A Message from the President
Ecosystems and Landscape Conservation Analogous to Fishing Net
By Dennis McGrath
One recent spring day, a crisp, blue sky and cool westerly breeze ushered me over and through the ridges and valleys of rural Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Mountains. I was pleased with this inaugural journey and the great perspective only mountains and valleys can offer. What I once could see through the window of a jet now held me close in a green, folding caress. The ancient landscapes had taken on a whole new personality, and I enjoyed it.
I enjoyed in particular the forests from which the Commonwealth takes its name. The ones I saw in some places were vast, stretches so large that their limits dipped out of sight over the horizon. I marveled at the fertile valleys that cradled the rivers and streams, and the farms that grow our food. Each ridge and valley expanse, no matter its size, seemed to hold great promise for the future.
Pennsylvania is, of course, much more than the ridge and valley, especially in the western frontiers where we live and work. The hardwood forests of the Allegheny Plateau are known worldwide for quality timber, the headwaters of the Ohio River feed one of the world’s great rivers and the shores of the Great Lakes nourish both commercial and recreational activities.
On my journey I asked myself how much might we conserve for future generations of Pennsylvanians. Do we have enough land and water already in some strict form of conservation? If not, how much more might we need? By what means can we conserve what is desired and needed for the future, and how much will it cost?
A colleague once wrote about ecosystems and landscape conservation as analogous to a fishing net. The net as a whole covers a wide sweep of water with just a fraction of the net - the strands and knots - actually touching water. The knots and strands make the net, with the net bigger than the sum of its parts. Thinking of our vast landscape as the net and our protected lands and waters (state parks, forests, game lands, natural areas, etc.) as the knots, we can do two things.
First, we can add more knots - more strictly conserved areas. This would be a good thing to do, for sure, although we must recognize this strategy has practical, political and financial limitations. Second, we must continue to develop ways to keep the strands strong and intact; without them the net grows weak. Third, we will continue to work with individuals, communities, organizations and businesses to support their efforts to manage the landscapes they own, use or influence. There is significant promise for voluntary private land conservation and we want to help support it.
The more I learn about Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) and this region of our country, I believe the fishing net analogy can help shape the execution of our work and advance our mission. During the past 7 decades, WPC has done a remarkable job in land conservation, protecting well over 216,000 acres. And it has added freshwater conservation to its strategies, embracing the job of protecting the strands of the net..our watersheds, streams and rivers.
Our immediate challenge is to examine the net, figure out where we must add new knots, shore up existing ones, repair frayed strands and make sure the net as a whole is properly prepared for the work ahead.
We’ll be asking you to join with our many capable partners in the public and private sectors, with local communities and the many people who live and work in the Commonwealth to cast that net wide and far. Consider the recent dedication of 1200 acres of forestland in the Loyalhanna Gorge. This conservation achievement was the result of many - from the efforts of former staff members like Thomas Schmidt, initial financial support from the Sarah Scaife Foundation, the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the leadership of Westmoreland County officials and staff.
In the meantime, thank you for 73 years of conservation. We’re looking forward to the next seven decades!
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