STRATEGIC PLAN
WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA CONSERVANCY
Pennsylvania's First Conservancy - Founded in 1932

I. Conserve the Natural and Cultural Heritage of Western Pennsylvania

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A. Protect, restore, study and inventory land, water and living resources

Conservation easements will be a key component of WPC's strategy in forestland protection, where we plan to protect large tracts of land used primarily for timber production. The process begins by identifying targeted parcels of 1,000 acres or more in strategic locations where timber production, biodiversity, water quality and other values overlap. WPC strives to protect these private tracts by acquiring them at a cost below fair market value through bargain sale opportunities. WPC will then sell the property, subject to conservation restrictions, to a private landowner interested in harvesting timber in ways that protect the forest and other land values. This approach will ensure the long-term good health of the forest and at the same time maintain the economic viability of the land.

Reaching out to the agricultural community will be a focus of our watershed work. We will continue to work with farmers to install stream bank fencing and employ other best management practices along streams. These practices reduce stream pollution caused by soil erosion and fertilizers. In turn, better water quality improves stream life, benefits recreation, and enhances local communities' quality of life.

Finally, WPC is coordinating a large partnership to bring federal money under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) into the Ohio River watershed portion of our state. If successful, this funding will replicate incentives currently available to farmers primarily in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. CREP provides a monetary incentive to farmers who take marginal land—such as wetlands and stream banks—out of production. This too will improve water quality.

Background and future direction

WPC's land conservation work continues to have profound impacts on the landscape and communities of our region. Traditional practices may no longer be viable methods of conserving land. We must find ways to conduct our land conservation in smarter and more creative ways.

Through a Conservation Buyer Program, we are divesting lands to conservation-minded individuals who are willing to steward special lands as part of their ownership. Lands to be divested through this project are non-strategic lands currently held by WPC, including parcels donated to WPC for the purpose of selling them to raise funds to further our conservation mission. Again, these lands would be protected through conservation easements that restrict development and protect values like scenic and natural values. This program will be marketed primarily through WPC's web page. In accordance with Board policy, Board members and staff are not eligible to purchase these lands.

In addition to divesting to conservation buyers, we are moving to complete other land conveyances to our public sector partners in places like the Clarion River, Sideling Hill Creek, Loyalhanna Gorge and Tom's Run. In future land projection projects, WPC will engineer a variety of creative partnerships to advance land protection projects and restoration projects.

Smarter approaches in all programs—not just land protection—demand that we utilize advanced technology. In particular, the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a computer-based mapping tool, helps prioritize our land and watershed protection work. The maps it creates help us to prioritize our own work and communicate our mission to constituents.

Goal 3: Apply biological diversity information to regional planning and restoration efforts

Background and future direction

Powerful and comprehensive information about natural resources is being produced by WPC. We partner in programs like the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) and the Pennsylvania County Natural Heritage Inventories (CNHI) to assess what scientific data on biota and ecological processes is necessary to identify conservation needs and apply the information to identify specific areas that are priorities for protection or conservation oriented management. A key approach for us in the future will be to work with local governments, planners, developers, and citizens and help them understand how this information can be used in future decision making.

County inventories are done at the request of county commissioners or planning departments—sometimes in conjunction with the creation or updating of the county's comprehensive plans. WPC will complete and update 33 County inventories by 2010. We can further increase the utility of a CHNI by increasing the number of public presentations and conducting more workshops for local government who can make better use of the inventory information. In addition, CHNI documents are being re-designed to be more user-friendly. For instance, maps are presented in GIS format, which most counties have access to, and which increases their usefulness dramatically. Once we complete all regional inventories, we will begin updating existing ones.

At the state level, WPC continues to push for more public access to PNDI information, particularly as we work with the state to develop a Pennsylvania Heritage Database, a web-based tool to assist planners, developers and the public.

WPC is developing an Aquatic Classification program for the state. This work is being done in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Pennsylvania Chapter. When complete, the state will have a more comprehensive scientific understanding of what is living in our waters, and essentially how the fish, shellfish, plants, microorganisms, insects, soils and so on that live in our rivers, lakes and streams organizes themselves into different interdependent communities. The project has inherent value solely from a science perspective. But, as an example of how WPC will work to more effectively apply scientific work to the real world, Heritage staff scientists will work with our Watershed Assistance Center to train watershed groups to use the Aquatic Classification data in on-the-ground projects, monitoring, restoration work and planning efforts.

Background and future direction

The world of nature open to people who live in our region is a wondrous thing. We are blessed with an extraordinary array of living things that surround us—wildflowers, wildlife and what dwells in our waterways are sources of joy to those who seeks solace and recreation in the outdoors. Through our science and research work, WPC aspires to describe important and imperiled species and natural communities. We also try to understand little-known species. WPC's staff compliment of ecologists, zoologists, water-quality experts and aquatic ecologists are providing a unique and valuable service to our region at a time when species and habitats are being destroyed at rates never-before experienced.

WPC will conduct special research projects for agency partners to address important species, threats and watershed assessments to advance conservation of natural resources.

B. Preserve special places where natural and historic heritage of Western Pennsylvania can be experienced

Background and future direction

WPC's work has long been focused, and will continue to be focused, on preserving important regional assets. WPC is committed to preserving and presenting Fallingwater® as a symbol of what humans can achieve through sensitive design springing out of a respect for and understanding of the natural world. Other assets preserved by WPC include important biological areas, five state parks, and thousands of acres of land added by WPC to Pennsylvania's state forests, parks, and game lands—all totaling over 210,000 acres to date. Preservation of these important assets has preserved some of the best places of our natural heritage and has provided extensive recreational opportunities. WPC has focused also on preserving beautiful scenic areas, and has assisted many neighborhoods and communities in planning for, and implementing, green space assets as part of community renewal. All told, preservation of these important assets has had significant economic and conservation impact to the region. WPC will continue to seek opportunities to preserve important regional assets.

From time to time, WPC is asked to assist other groups in advancing the preservation of important places. Specifically, WPC is called upon to negotiate real estate purchases, enter into option agreements, or take title to an asset which will ultimately be conveyed to a particular management agency. For example, WPC assisted the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission to purchase Bushy Run Battlefield land. While there are many worthwhile preservation projects, WPC will be prudent in determining in which projects it is appropriate and feasible for WPC to participate.

Background and future direction

Edgar Kaufmann, jr. entrusted Fallingwater and the approximately 1,500 acres surrounding it to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963. The deed of trust stated that Fallingwater and the surrounding land should be:

“so administered that the great natural scenic and artistic beauties of the property may be available to the people of the United States and foreign countries, particularly interested scholars and lovers of nature and art. No parking lot or structure of any kind shall be built within view from Fallingwater and its immediate grounds; the relationship of the house to its terrain and water shall be preserved; and the architectural design and structural soundness of the house shall be preserved and maintained to the end that this house with its world-wide reputation as a master work of modern architecture may serve the development of architecture and the spiritual and cultural advancement of those who come within its view and influence.”

In its first year of operation, attendance at Fallingwater exceeded 30,000 visitors. By the early 1970s, visitation had grown to nearly 70,000 annually and continued to grow until it reached more than 140,000 by 1994. Visitation has continued at this annual level. WPC hired professional museum staff in the 1980s, and improving educational programs, collection management and preservation became a primary focus.

Then, in 1995, WPC learned that Fallingwater's famed cantilevered terraces were seriously overstressed and in danger of collapse. This urgent situation precipitated an $11.5 million capital campaign to preserve the building, undertake a landscape master plan, and make site and infrastructure improvements. These improvements include an environmentally responsible sewage treatment system which results in no discharge to the ”exceptional value” state designated Bear Run Stream, and which provides for recycling of waste for appropriate on site uses. All capital improvements as specified under the Capital Campaign for Fallingwater will be completed by 2005.

While much of the planned for preservation work on Fallingwater is complete, including strengthening, waterproofing and wood and sash conservation, Fallingwater - because of its design and age - will continue to require attention. Development of carefully devised maintenance practices and monitoring procedures will ensure the building's preservation and protection of the landscape well into the future.

Background and future direction

In many ways Fallingwater has been loved too much. Increased visitation has allowed parking lots to expand with little attention to visual impact, and over eager photographers and enthusiasts have created rogue paths and trampled vegetation. In other areas, paved paths have resulted in erosion. Implementation of the landscape master plan will restore Fallingwater's intimacy and beauty, and provide for safer and more logical movement through the site.

•  Convene a conference of leaders in conservation, preservation and sustainable design--one of the outgrowths to include a working group identified to continue to explore and make recommendations on how these diverse communities can work together to achieve our common goals.

•  Expand Fallingwater's residency programs to include participants from the conservation, preservation and design disciplines.

•  Create new opportunities such as programs at the Barn at Fallingwater, or traveling presentations to examine and understand the nexus of design and conservation

•  Create an integrated program for teachers and students, including complementary programming at Fallingwater and Bear Run, and updated teacher resources (curriculum guide for purchase, outreach loan materials, updated website resources).

Goal 5: Improve the experience of children visiting Fallingwater

Background and future direction

Today's parents want to include children and are seeking unique opportunities for sharing travel experiences with them. In the redesigned Childcare Center, we will develop an outstanding children's experience that is not only educationally rich but also visually stimulating, entertaining, and enjoyable.

C. Strengthen the vibrancy of communities

Background and future direction

Many communities throughout western Pennsylvania, which were once vibrant and maintained a strong socioeconomic profile, are now suffering from the environmental impacts of shortsightedness and the lack of critical protection measures. The resulting scarred landscapes and impaired waterways have led to communities that are less attractive to new business and industry, and have created a sense of depression and hopelessness among many community residents.

In this decentralized new technology age, businesses no longer need to locate in large urban areas to be competitive. As a result, many high-tech industries are seeking to locate in smaller communities that offer the best living conditions for their employees. Such business relocations are key to the economic redevelopment of the region; but they are less likely to happen in communities with streams running turbid with agricultural runoff, running orange with abandoned mine drainage pollution, or dangerous hillsides left behind from surface mining activity.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, through its Watershed Assistance Center, helps communities by working with locally based grassroots organizations to improve polluted waterways and scarred landscapes. This effort is a necessary precursor to revitalizing these communities, ultimately making them more attractive to business and industry leaders. During the first two years of the Watershed Assistance Program, WPC has assisted over 150 grassroots conservation organizations in multiple communities.

WPC will continue to provide technical assistance to locally based grassroots conservation organizations in revitalizing their communities. Our expansion goals include reaching out to additional grassroots organizations, and working more closely with municipal officials who will ultimately drive the revitalization process through their decision-making. WPC will also seek to engage municipal and county planning departments, which typically play a small role in grassroots led conservation activities.

Background and future direction

A significant challenge throughout Pennsylvania is the consumption of farmland and natural places resulting from the decentralization and spreading out of the population. The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy recently completed its report Back to Prosperity. The report states “the Commonwealth's starkly unbalanced growth patterns are taking a drastic toll on the health and real estate markets of the state's original neighborhoods of choice; its city residential blocks, charming rural and urban boroughs and inner ring townships.”

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy embraces initiatives designed to support the long-term stability of strong, vibrant towns and cities, to renew older communities and to revitalize struggling towns and cities making them attractive places to work, live and raise families. Since 1972, Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has facilitated gardens and green space projects in more than 170 neighborhoods in 19 counties throughout western Pennsylvania. These projects are design to establish strategic horticultural community assets and serve as an interactive forum for engaging individuals and groups in developing conservation and community ethics that reinforce the vital connection between community conservation, local empowerment, volunteerism and prosperity. These partnerships involve people across all age, economic and ethnic groups in large cities as well as small towns throughout western Pennsylvania.

Advance the connection between healthy and beautiful landscapes and healthy and caring sustainable communities.

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy will continue to expand its community partnerships to further advance the connection between healthy landscapes and healthy, sustainable communities. Our expansion goals include reaching out to more communities in towns and cities throughout western Pennsylvania and extending our scope of services and resources to include technical, administrative and consulting services for community planning, conservation stewardship, green space projects and community conservation initiatives. High priority target areas over the next six years include: Adams County (Gettysburg), Armstrong County (Apollo, Kittanning), Beaver County (Aliquippa, Rochester), Bedford County (Bedford), Blair County (Altoona), Butler County (Butler), Centre County (State College), Clearfield (DuBois), Clinton County (Lock Haven), Dauphin County (Harrisburg, Hershey), Elk (Ridgeway, St, Marys) Erie County (Corry, Presque Isle), Forest County (Tionesta), Fulton County (Wardfordsburg), Greene County (Waynesburg), Huntingdon County (Huntingdon), Indiana County (Blairsville, Indiana), Jefferson County (Brookville, Punxsutawney), Lawrence County (New Castle), Lycoming County (Williamsport), McKean County (Kane), Mercer County (Farrell, Hermitage and Mercer), Somerset County (Somerset, Meyersdale), Warren County (Warren), Washington County (city of Washington) and Westmoreland County (Ligonier, Donegal). Because of the abundance of gardens in the City of Pittsburgh/Allegheny County, additional projects will be limited to areas of specific strategic interest.

Background and future direction

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy's community landscape and green space programs have expanded to include projects in 19 western Pennsylvania counties. These projects include community gardens, gateway/parkway gardens, school gardens, vegetable gardens and container gardens. The continuing growth of these community initiatives is the result of increasing demand from communities, municipal, and government agencies and community non-profit organizations.

Perhaps the most obvious and tangible benefit of well-kept green spaces is the rapid physical improvement of a neighborhood's appearance. Community green spaces help soften the hard angles of a city's built environment. They bring color and vitality to even the most troubled communities and can help contribute to a sense of hope.

We will continue our efforts to increase the number of communities engaged in Western Pennsylvania Conservancy community landscape projects, and utilize these efforts as a forum to advance a sound conservation, community and volunteer ethic with groups and individuals in towns and cities throughout the region. In identifying and selecting partnerships for community projects, we will implement the following criteria.

•  Priority will be given to areas identified by Western Pennsylvania Conservancy as priority areas, as well as areas where Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is engaged in advancing other conservation projects. Other priority areas include locations affected by economic revitalization challenges, distressed communities and urban flight to undeveloped lands.

•  Projects that involve or are related to activities of strategic partners of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, along with projects that are collaborations among multiple partners, will be given preference.

•  Projects must be jointly sponsored with an established local community group/organization and the local municipality.

•  Local community group/organization must commit to participating in selecting, implementing, maintaining and sustaining the project.

•  Local funding must be available to help support the establishment and sustainability of the program.

•  All sites selected will be public property. Western Pennsylvania Conservancy resources cannot be applied to the enhancement/beautification of private property. Exception will be considered where private land is integral to the overall greening objectives and the property owner is willing to actively participate with the community in the project.

•  In general, sites selected for projects must be in highly visible areas, though this criterion does not apply to vegetable gardens and future school garden projects.

•  All projects must actively engage local volunteers in on-going maintenance.