MISSION STATEMENT

The 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.

A message from WPC Board Chairman E. Michael Boyle

A message from WPC President
and CEO Dennis McGrath

Establishing a conservation plan for Bear Run Nature Reserve

Targeting a leading pollution source in Pennsylvania

Exploring the natural possibilities of Mount Washington
The WPC’s program creates a plan for managing green spaces

In addition to planting more than 150 gardens in 20 western Pennsylvania counties, WPC partnered with the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation in Pittsburgh to develop a “Master Implementation Plan” for managing Mount Washington’s green spaces. Supported by The Heinz Endowments, the project included a thorough assessment of existing green spaces, opportunities for landscape and ecosystem enhancement, needs for restoration, and places where residents and visitors could have more enjoyable access to green areas.

The WPC team found that there are major opportunities for enhancing the forests on Mount Washington, and there are numerous partial trails that could be developed to increase access. The study also identified ecologically- sound techniques for managing hillside vegetation to reduce the current practice of severely cutting trees that obscure the views of the city below, leaving unhealthy and unsightly plants on the slopes.

Instead, the report recommends replanting hillsides with low growing native plants that will rarely need pruning. The action plan laid out by the report will take a decade or more to implement, but now the community has science-based tools to guide this important work to create an “emerald link” connecting all of the neighborhood’s green spaces. Since the report was issued in late 2005, the community has convinced the Pittsburgh City Council to declare more than 250 acres of undeveloped city-owned land on Mount Washington to be a new city park.

We thank the more than 5,000 volunteers who planted more than 150 community gardens in 20 western Pennsylvania counties.

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