Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Protects
Forested Land Along Piney Creek

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  June 21, 2007)  The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) recently acquired 42 acres in Mann Township, Bedford County.  The forested bottomland provides protection for more than half a mile of Piney Creek, a major tributary to Sideling Hill Creek, which is designated an Exceptional Value stream by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  This tract contains wetlands, a floodplain mixed-hardwood forest, and several seasonal pools (a wetland habitat that supports the survival of several species during wet seasons).  The land will become state forest land.
   
Approximately 90 percent of the property is forested.  Keeping the land forested protects reduces rainwater runoff, maintains the flow of  Piney Creek, filters nutrients and sediment, and stabilizes soils. The trees also provide deep root systems that hold soils in place, helping to stabilize streambanks and reduce erosion. Besides playing a vital role in the hydrologic health of the watershed, the property provides good habitat for wildlife including wood turtles, Jefferson salamanders, wood frogs, and Louisiana water-thrush.  Forests cover nearly 17 million acres of Pennsylvania’s landscape and are our defining feature; yet they are disappearing at a rate of nearly 300 acres a day.

Piney Creek is a part of the Sideling Hill Creek watershed, which flows through the southern reaches of Bedford and Fulton counties and is home to important ecological features such as: shale barrens, rare freshwater mussel species, and a freshwater sponge.

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About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy:
Since its founding in 1932, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has protected more than 212,000 acres of natural lands in Pennsylvania, restored watersheds and saved natural habitats for a diversity of life and uses.  The Conservancy has been responsible for the founding of six state parks, including Ohiopyle, Laurel Ridge, McConnell’s Mill, Moraine, Oil Creek and Erie Bluffs.  In addition, WPC created the 300-acre Wildflower Reserve at Raccoon Creek State Park, and added land to Blue Knob State Park.

The WPC also preserves Fallingwater®, the masterpiece home designed in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright for Edgar J. Kaufmann in Mill Run, Pennsylvania.  In 1963, Edgar Kaufmann jr. (sic) entrusted Fallingwater to the Conservancy.  Today, WPC continues its award winning preservation efforts and offers a wide variety of educational programs to more than 135,000 annual visitors.  The preservation of Fallingwater is a symbol of living in harmony with nature. 

Each year, WPC also partners with 5,000 volunteers and dozens of community organizations and businesses to plant and maintain more than 135 gardens and greening projects in 20 western Pennsylvania counties.

A high resolution photograph is available upon request.