EDITORS’ NOTE ON BEHALF OF THE CONSERVANCY BOARD AND STAFF Cynthia Carrow, the Conservancy’s vice president of government and community relations, has held various roles at the Conservancy since March 1973. Over the past five decades, she has built, added to and improved the Conservancy at every stage, from our relationships with partners to guiding government and community relations, conservation science and community greening programs with exceptional leadership and management. Because of her, we’ve learned much, listened intently, worked relentlessly and laughed often. We extend our deepest gratitude to Cynthia for her longstanding dedication to conservation and send the very best wishes for a happy and well-deserved retirement, which begins January 1, 2025.
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facilitating greener urban communities throughout Western Pennsylvania. We have converted litter-strewn vacant areas into colorful gardens, installed eye-catching street planters, increased tree canopy in neighborhoods, and turned hardscapes in communities and at schools into pollinator-friendly greenscapes to create desirable places for people to live, learn and work. Building on that progress, we’ve also installed many bioswales and rain gardens to help naturally reduce stormwater runoff. And, perhaps best of all, green communities serve as models for others to replicate. At the Conservancy, we called this the “contagious factor” and I am proud to say that the Conservancy highly leveraged its community greening work through the contagious factor, and in many cases provided the assistance necessary to establish the greening vision for communities and towns across the region. As I reminisce, it occurs to me that there has not been a single year during my years at the Conservancy that did not include numerous visits to Fallingwater. On every visit, I marveled at the magnificence of this worldfamous house. Like that of so many people, my first impression was WOW! It continues to be truly a great pleasure to enjoy Fallingwater and the surrounding landscape on each and every visit. There is so much more that I could share, but it would take volumes to capture all of the many wonderful experiences and remarkable success stories. However, I want to sincerely thank the many Conservancy members, partners and supporters for being a significant part of this important work of conserving nature in Western Pennsylvania. The Conservancy has been such an important part of my life for more than 51 years and it’s bittersweet to be retiring. I was so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, one of the most successful and revered conservation organizations in the United States.
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fter 51 years, retiring from the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy prompts me to fondly reflect on a truly amazing, inspiring and rewarding conservation career. What especially stands out in my mind is the extraordinary people I have worked with on the Conservancy board and staff, and from many partnership organizations and public agencies across Pennsylvania. It was a great honor to contribute to the work of the Conservancy, an organization that adheres to its mission, strategically carries out goals and always maintains a sharp focus on achieving results. Over the years, numerous projects provided transformative results for the benefit of millions of people both now and long into the future. Although there are many, an excellent example of transformation is our work along and within the Clarion River watershed. I remember so vividly in the late 1970s, canoeing on the black polluted water of the Clarion River in Northwestern Pennsylvania. This river flows through some of the most spectacular wild and scenic landscapes in Northeastern United States. Although it offered a daunting undertaking, the Conservancy mapped out a conservation strategy for a 40-mile stretch of the river from Ridgway in Elk County to the Piney Dam in Clarion County. With nearly 33,000 acres conserved (and still counting) and together with the efforts of other partners, the Conservancy has worked to restore water quality over many years. Today most of this section of the Clarion River is designated Wild and Scenic by the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. This river provides a multitude of recreational opportunities, healthy habitat for aquatic species and an even more picturesque landscape available to all people to enjoy for all time. I plan to canoe the Clarion River in the spring, and will now have plenty of free time to enjoy the places we’ve worked to protect and restore! While conserving significant ecological places has been a strong Conservancy focus since its founding, so too was
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