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Western Pennsylvania Conservancy Protects 255 Acres
to Become Part of the Forbes State Forest
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August 27, 2007) The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) acquired 255 acres in Wharton Township, Fayette County, which will soon be conveyed to the Commonwealth’s Bureau of Forestry to become part of the Forbes State Forest. It will be open to the public for recreational use.
The land is located along Laurel Ridge within a region identified by both WPC and the Pa. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as a priority conservation area in the Laurel Highlands. This property falls within the Stony Fork Biological Diversity Area (BDA) as identified in the Fayette County Natural Heritage Inventory.
When WPC performed the county inventory, staff discovered two plants in this BDA that were designated by the state to be of special concern (extremely uncommon in Pennsylvania and in need of highly-specific habitat), the Mountain Pepper-bush (Clethra accuminata) and the Mountain Bugbane (Cimicifuga Americana). Stony Fork, which bisects the property, is designated by the state as a High-Quality-Cold Water Fishery. Acquisition of this land will protect these species and ensure that the forest remains intact and is managed in a sustainable manner.
The forests of the Laurel Highlands have been a cherished resource in southwest Pennsylvania for generations. By acquiring this land, WPC is helping to prevent the threat of fragmentation from roads, utility lines and residential development. Forest fragmentation diminishes habitat for species like fisher, bobcat, scarlet tanager and northern goshawk, all of which thrive only in deep forest. WPC identified this tract as part of an area where key forest blocks could be reconnected to each other, creating forest corridors to facilitate wildlife movement.
To date, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has protected more than 214,000 acres of natural lands in Pennsylvania, which represent more than 50 percent of the total land protected by land trust organizations in Pennsylvania. Now in its 75th year, Pennsylvania’s first conservancy continues to partner with grassroots organizations to protect land, restore watersheds and save natural habitats.
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WPC Media Contacts
Jack Rowley
Communications Specialist
800 Waterfront Drive
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222
Phone: 412.586.2372
Fax: 412.281.1792
jrowley@paconserve.org
Jean DiTullio
Administrative Assistant
800 Waterfront Drive
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222
Phone: 412.586.2328
Fax: 412.281.1792
jditullio@paconserve.org
Toll Free Number:
866-564-6972 |
