Land Stewardship

August’s featured book was “The Hike” by Alison Farrell, which was also reviewed by our staff on our website, with a link to hear the book read aloud. “Wonder Walkers,” written and illustrated by Micha Archer, also reviewed on our website, was displayed during November so that families could view it on National Take a Hike Day, November 17.

On a spring morning, 12 students from Cornell High School’s Greenspace Team and Ecology class visited Toms Run, just across the Ohio River from their school in Coraopolis. The students worked with Conservancy staff as they explored, asked questions and enjoyed the chance to look closely at nature’s small details. In fall, they had naturalist walks with Conservancy staff on their school campus woodlot and at Toms Run, and began a campus tree identification and education project.

Our land stewardship staff and volunteers work to sustain our preserves’ ecological value and improve accessibility so everyone can enjoy nature. Land steward volunteers contributed 1,481 hours in 2022 to help us build, extend or complete trails at Tryon-Weber Woods, Toms Run Nature Reserve, Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area and Plain Grove Fens Natural Area. At our 108-acre Tryon Weber Woods in Crawford County, we added a new parking area and a 1.3-mile loop trail that leads hikers though a mature beech-maple forest. At Toms Run, we completed a connector trail.

We removed old structures at Bear Run Nature Reserve and Lake Pleasant Conservation Area. Visitors are enjoying improved parking areas at six preserves: Bennett Branch Forest, Lake Pleasant, Plain Grove Fens, West Branch French Creek Conservation Area, Whites Creek Valley Natural Area and Wolf Creek Narrows.

The Conservancy is working closely with the PA Bureau of Forestry to fight the spread of hemlock wooly adelgid, an invasive insect that feeds on and kills our state tree, the Eastern hemlock. At Wolf Creek Narrows, we planted a hemlock insectary, or nursery, for the Ln beetle (Laricobius nigrinus), a natural predator of hemlock wooly adelgid.

With nearly 14,000 acres of forests, streams, wetlands and open meadows in 16 counties, near cities and towns as well as in rural areas, our 41 preserves have a variety of experiences to offer!

Thanks to the 789 donors who generously responded to our “41 Places: Nature Near You Needs You” fundraising campaign in 2021 and 2022, we received $632,000 to improve and enhance the preserves we own and manage across Western Pennsylvania for all to enjoy!

In 2022, staff and volunteers began improvements at several preserves to remove past traces of damage to land, control invasive species and maintain welcoming trails, signage and parking.

“For years, parking was limited at our 243-acre Wolf Creek Narrows Natural Area in Butler County for everyone who wanted to view the spring wildflowers or hike the 1.1-mile loop trail,” says Andy Zadnik, director of land stewardship. “Thanks to generous donors, in 2022, we added a new parking area, which includes a concrete accessible space, to complement the existing parking area. We also created a new half-mile trail to connect with the existing loop.”

We made our 1,040-acre West Branch French Creek Conservation Area more accessible and inviting by removing a deteriorating retaining wall to create a safer parking area and resurfacing the parking lot and universal access pathway.

The littlest hikers enjoyed StoryWalks® in 2022 at our Toms Run Nature Reserve located in Allegheny County. Signs featuring pages of children’s books were displayed along a short, flat trail near the parking lot, where families could enjoy an afternoon discovering nature.

The students said the experiences helped them feel even more motivated to care for their school greenspace and that helped them appreciate nature’s ability to heal itself.

Volunteers and staff cared for 14,139 acres of WPC preserves, and staff monitored over 4o,6oo acres protected by conservation easement.

Volunteers and staff removed 2,18o pounds of trash and debris as part of the annual French Creek Watershed Clean-up.

Contractors treated invasive plants across approximately 36 acres at LeBoeuf Wetlands Conservation Area.

Visit our Explore Our Preserves webpages to plan your outdoor adventure. Search by county, activities, parking availability and size, and find details and directions.