Milestones and Blazes

Like a new trail through a diverse landscape, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s mission constantly presents new challenges and unforeseen opportunities. The trail was especially exciting during 2004 and our organization met both challenge and opportunity with creativity and dogged commitment. This year, as we pursued our ultimate objective of connecting people to the natural world, WPC reached some notable milestones. These milestones demonstrate both our resolve and our flexibility, and are the focus of this issue of CONSERVE.

WPC continued its long tradition of saving the best of our region’s wild places. We conveyed ownership of the largest undeveloped parcel on Pennsylvania’s Lake Erie shoreline to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). But that land on the lake is more than just a parcel. It is 540 acres of old growth woods, wild ravines, rare wetlands, pristine streams, and lakefront beach...home to a stunning diversity of birds, mammals, amphibians, fish, insects and plants. DCNR will manage the tract as Erie Bluffs State Park, which will both invigorate the economy of the Erie region, and spread awareness of the importance of ecologically intact places. Erie Bluffs joins Ohiopyle, McConnell’s Mill, Moraine, Oil Creek, Raccoon Creek and Laurel Ridge on the list of state parks WPC has helped to protect.

Today’s trail toward conservation accomplishment is not always as easily discerned as in the past when these outstanding parks were assembled. Once, conservation was a “top down” undertaking, linked closely with the goals, guidance and especially the resources of government. Now we must, at times, blaze a trail into new territory, where funding from centralized sources is uncertain, and where diverse partnerships at the local level often achieve the most lasting results. Our recent path reveals the value of “bottom up” conservation, emphasizing community initiative, volunteerism and cooperation. In 2004 WPC showed it could aptly adapt to the change.

Our Watershed Assistance Center continued to help watershed organizations, Trout Unlimited chapters, agricultural and sportsmen’s groups, and other community-based conservationists protect and restore their streams. This year the center helped erect the 50th mile of streambank fencing to protect streams from degradation by cattle. Streambank fencing may be the perfect example of “bottom up” conservation. Small improvements made at far flung points throughout a watershed combine their effects for cleaner water downstream and would not be possible without the cooperation of the many partners cited in this issue.

In 2004, WPC surpassed the milestone of 5,000 volunteer garden stewards, each and every one a resource for livability in our cities and towns. Those volunteers this year reached the milestone of 400,000 square feet of community gardens in 20 counties across western Pennsylvania.
Our corps of volunteer land stewards reached the 100 mark this year. It would not be possible to protect, manage and monitor our WPC-owned lands without their vigilant dedication.

Working with local and county governments, WPC completed the Clearfield County Natural Heritage Inventory, the 14th inventory prepared to date, and fieldwork continues on inventories for six more counties across the region. Also on the local level we conveyed 1,200 acres of the scenic Loyalhanna Gorge to Westmoreland County as county-owned open space, but retained a conservation easement to guide protection of the gorge’s significant natural sites.

Inside, this CONSERVE highlights still more milestones and achievements. We hope you’ll enjoy reading about all our partners and their accomplishments.

At WPC we’ve kept our eye on the horizon, and our ultimate goals for a sustainable region, but we’ve explored innovative ways to get there as the “terrain” around us has changed. As our trail approaches the challenges of 2005, we look forward, as always, to working with all partners, small or large, private and public, whenever and wherever we can.

Go to the cover story...