Western Pennsylvania Conservancy owns approximately 15,000 acres of land, and holds scenic and conservation easements on an additional 25,000 acres. This represents approximately 100 individual properties scattered across western PA.
Each property requires consistent and regular monitoring (minimum of one time/year) followed by active maintenance or management to assure that no human health and safety issues exist, that there are no encroachments, that the renewable resources on the land are properly managed and that the natural resource and biodiversity values of the land remain protected forever. It is imperative that we practice and provide a model for responsible stewardship of these lands. Two critical issues we focus additional attention and resources on in order to sustain a healthy ecological future on our lands are the impacts that populations of white-tailed deer are having in certain areas, and the impacts that the aggressive increase of non-native plant and animal species are having on biodiversity.
- Invasive Species
- The dirty dozen - the 12 worst offenders of invasive plants and animals that have infiltrated Western Pennsylvania.
- Volunteer Land Steward Program
- White-Tailed Deer Browsing
- It is almost common knowledge by now that Pennsylvania has too many deer. Overpopulation of these animals can have a significant impact on the ecosystems that they inhabit.
