Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
Appoints Former Clarion Professor
as Upper Allegheny Watershed Manager

(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  January 19, 2007)  Dr. Charles Williams is joining the staff of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) as Upper Allegheny Watershed Manager in its Freshwater Conservation Program.  This position is one of several watershed manager positions that have been created or re-designated as part of WPC's regional focus to more effectively implement its conservation work at the local level.  Williams will be working out of WPC’s Allegheny Project Office in Ridgway, Elk County.

     Williams’ educational background includes a BA from Drew University, Madison, NJ, major botany, minor zoology (graduating magna cum laude with honors in botany); an MS from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, major entomology; and a PhD from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., major ecology with an emphasis forest ecology, plant-animal interactions.

     Williams is very familiar with the history, culture, geography, and ecology of the region, having conducted scientific research for nearly 15 years in conjunction with the US Forest Service and other entities.  He recently authored two books on the history of the Allegheny Watershed.  He has been associated with watershed-level assessment and planning as part of his research collaborations with the Allegheny National Forest.  Williams has conducted extensive research on riparian forests of the Allegheny Watershed and understands the importance of incorporating both terrestrial and aquatic elements in watershed planning.  Williams has taught at Radford University, Washington and Lee University, and most recently, at Clarion University where he was professor of biology and chair of the department.  He was also director of science and stewardship for The Nature Conservancy's Virginia Field Office in Charlottesville, Va. in the early 1990s.

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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.