Run Wild Area of Forbes State Forest for addition to Forbes State Forest.
• WPC acquires five islands, known as the Siggias Island Complex, in the Allegheny River and a 22-acre campground near Tionesta, making the total number of islands 21 that WPC has acquired in the river.
• -- WPC conveys the last nine miles of right-of-way for the Youghiogheny River Bike Trail to the Commonwealth, which will extend the bike trail from Bruner Run to near Connellsville.
• WPC gives the Laurel Hill Furnace, located two miles from New Florence, Pa., to the Ligonier Valley Historical Society
1993
• WPC adds 1,645 acres to Quebec Run Wild area in the Laurel Highlands of Fayette County.
• WPC protects 149 acres in Greene County with the sale of two properties to the state game commission to expand State Game Lands 223.
• The Nature Conservancy presents a gift of 69 acres in the Sideling Hill Creek Valley, an area of national importance in Fulton County.
• WPC acquires mineral (coal and gas) rights on 2,061 acres in Moshannon State Forest, located in the west branch of the Susquehanna River watershed.
• Three additional tracts, two in Somerset County and one in Westmoreland county, have been acquired as part of its Farm and Woodlands program.
• The acquisition of a 52-acre inholding in the Susquehannock State Forest to be transferred, at cost, to the state department on environmental resources (DER).
• In June WPC acquires the 11,300-acre President Oil property between Tionesta and Oil City. It is renowned for its wild lands and high-quality trout streams.
• WPC's Pittsburgh Park and Playground Fund wins a Renew America 1993 National Environmental Achievement Award.
1994
• WPC protects 32 acres at Erie National Wildlife Refuge in Crawford County by purchasing surface and oil, gas and mineral rights on the land, to be sold at cost, to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• WPC, which in 1989 acquired four parcels totaling 1,645 acres at Quebec Run Wild Area, announces that it has purchased the balance of the oil and gas rights on the property and will transfer them, at cost, to the state department of environmental resources (DER).
• WPC announces that 67 acres of rural property in Butler County has been donated to its Farm and Woodlands Program by Mrs. J. Lewis (Ruth) Scott of Pittsburgh.
• The 1994 year-end fund drive appeal of $202,000 breaks a record by exceeding the previous year's amount by more than $42,000, with all proceeds to go to the Mountain Streams II project
• Fallingwater has its highest visitation ever at 144,944.
• In its October 1994 issue, Travel & Leisure magazine ranks the Youghiogheny River Bike Trail in Fayette County as “one of the 19 best walks in the world.”
1995
• After 10 years of negotiations, WPC, with help from The Nature Conservancy (TNC), announced it has acquired 206 acres of shoreline, wetlands, and uplands surrounding Lake Pleasant, three miles northwest of Arbuckle in Erie County.
• WPC receives 98 acres in Warren County bordering State Game Lands 143 in Spring Creek Township from Donald M. Alstadt of Erie.
• On the 21st anniversary of its Mountain Streams Project, WPC announces the purchase of 2442 acres of wild lands in Westmoreland County with exceptional trout waters from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County for $1.8 million for addition to Forbes State Forest.
• With major funding from the Wildlife International Foundation, WPC protects its 18th natural area, Lutzville Cliffs, an eight-acre limestone cliff/slope above the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River in Bedford County.
• In early May, WPC partners with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Allegheny College for the French Creek Project.
• WPC mourns the loss of Maurice K. Goddard (1912-1995), who died on Sept. 14, 1995 as a result of injuries suffered in a fire at his Camp Hill, Pa. home. He was described as “Pennsylvania's top environmentalist for 25 years,” retiring in 1979 as Secretary of the DER.
• In December 1995, WPC acquires a 548-acre tract in Spring Creek Township south of Ridgway as part of the Clarion River Project. To date, 8,062 acres are now protected.
• Nearly $159,000 is contributed for the 1995 Year-end Fund Drive Appeal, earmarked for the protection of Lake Pleasant.
1996
• On Oct. 19, 1996, U.S. President Bill Clinton signs legislation that makes a 51.7-mile stretch of the Clarion River part of the National Wild and Scenic River System.
• Through a cooperative agreement with Butler County, WPC purchases a 14.5-acre property near the entrance to Alameda Park, a 407-acre county park adjacent to Butler.
• WPC unveils Penn's Wood Partners, a new planned giving program that offers donors the chance to provide for WPC in their financial and estate planning.
• WPC protects 200 acres near Elk State Forest in Elk and Cameron counties for addition to State Game Lands 311.
• WPC continues the Mountain Streams Project by acquiring 124 acres at the western edge of the original Mountain Streams property to be added to Forbes State Forest.
• In February, WPC buys Pittsburgh's oldest commercial building at 209 Fourth Avenue and renovates the 161-year-old structure for its offices.
• In late 1996, WPC acquires nine tracts totaling 1,341 acres in the Clarion River watershed as it continues work on the Clarion River Project.
1997
• M. Graham Netting, a friend of WPC and a director for more than 50 years, dies on August 26.
• Sixty-one-year-old Fallingwater is shored to prevent further deflections until a design solution can be developed to repair the cantilevers; meanwhile, an unrelated concrete restoration project is under way.
• -- WPC acquires its 200,000th acre; currently, it has more than 25,000 acres of land and 10,000 acres of easements.
• On Aug. 1, 1997, WPC and the Horticultural Society of Western Pennsylvania (HSWP) agree to find ways to work together for mutual benefit. The decision follows HSWP's receipt of a lease agreement from Allegheny County for the development of a botanical garden at Settler's Cabin Park.
• WPC receives the 1997 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence in the category of Energy Efficiency/Renewables. The award is given to WPC because of its action in reducing energy use, minimizing waste and promoting the use of reused and reusable building materials at its headquarters in Pittsburgh.
• Seventy-five people attend a community roundtable discussion at Clarion University on the Clarion River about tourism, hiking/biking trails, river management, the river's biological elements, the river's Federal Recreational and Scenic River designation, and WPC's role as a neighbor in the corridor. WPC also honors U.S. Congressman William Clinger, Jr. for his role in getting the river designation.
• WPC agrees to undertake the Three Rivers Parkway Project to create a beautiful natural landscape along the Parkway West Corridor from downtown Pittsburgh to the Pittsburgh International Airport.
1998
• Forty Pittsburgh public schools come alive with flowers in the second year of the School Garden Initiative.
• WPC receives a donation of 72 acres in the Sideling Hill Creek Valley in southcentral Pennsylvania from Christopher and Missy Lipsett.
• WPC president Larry Schweiger signs a sales agreement to sell the 11,000 H.J. Crawford reserve, located between Tionesta and Oil City in Venango County, to Chagrin Land Limited Partnership, an affiliate of Industrial Timber & Land Company (ITL).
• On April 7, the eggs in a peregrine falcon nest on the 37th floor ledge of the Gulf Tower in downtown Pittsburgh hatch, earlier than expected and with more eggs than usual.
• A study of Fallingwater guests who toured the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece finds, among other things, that nearly nine out of every 10 Fallingwater visitors live outside of the area.
• In 1998, the board of directors of WPC agree to buy part of Tamarack Swamp in Centre County. A total of 351 acres are purchased.
• 100 WPC volunteers, Duquesne Light and The Pittsburgh Project complete nine hours of planting The Welcome Garden using more than 30,000 flowers at the entrance to the Fort Pitt Tunnels.
WPC acquires the 103-acre Shipley tract in Bedford County from the heirs of the estate of Stanley Shipley to provide further protection to Sideling Hill Creek watershed.
• In the summer, WPC's Natural Heritage staff completes County Natural Heritage Inventories (CNHI) for Bedford and Westmoreland counties.
• WPC celebrates the designation of the Sideling Hill Creek Watershed as “Exceptional Value” watershed by the state department of environmental protection (DEP).
1999
• First Lady Hillary Clinton names Fallingwater as a recipient of the Save America's Treasures grant program. WPC receives $901,000 for the renovation of Fallingwater. U.S. Rep. John P. Murtha, Johnstown, is pivotal in securing the Save America's Treasures grant as well as gifts of $200,000 and $500,000 for a state-of-the-art, zero-discharge wastewater treatment plant at Fallingwater.
• WPC protects vegetation by setting up 12-foot by 12-foot exclosures, or fenced-in areas, on the Fox Chapel Trillium Trail, a popular wildflower area affected by deer browsing beginning in 1993.
• WPC partners with AgRecycle, Inc., Eichenlaub, Inc., the City of Pittsburgh and Point State Park for a project to process more than 37 tons of waste tires into Crown III Crumb Rubber surface layering to be spread over more than 37,000 square feet of lawn at Point State Park.
• The French Creek project – a partnership project of WPC, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and Allegheny College -- earns Renew America's National Award for Sustainability in the freshwater/watershed category.
• WPC purchases the 13.69-acre Fellowship of the Cross Campground bordering the western shoreline of Lake Pleasant in northeastern Erie County.
• The peregrine falcon is removed from the federal list of Endangered and Threatened Species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Aug. 20.
• WPC establishes a second field station by purchasing land at Lake Pleasant.
• WPC kicks off its Volunteer Land Stewardship Program in 1999 to care for WPC's nearly 20,000 acres of lands and 20,000 acres of easements.
• WPC garden projects are created for the first time in State College, Clarion, Waynesburg and Donora. In addition, on June 7, Pittsburgh: The City That Blooms!, a project of WPC and the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, is launched with 246 hanging baskets suspended along several busy downtown Pittsburgh streets with funding by the Grable Foundation.
• WPC loses a friend and supporter with the passing of Faith Gallo, who served as a consultant on many WPC projects.
2000
• In March, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge visits Fallingwater and presents a $3.5 million grant to restore the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. The house is named a “Commonwealth treasure” by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. To date, $7.2 million has been secured for the project. Gov. Ridge's visit is covered on WPC's first-ever webcast at its Web site. The new Web site, www.paconserve.org , is unveiled just prior to Ridge's visit.
• WPC opens its new field office at Lake Pleasant in Erie County. It focuses on working with residents in developing and implementing a conservation plan for the French Creek watershed.
• A total of 350,000 flowers are planted in 400 community gardens throughout 30 counties in western Pennsylvania by 5,000 volunteers.
• Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge signs into law the landmark “Growing Greener” bill, which passed in December 1999 by both the state house and senate by an overwhelming majority. It provide $645.9 million over five years for environmental programs.
• WPC announces it is installing a new water supply and an innovative “zero discharge” wastewater treatment system at Fallingwater to better meet visitation needs and environmental goals for the site.
• WPC acquires two tracts bringing the total WPC-owned acreage at Lake Pleasant to 264 acres.
• -- WPC acquires 77 acres along Brokenstraw Creek near Warren, Pa., which is the only known location of white adders-mouth (Malaxis brachypoda) in Pennsylvania.
• -- The Benjamin Thomas Holland Memorial Fund is established at WPC by James C. Holland and Pamela Meadowcroft as a tribute to their late son, Ben, because of his “love of outdoor adventure, pristine wilderness and gentleness to the land.” The fund was will help provide funding for the stewardship of WPC lands.
• WPC receives one of the National Wildlife Federation's first Keep The Wild Alive Species Recovery Fund grants to aid in the recovery of freshwater mussel populations in Muddy Creek.
• Through its Community Conservation Program, WPC distributes more than 9,000 in small grants to 44 community groups, from inner city Pittsburgh block watches and police stations to suburban garden clubs and school groups in northern Pennsylvania.
• -- In August, WPC staff and volunteers undertake a project to provide a new trail system for a 259-acre tract of bottomland forest and wetlands along the west branch of French Creek in Erie County.
• -- Fallingwater is named the Building of the Century by The American Institute of Architects based on a recent poll of its membership.
2001
-- WPC, partnering with the state game commission, the state department of conservation and natural resources' Key 93 Program and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, protects a 191-acre farm in Elk County that each year is home to elk during bugling season.
-- WPC acquires land in Amity Township, Erie County to allow for easier access to State Game Lands 162. A total of 170 acres are on the west side of State Route 8 was purchased in 2000; the remaining 240 acres are to be acquired in 2001. The acquisition will provide additional protection to French Creek.
-- WPC acquires a 22-acre parcel of natural area in Millstone Township that fronts more than 2,200 feet of the Clarion River from Elk County's Seneca Resources, which keeps the oil and gas rights but will not extract oil or gas without permission, and a two-acre plot by the parcel from Anna Grubbs. The property will be conveyed to the Allegheny National Forest.
-- WPC unveils its latest initiative, the Watershed Assistance Center. It's based on the organization's commitment to partner with local groups on watershed issues.
-- WPC protects more of Chestnut Ridge with an acquisition of about 390 acres of pristine property in Derry Township, Westmoreland County. The property is listed as a Biodiversity Area by the Westmoreland County Natural Heritage Inventory.
-- WPC partners with the board of trustees of The Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve. The establishment of the reserve, which is 25 acres of undeveloped land along Route 30 in Unity Township, Westmoreland County, is the dream of Arnold Palmer's wife.
-- The French Creek Conservation Plan is presented in public meetings in August; the public comment stage ends Sept. 30. All comments are put into the final plan, which is completed by the end of the year. The document describes the land, water, biological and cultural resources in the watershed, but does not establish regulations or requirements.
-- On Monday, Nov. 5, Fallingwater closes to the public for the structural strengthening of the living room cantilevers. Hardhat tours are offered on weekends only, beginning Nov. 23-25 through Dec. 30, 2001.
-- WPC partners with the state department of Conservation and Natural Resources, The Conservation Fund and the state game commission to acquire more than 2,600 acres in Logan and Oneida Townships in Huntingdon County. The acquisition permanently preserves species of special concern as well as maintains habitat for black bears, turkey and grouse; it also helps protect the watershed of the Juniata River.
2002
-- WPC celebrates its 70th anniversary. The organization has to date protected more than 280,000 acres in western Pennsylvania.
-- WPC works to acquire a 2.4-acre property as part of an effort protect a vacant church on the outskirts of Altoona, Pa. that is home to 20,000 bats, including 41 federal and state endangered Indiana bats. Partners for the project include the state game commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the bureau of state parks and the state parks and forests foundation.
-- A total of 32,000 flowers in 43 WPC gardens are lost in a damaging frost the third weekend in May after a four-night dip in temperature.
-- At the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning, the first documented peregrine birth occurs on Mother's Day. On June 11th, the four offspring, three males and one female, are banded by the Pa. Game Commission personnel.
– Jarvis B. Cecil, former WPC Board Chairman, is honored with the unveiling of the Jarvis B. Cecil Conservation Volunteer Leader Award. It honors individuals who generously give their time and leadership skills and make a significant impact on conservation. Dr. Peter Dalby, a professor at Clarion State University, is the first recipient of the award.
–- In December 2002, the final shoring that has supported Fallingwater for the past six years is removed; the strengthening of the home is finished. Meanwhile, Builder's Magazine Reader's Choice Survey proclaims Fallingwater America's Favorite Historic Home.
-- A full-scale study of French Creek's fish and mussels begins in the summer. The study is carried out by WPC's Northwest Field Station in Erie County. In addition, partners from The Nature Conservancy, Edinboro University of Pa and the French Creek Project assist along with volunteers.
2003
-- WPC purchases 389.5 acres off Route 217 in Chestnut Ridge in Derry Township, Westmoreland County northeast of Hillside Village and the Blairsville Reservoir, which protects habitat for several state-listed animal species. It is conveyed to the Commonwealth and added to Forbes State Forest.
-- David Crockett, a descendant of Davy Crockett, addresses more than 200 at the newly renovated Barn at Fallingwater, at The WPC annual meeting in September. The Barn, originally built in 1870 and expanded by Edgar Kaufmann Sr., is dedicated as an interpretive center featuring educational programming, exhibitions and interpretation of the regional ecology.
-- During the spring, WPC partners with PennDOT for the beautification of the Squirrel Hill Tunnels.
– In April, the original peregrine falcon that began nesting at Pittsburgh's Gulf Tower site is killed. Scientists suspect the one-year-old male that hatched at the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning the previous Mother's Day; six eggs are abandoned and the new pair of peregrine falcons court. Four eggs are laid and then hatched.
– WPC teams with Pittsburgh-based ALCOA on “The Trees of Pittsburgh,” a pocket guide on tree species in Pittsburgh's four public parks.
– On Sept. 13, 2003, WPC purchases a property owned by the same family since the 1700s for addition to Blue Knob State Park. The Griffith family owned the 234-acre property, which contains two streams – Wallacks Branch Creek, a Wild Trout Stream, and Bobs Creek, a Wild Trout Fishery.
– The Watershed Conservation Plan of the Sewickley Creek Watershed Association (SCWA) is completed with the residents of the watershed getting the final chance to comment. WPC Watershed Assistance Center provided assistance with the plan.
–WPC's BloomSites Program places 100 new baskets in downtown Pittsburgh. They are found along Forbes Avenue, Fourth Avenue, Fifth Avenue, Fifth Avenue Place, Market Square, PPG, PNC First Side (Grant Street) and the South Side Port Authority “T” station.
-–In December, WPC signs an agreement with the state game commission to transfer 1,732 wooded acres along the southern shore of the Clarion River to the commission, providing a protected link between State Game Lands 44 in southwestern Elk County and State Game Lands 54 in northeastern Jefferson County.
– To date, 11,688 of the 12,200 targeted acres in the Clarion River Project are secured in 43 separate transactions with most property transferred to public agencies.
2004
-- On May 30, WPC, the oldest, independent conservancy in the state, receives the 2003 Pittsburgh American Business Ethics Award, non-profit category, which is presented each year by the Society of Financial Services Professionals.
–On June 4, “Erie Bluffs State Park” becomes the official name of 540 pristine acres along the Lake Erie shoreline. On July 17-18, Bioblitz is held at the park. A total of 80 species of birds, 19 species of mammals, 302 species of vascular plants and 94 species of fungi are found, among other discoveries.
– The winners of a WPC essay contest, “Conservation and Me,” are Ramon Carr, Carmalt Elementary School; Katrina Forrester, Beechwood Elementary School; David Keller, Whittier Elementary School; Shannon McCarthy, Carmalt Elementary School. They are invited to participate in the banding of the peregrine falcons.
– On April 1, 2004, “A Fallingwater Homecoming” premieres at the Bear Run Interpretive Center showcasing the connection between the residents of the Bear Run community and the natural landscape. It runs until July 25; a public and community gathering is held on June 13.
– On March 22, officials including United States Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell announced the establishment of a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the state's Ohio River basin. It provides $146 million to help farmers in western Pennsylvania employ agricultural conservation practices to improve water quality in streams.
– In the spring, more than 5,000 volunteers worked with WPC to plant 350,000 flowering plants in community gardens.
– WPC and a steering committee of residents in the Clarion River Watershed develop a greenway plan for the river. WPC, as part of the planning process, develops a water trail map/brochure for the river with the state fish and boast commission and the Allegheny National Forest.
-- On June 30, 2004, WPC purchases 14.14 acres of wooded hillsides and open space formerly known as Malli's Grove. The property, located in South Park Township, is to be conveyed to Allegheny County for an addition to South Park.
-- WPC completes the Clearfield County Natural Heritage Inventory (CNHI), which is the 14th done in 14 years. The inventories list specific information and maps of a county's most crucial natural resources, helping counties plan wisely so that both local economies grow and natural resources are sustained in a mutually beneficial manner.
-- WPC's Riparian Buffer Initiative reaches a milestone with the installation of its 50th mile of streambank fencing. The fencing, along with other agricultural best management practices on farms and dairy operations, improves water quality by restricting livestock access to streams.
-- WPC celebrates the training of its 100th volunteer land steward. The program, which began in 1999, involves the stewards monitoring and managing WPC-conserved lands. Currently, 75 land steward volunteers are serving and acting as WPC ambassadors.