WPC_CONSERVE_Winter24_Final for Issuu

CONSERVE WINTER 2024

Message from the President

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he work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to protect exceptional places across our region is successful thanks to wonderful support from members like you, and the many volunteers and partners who help to advance our conservation projects.

In this issue of Conserve, you’ll read about some of the projects that have been underway in 2024 to advance conservation outcomes in communities across Western Pennsylvania.

Our work during 2024 has ranged from planting trees, installing gardens, conserving land, restoring rivers and streams, addressing stormwater issues, protecting species and their habitats to preserving and sharing Fallingwater and its site.

Our land protection projects allow people to explore and enjoy nature, including outdoor recreation opportunities for hiking, fishing and hunting, while also saving wildlife habitats. We have protected ecologically important properties in 2024, many of which have been transferred to the state to protect and manage.

Our watershed staff has undertaken a wide range of projects this year, including partnering with farmers to implement conservation practices that reduce stream pollution and stabilize eroding streambanks, in turn helping to keep local streams and rivers clean.

We have undertaken major preservation work at Fallingwater, tours for visitors, and education programs to engage the next generation of architects, artists, preservationists and engineers.

A special recognition is in order as this year comes to an end. Cynthia Carrow, who has advanced so very many initiatives at the Conservancy, is retiring as of December 31, and we thank her for 51 years of excellent leadership and dedication to conservation.

And I want to thank you for supporting and helping the Conservancy and being an important partner in caring for our region’s most exceptional resources and special places. We appreciate your endorsement of our work and mission. May you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season.

Thomas D. Saunders

WHAT'S INSIDE 3

Diet for the Bay

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Land for All: Public Benefits of Land Protection

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Small, Secretive and Speedy

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Tall Orders for Tiny Gnome Homes

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Tree AI? State-of-the-Art Inventory Underway

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New Green Chapter for An Old Relic

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A Thank You From Cynthia Carrow

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Nature Near You Needs You: Protect Western PA's Wild Places & Green Spaces

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy protects and restores exceptional places to provide our region with clean waters and healthy forests, wildlife and natural areas for the benefit of present and future generations. To date, the Conservancy has permanently protected more than 290,000 acres of natural lands. The Conservancy also creates green spaces and gardens, contributing to the vitality of our cities and towns, and preserves Fallingwater, a symbol of people living in harmony with nature.

PRESIDENT AND CEO

PRESIDENT AND CEO

OFFICERS

Thomas D. Saunders

Debra H. Dermody Geoffrey P. Dunn Thomas Kavanaugh Bala Kumar

Chair Vice Chair Treasurer Secretary

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alfred Barbour David Barensfeld Franklin Blackstone, Jr.* Barbara H. Bott E. Michael Boyle Marie Cosgrove-Davies Beverlynn Elliott Donna J. Fisher Susan Fitzsimmons

Paula A. Foradora Dan B. Frankel Dennis Fredericks Felix G. Fukui Caryle R. Glosser Carolyn Hendricks Thomas F. Hoffman Sanjeeb Manandhar Robert T. McDowell

Paul J. Mooney Daniel S. Nydick Stephen G. Robinson Samuel H. Smith Alexander C. Speyer III K. William Stout Megan Turnbull Joshua C. Whetzel III Gina Winstead *Emeritus Director

For information on WPC & Fallingwater membership: 412-288-2777 | Toll Free: 1-866-564-6972 info@paconserve.org WaterLandLife.org | Fallingwater.org

Cover Photo: WPC permanently protected this McKean County forestland in 2015 and conveyed it to the state to expand Elk State Forest.

DIET FOR THE

BAY

Our work to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay includes planting riparian trees, such as this planting along Clover Creek in Blair County.

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or years, Mark Amig watched helplessly as a stately hemlock tree on his streamside property leaned ever more precariously over Lost Creek. Flooding and currents had gutted the embankment two feet deep in places, exposing roots and carrying sediment into a stream once flush with trout.

Despite Mark’s attempts to shore up the embankment with stones from his 86-acre property, a mix of forest and former farmland in Fermanagh Township in Juniata County that he calls “my happy place,” the water continued its assault. In 2019, he contacted local organizations and government agencies for ideas. This year, a partnership between the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Juniata County Conservation District (JCCD), PA Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) and others restored 2,200 feet of stream.

The project was funded by a Countywide Action Plan, part of the broader Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan (CBWIP) that is helping to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, explains WPC Watershed Manager Jennifer Farabaugh.

Initiated in 2010, the CBWIP includes detailed steps taken by Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. to reduce pollution in the Chesapeake Bay by 2025.

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AFTER

BEFORE

This image shows where three types of streambank restoration projects took place.

On both sides of the stream, rocks stabilize the streambank and reduce erosion. Midstream, boulders create fish habitat and trap sediment. On the right, logs deflect water from the streambank to reduce erosion.

“There’s a ‘pollution diet’ called the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load,” Jennifer explains. “Each state has a plan to reduce nutrient and sediment pollution from flowing into the Bay.” Pennsylvania's goals are to reduce nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment, the major

pollutants for the Bay, she notes.

Counties with watersheds that flow into the Chesapeake Bay, such as Juniata, designed localized countywide action plans (CAPs) to reduce nutrients and sediment.

In Pennsylvania, counties are ranked one to four—by worst to best—water quality and receive improvement funds from the PA Department of Environmental Protection; the counties with the worst-ranked water quality receive the most money.

The Conservancy has helped to

The inset photo of Lost Creek on Mark Amig’s Juniata County property shows streambank erosion before restoration. Both photos courtesy of Juniata County Conservation District

implement the CAPs in Adams, Bedford, Centre, Cumberland, Franklin and Juniata counties. “We recommend stream restoration projects to and coordinate with the counties, then they apply for funds,” Jennifer says. “WPC has completed 17 projects since 2021, and we have a list of projects for counties in 2025 to apply for funding.”

The projects reduce streambank erosion, which reduces the amount of nutrients and sediments going into a stream, and can

MOW LESS, ABSORB MORE!

Even if you don’t own streamside land, you can still help improve the health of your watershed. Consider a lawn-to-meadow conversion to improve water quality!

Converting mowed lawn to meadow by planting with native plants and flowers can help absorb excess rainwater and filter pollutants that would run off and eventually reach streams. It also supports wildlife and pollinating insects.

Your lawn could be converted to a meadow like this one! In 2015, Conservancy member, board member and volunteer Carolyn Hendricks and her husband, Steve, converted a former hayfield on their property to this pollinator-friendly wildflower meadow.

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“Next year we hope to do our first lawn-to-meadow conversion project in the Juniata watershed,” says Jennifer Farabaugh, WPC watershed manager.

The projects will be funded from the Countywide Action Plans described in the main article. For information, contact Jennifer at 814-696-9356 or jfarabaugh@paconserve.org.

employ numerous techniques. For example, on Yellow Creek in Bedford County, WPC partnered with Partners for Fish and Wildlife and Bedford County Conservation District to restore 1,400 feet of streambank by installing brush mattresses, mud sills, cross vanes and clusters of boulders.

Brush mattresses are stacks of brush placed on the stream’s edge that filter sediment and provide trout habitat.

Mud sills protect the streambank. Logs are installed perpendicular into the bank, then more logs are placed on top of those parallel to the bank. That structure is filled in with rocks and covered with plant material.

Cross vanes—v-shaped log or rock structures—stretch into the stream and redirect water away from the streambank.

Clusters of boulders, placed midstream, trap sediment, stabilize the streambed and create places for fish to rest and hide from predators.

The Yellow Creek project included a fouracre streamside riparian buffer planting of 820 native trees and shrubs, including swamp white oak, sycamore and red maple, funded by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

On Lost Creek at Mark’s property, the PFBC installed 93 structures, including mud sills, boulders and log-framed deflectors, which are logs stacked and secured together and into the ground with rebar. They jut into the stream at an angle to deflect the water from the bank.

“Thanks to the diverters, the water isn’t eating at the sides of the creek,” Mark says.

“My son has observed trout again.” He encourages anyone with similar issues to seek assistance, noting that a neighbor got help through PA DEP when the eroding streambank threatened to cause her house to collapse into the stream. Another neighbor will have work done in 2025.

Partnerships drive the projects’ success, says Jennifer. For example, “The conservation districts do on-the-ground outreach to get the projects. They’re the liaison between landowners or municipalities and us,” she explains. “We subcontract with counties to get funding and permits, for the bidding process and to hire the contractor. The PFBC designs the plans and helps with construction oversight.”

Nick Smith, a watershed specialist with the JCCD, says their team finds opportunities for improvement, and suggests projects to landowners. “Or a landowner asks us, ‘My streambank is eroding…what can I do?’ We

visit and give ideas.”

The JCCD’s partnership with the Conservancy, Nick says, is “smooth! We’re thankful for the connection and for how easy it is.”

The effort to install structures on Mark’s Lost Creek property proved worthwhile.

“Soon after construction, the remnants of Hurricane Debby brought a substantial amount of rain,” Nick recalls. “All logs, rocks and structures stayed in place. A month later, another rainfall brought three to four inches in a few hours. Everything

did its job perfectly.”

All the hard work by partners on the CAPs is paying off. “As of 2023, Pennsylvania achieved 29% of our nitrogen reduction goal, 50% of our phosphorus reduction goal, and 58% of our sediment reduction goal,” Jennifer says. In fact, “The Chesapeake Bay got its best report card this year from the State of the Bay Report. Usually, it gets a D. This year, it got a C+!”

plans to improve other WATERSHEDS In addition to assisting with Countywide Action Plans to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay, WPC is partnering with the public and other organizations and agencies to implement other watershed plans in 2025 to improve water quality across the state.

River conservation plans funded by PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

These include the Girty’s Run Watershed Conservation and Management Plan, in partnership with Ethos Collaborative and other partners; Juniata Forward: Building on 25 years of Conservation, with multiple partners for the Juniata River watershed; and French Creek Watershed Conservation Plan, with the French Creek Valley Conservancy and other partners.

319 Grant Program plans, selected and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The grants support projects that carry out best management practices specified in Watershed Implementation Plans for 43 watersheds in the state. They also support development of new Watershed Implementation Plans for impaired watersheds in environmental justice areas. Ten of the 12 grants are for projects in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Included are the Trout Run Advance Restoration Plan for Trout Run in Erie County and the Evitts Creek Restoration Plan in Bedford County, for agricultural conservation practices, riparian plantings and streambank restoration.

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LAND FOR ALL Public Benefits of Land Protection

The Conservancy protected 1,495 acres along Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek that were added to Moshannon State Forest.

This protected land helps expand public outdoor recreation opportunities in Fayette County, including nearby residents in the Uniontown community.

Jane Menchyk, a land protection manager at the Conservancy, worked with landowners, partners and local entities in the Laurel Highlands to protect these

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pectacular natural beauty, rugged and forested mountain ridges, and endless connected rivers and streams are just some of the reasons that Pennsylvania continues to rank among the top places for hikers, anglers, bikers and hunters to enjoy year-round outdoor recreation.

The state is also regularly ranked as a must-see destination for fall leaves and wildlife. Many of these assets are because of the state’s more than three million acres of state parks, game lands and forests that are protected and freely enjoyed annually by millions of Pennsylvanians and visitors. Since the early 1940s, the Conservancy’s land protection work has helped contribute to this legacy of public lands.

Of the more than 290,000 acres of land protected by the Conservancy, approximately 200,000 acres have been conveyed to either the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Allegheny National Forest or other public entities as public land. This land protection includes our work to help establish 11 state parks including Ohiopyle, Erie Bluffs and McConnells Mill state parks and some state game lands.

We continue to expand the state parks, game lands and forests to support recreation and a diverse range of wildlife species that depend on these areas for survival. For example, in 2024, the Conservancy protected 2,300 acres that were added to state public lands.

A 735-acre property in North Union Township, Fayette County is one of the properties we protected this year. It was conveyed to DCNR as an addition to Forbes State Forest. This is a 60,000-acre forest in Fayette, Somerset and Westmoreland counties spreads across the high ridges of the Laurel Highlands, including the 3,213-ft.

Mt. Davis—the highest point in Pennsylvania. Since the 1960s, the Conservancy has protected more than 83,000 acres of open space in the Laurel Highlands.

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acres for the state forest.

Although it takes many years to conserve land, she shares that it is rewarding to play a role in helping to ensure habitat protection for rare or threatened species by keeping species’ habitats intact and connected. Providing habitat connectivity is an important consideration to ensure that plant and animal species have pathways through connected habitats and landscapes. This allows species to move more easily to more temperate and tolerable environments as the climate changes.

“Land protection is one of the key actions to ensure the

In August, the Conservancy protected more than 700 acres of ecologically important land close to other protected lands along Chestnut Ridge in the Laurel Highlands and conveyed it to Forbes State Forest.

ecological function of our landscapes, many of which have been degraded by past human activities,” Jane explains. “Protecting land from future development and harm helps ensure that biodiversity can flourish for years to come.”

Along with nearby State Game Lands #51, this newly protected land expands public outdoor recreation opportunities in Fayette County. It is near a public bus line that serves more than 128,000 residents in the Uniontown community. She adds, “When more people have access to nature, they embrace a deeper connection

with the natural world and an appreciation with all living beings.”

In a press release about the land closing, DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn agreed and shared her appreciation of the Conservancy’s work to permanently protect land.

“We are proud to add this tract to Forbes State Forest and are excited for expanded public access to outdoor recreation. More importantly, this helps protect wildlife habitat for plant and animal species that help make the Commonwealth a leader in the outdoors.

Thank you to the Conservancy for supporting open space initiatives in the region,” she added.

Another important landscape in our region, the Pennsylvania Wilds, is a predominantly rural and forested 13-county region in Northcentral Pennsylvania that hosts two million acres of public lands. Thousands flock to the region to hike the mountains to see wildlife, especially elk, and stroll the forests to see large oaks and hemlocks.

Matt Marusiak, the Conservancy’s land protection manager who works from our Allegheny Regional Office in Ridgway, led efforts to conserve a 1,495-acre forested property in Benezette Township, Elk County that was added to Moshannon State Forest. At more than 190,000 acres, Moshannon is one of eight state forests in the Pennsylvania Wilds region.

This property, conserved in August, is part of the Bennetts Valley area in the heart of the state’s vast elk range in Elk County and includes a mix of hilltops, forested steep slopes and a significant riparian area along the Bennett Branch Sinnemahoning Creek.

Johnson Run, classified by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as a Class A Wild Trout stream, flows through the property. An avid angler, Matt knows the connection many people have to the landscape and the importance of protecting and providing public access to local mountain streams.

“Bennetts Valley, a landscape that has been a priority for the Conservancy for more than a decade, provides great opportunities ecologically as well as for hunting, fishing and hiking. The lands we protect all greatly contribute to the local agriculture, forestry, fishery and tourism economy and quality of life,” says Matt.

Using science and other conservation considerations, the Conservancy will continue to prioritize protecting the natural features, forests, wildlife habitats, rivers, streams and landscapes that make our region special, Matt says. “The Conservancy will continue to protect land for the public enjoyment of all today and for generations to come.”

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SMALL, SECRETIVE AND SPEEDY Weasels play an important role in the ecosystem, but their populations have declined significantly over recent decades.

Photo credit: aliaska, iNaturalist

“Any way you slice the data, it’s hard to ignore a 99% decline in relative weasel abundance.”

— Charlie Eichelberger, the Conservancy’s vertebrate zoology manager with the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program

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t’s been described as the “most ferocious and bloodthirsty animal of the mammalian class.” The lion? The tiger? The grizzly bear?

Nope. It’s the weasel, possibly burrowing in a meadow near you, keeping rodent populations in check. Their reputation comes in part from their need to consume 50% of their weight in food daily.

But with their rounded ears, shiny eyes and thick fur, weasels more resemble a child’s stuffed animal than a ferocious killer. In fact, Native American cultures revered weasels for their adaptability or as spirit animals symbolizing protection.

Regardless, “Almost no research has been done on the group in Pennsylvania since the 1950s,” says Charlie Eichelberger, the Conservancy’s vertebrate zoology manager with the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. That’s why, since 2022, WPC’s heritage program staff have worked with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to map possible locations and mine data for these relatively rare animals. They’re searching for long-tailed weasel, American ermine and in particular the elusive least weasel (Mustela nivalis)–the world’s smallest carnivore. “It’s also the one we know the least about, being one of the least studied mammals in the state,” Charlie says.

Small, secretive and speedy, the pencil-length least weasel

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primarily inhabits meadows and brushy lands. Less frequently, it’s found in forested areas. Like other weasels, it plays a dual role as both predator and prey for native species. In Pennsylvania, the least weasel lives mostly in the western third of the state. Scientists know of less than 20 observations in the past 20 years.

Tom Keller, PGC furbearer biologist, says the persecution of weasels, and a lack of population surveillance and monitoring, have hampered information gathering. “The Conservancy team are rock-solid collaborators when working with some species that receive much less attention in comparison to say, big game,” he says. “WPC’s zoologists specialize in surveying and monitoring for present-day needs, but also in diving into the historical component of ecology. That can tell us things about the past that will help us make decisions for future management.”

Some possible reasons for population decline include habitat changes, historic overhunting, kills by free-ranging housecats, disease and rodenticide, Charlie says. “Any way you slice the data, it’s hard to ignore a 99% decline in relative weasel abundance.”

The 2015 Pennsylvania Wildlife Action Plan did not include least weasel as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need, “because at

An image of a least weasel taken as it passed through a trap

that time we had no current information to inform a conservation status assessment,” he notes.

Each state’s Wildlife Action Plan includes information about the distribution, habitat requirements and management needs of hundreds of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish and invertebrates. Led by the PGC and Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania’s WAP is reviewed and revised every 10 years. It guides conservation projects and research to help recover threatened and endangered species and address species that are not rare but might be declining, with the guiding tenet of “keeping common species common.”

Population declines have made weasels candidates for inclusion in the 2025-2035 Pennsylvania WAP revision.

The scientists created a comprehensive map of the most recent least weasel observations, coupled with historic data gathered in the first half of the 20th century.

Then they built three styles of traps, rigged with cameras and baited with pungent scent lures: a bucket setup collecting top-down images, a mortar can collecting profile images, and PVC tube with fresh meat tethered above it to entice curious weasels.

They set traps on 21 locations in 11 counties where least weasel have been observed or that were areas containing good weasel habitat. “Weasels started showing up right away,” Charlie says—but not one wily least weasel.

Finally, after 14 months, on Christmas Eve 2023, Charlie got the best present

An image of an American ermine taken as it passed through a trap

ever (for a weasel-hunting zoologist, that is). WPC Zoologist Ryan Miller sent him photos of least weasel in a trap along West Branch French Creek in Erie County. Soon after that, a camera in Indiana County being maintained by PGC biologists snapped another least weasel photo.

Throughout the project, the scientists detected weasels at 71% of the sites surveyed, and collected 740,000 images, 1,981 of which were of weasel. Of those, 348 were of least weasel, making up 5/100th of a percent of all the images.

“The sightings will help provide guidance for the next phase of weasel inventories, and we’re excited to try surveying with AHDriFT systems,” Charlie says. AHDriFT is similar to the bucket traps, but paired with a short, solid fence that funnels animals into the buckets– where a camera snaps an image–and out the other side.

Results will help inform a conservation status assessment of Pennsylvania’s least weasel population. “Charlie and his team have been instrumental in developing some innovative new methods for detecting this elusive weasel,” Tom says. “Our hope is to develop a statewide survey to answer where and how many.”

Since the last dedicated study of least weasel in the state more than 70 years ago in 1952, weasels have largely been regarded as “vermin,” with little thought to their ecological roles. In the next 70 years, perhaps we can gather adequate data to inform sound multi-species management, Charlie says, and help weasels shake

their negative persona. “We owe weasels respect for the valuable roles they play in the function of Pennsylvania’s ecological systems.”

Charles Bier, the Conservancy’s director emeritus of conservation science, discovered a nest of least weasel kits on his farm in 2012.

The discovery helped to jumpstart least weasel research in the state.

SUPPORT LEAST WEASEL

• Maintain wild habitat with native and diverse plant species.

• Keep cats indoors.

• To report a least weasel sighting or a found carcass, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission at furbearers@pa.gov. Please provide a photo for documentation, or a carcass for vital data collection.

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Tall Orders for Tiny GnomE HOMES N

o architect works alone. Certainly not Frank Lloyd Wright, who surrounded himself with apprentices and builders to construct groundbreaking designs, such as Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum, for hundreds of discerning clients.

And not young Miles Moehle, whose inaugural design needed to satisfy a three-inch, bookish gnome named Wiby Throttletinker with seven pet snakes. Two years ago, Miles, now age 9, participated in Fallingwater’s Gnome House Design Challenge, a program for students in grades 3 through 7 who want to experience what it’s like to be an architect. “I wanted to show who I am and how creative I am,” Miles says.

His first thought? “This will be impossible!” But with encouragement and support from his parents and younger brother, Miles realized “This will be possible!”

Entering its 10th year in 2025, the Design Challenge has inspired more than 4,480 students from as nearby as Uniontown and as far away as Australia...students such as Miles, who might imagine their future selves designing solar-powered skyscrapers while they tinker with tiny plastic building bricks on their living room floors.

In 2015, Fallingwater’s now-Curator of Education Ashley Andrykovitch saw a gap in programming for younger

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Wiby Throttletinker’s former home, shown at left, had no room for pet snakes or a book collection. At the 2024 Gnome House Symposium at Fallingwater, Miles Moehle, shown above, unveils the three-story home he designed for Wiby.

students. “I also observed that Fallingwater’s remote, rural location means we can’t hold weekly classes for students the way other museums do.” She created the Gnome House Design Challenge as a distance learning program that kids could do on their own with the support of grownups, or for teachers to design a curriculum. “It can work for students who live far away or are homeschooled.”

“The challenge gives students the opportunity to pretend to be an architect,” says Fallingwater Manager of School Programs and Outreach Amy Humbert.

“They ‘interview’ a gnome client and design a site-specific, client-specific house.”

Seven lesson plans can be used by classroom teachers or independently by homeschool instructors, Amy explains.

“First, the student receives information about the gnome’s hobbies, family life and current home.” They also receive a tiny plastic gnome. (Miles’ gnome, Wiby, lives with five adults and flies around in a hat-shaped spaceship, representative of his career as a hatmaker.)

Using creativity and language skills, Amy says, “The student interviews their gnome and uses their imagination to come up with other information that helps with the design. Then they write up their interview.”

The student then creates a bubble map, which is a rough layout of the rooms drawn as bubbles and labeled. Then they design a refined floor plan. These steps involve drawing and math skills, including scale, and planning how clients move through spaces.

A lesson about materials and their properties includes testing various materials’ strength and endurance, which involves science skills.

“Finally, the student builds a model using all the information they gathered,” Amy says.

Using recycled materials such as cardboard keeps costs low. “Throughout the process,

they read, analyze and think critically.”

Emily Croft, who teaches PreK through eighth grade STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Art and Math) at Queen of Angels School in North Huntington, Pa., has included the Design Challenge in her fourth-grade curriculum for three years. “The students absolutely love it!” she says. “It’s a great way for them to see how multiple disciplines overlap in real life.

They even get some local history! It doesn't get any better than this when thinking about a STREAM curriculum.”

Most of her students are not familiar with Fallingwater prior to the project, says Emily, who incorporates a field trip to the house.

“The exposure to such an amazing, local architectural wonder is a valuable takeaway,” she says. “The students often say it is their favorite field trip.”

“Interacting” with tiny gnomes who exhibit oversize personalities makes the project fun. “The gnomes’ names, hobbies and pets always make the students laugh,” Emily says. “We create gnomes out of Shrinky Dink plastic. It gets them thinking about scale from the get-go.”

Just as Wright considered his clients’ hobbies when designing a home (think Fallingwater’s footbath for post-hike 11

rinsing, or the plunge pool for early morning dips), students consider their gnome’s design needs and aesthetic preferences,” says Ashley.

“They are prompted to study Fallingwater for inspiration.”

Students are encouraged to design in harmony with nature, thinking about sustainability and creating environmentally friendly designs. Students select materials on hand, the way Wright used local sandstone when he constructed Fallingwater, Ashley says. “The project can be completed for zero dollars using materials found in their home.”

Miles had a tall order. Wiby, accustomed to living in nature beneath mushroom caps, preferred clean energy. His many pet snakes required a garden. There should

be an indoor pool for winter, an outdoor pool for summer and a playroom because, well, everyone needs a playroom. A library housing Wiby’s mystery book collection practically demanded a secret door leading to a guest room. To construct Wiby’s three-story forever home, Miles sourced an affordable, yet sturdy, material found around his own house: cardboard.

His hard work paid off with a fine house for Wiby and a trip to Fallingwater for the Gnome House Symposium in May. At the optional symposium, for which there is no cost, students can display their Gnome House, meet other young architects and take a gnome’s-eye-view tour of Fallingwater.

Some of Emily’s students participated in the

2024 symposium. “It really made them feel special,” she says.

Now an experienced Gnome House architect, Miles offers great advice for wouldbe architects of tiny houses or for anyone daring to dream big. “Have fun, and be creative…but most of all, have fun! Anything is possible when you’re part of a team.”

Students in grades 3 through 7 may enroll in the Gnome House Challenge at any time on a year-round rolling admission.

The cost for individual families is $50 for one child, and $10 per subsequent child.

For information or for specific pricing information for schools, contact Amy Humbert at ahumbert@paconserve.org.

EXPLORE. CREATE. DISCOVER. THROUGH K-12 PROGRAMS

In addition to the Gnome House Design Challenge, students in kindergarten through grade 12 can participate in exploration, creative expression and self-discovery through a variety of onsite or virtual programs at Fallingwater. Visit Fallingwater.org/ education to learn more.

• Virtual Field Trips: Recommended for students in grades 3-12, these guided explorations of Fallingwater include virtual access to some interior spaces. They connect learning about Fallingwater to lessons in fine art, science, math, history or language arts.

• Onsite Field Trips: For groups of 10 students or more with chaperones and led by experienced Fallingwater educators, field trips inspire learning in science, engineering, math, language arts, visual art, design and more.

• Family Field Trips: Children in grades K-12 enjoy the outdoors during a private exterior tour of the house and its landscape.

Families learn about the science, technology, design and history of Fallingwater through a series of hands-on activities.

• High School Residencies: Residencies provide opportunities for immersive studio-based learning, career exploration, creative expression and self-discovery in a collaborative, supportive environment.

• Virtual Summer Camps: Appropriate for high school students of all skill levels and led by expert instructors, these weeklong educational programs allow students to learn about careers, design, architecture, fine art and more, while preparing for the college application process–all from the comfort of home.

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TREE AI?

State-of-the-Art Inventory Underway

Pittsburgh Street Tree Inventory contractors from Davey Resource Group use a vehicle with lidar sensing technology to scan trees in order to help expedite the inventorying process.

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o you know the locations of and what species are among the tallest trees in the City of Pittsburgh? Or, do you have ideas of where new trees should be planted in the city?

Work is underway on a new “smart” tree inventory project that is tasked with answering those questions, and more, using state-ofthe-art methods to gather comprehensive data on Pittsburgh’s tree canopy. The 2024 Pittsburgh Street Tree Inventory is the first effort in the country to utilize AI technology to expedite the process of inventorying street trees.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is managing the inventory and working in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission, the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works Forestry Division (Forestry), PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Davey Resource Group.

This new smart street tree inventory will provide current data, updating key metrics collected through an inventory conducted 10 years ago. The inventory will not only assess the many vital benefits 13

trees are providing for Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, but the results will lay a new foundation for continued fundraising, advocacy and investments in community forestry work in the City of Pittsburgh.

The inventory will be critical in areas where there is a need to increase tree canopy and improve tree equity to build resilience against the impacts of pollution and climate change.

This inventory is being conducted as part of a pilot program to use lidar sensing technology created

by Greehill, a subcontractor to Davey Resource Group, to produce 3D models and automated Stephanie White-Stroud takes a analyses to assess tree selfie with a redbud tree she planted health and conditions. in the City of Pittsburgh’s Knoxville community.

Vehicles retrofitted with a combination of high-resolution cameras, mobile laser scanning, terrestrial laser scanning and proprietary machine learning algorithms collected the data from September through early November 2024. During this process, analysts slowly drove vehicles through Pittsburgh neighborhoods, scanning trees. From January through March 2025, certified arborists and foresters from Davey Resource Group will conduct field work to fully assess maintenance needs and recalculate data that may be incomplete.

The comprehensive data from the inventory will result in new recommendations for tree planting goals, including prioritizing locations for increasing tree canopy. The data will also inform a detailed updated benefits analysis report. A new online portal, where the public can access tree data, will also be included, as well as a 10-year management plan that includes major tree pruning and removal recommendations.

Pittsburgh resident Stephanie White-Stroud came to Pittsburgh in 1994 for graduate school, and is pleased to know there is a new inventory underway where she and others can assess current tree conditions and locations, and help determine where trees could be planted in the future. “I remember how green Pittsburgh was then,” she recalls, “and it is reassuring that sustaining attention for tree-planting efforts and care through WPC will continue to make my neighborhood and others in the region even greener.”

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This spring, she planted an Eastern redbud in her Knoxville neighborhood at a TreeVitalize Pittsburgh volunteer planting event with Tree Pittsburgh. “It’s a great feeling to see ‘my tree’ in the community still standing and flourishing,” says Stephanie, who grew up planting trees with her grandparents in South Carolina. “I’m always looking for more opportunities to plant trees. It’s just a part of roots,” she adds with a smile.

The new inventory will help determine where major investments in tree plantings will occur in Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including along streets, and in parks.

Conservancy Senior Director for Community Forestry and TreeVitalize Pittsburgh Jeff Bergman says street tree inventories are a great way to understand and share how these largescale investments can be tailored on a community level. They have always been a catalyst for innovation.

“Whether AI or lidar sensing, these new technologies allow us to find innovative ways to gather and interpret data faster and more efficiently and provide an updated roadmap that supports and informs how and where we plant street trees to make investments in low canopy and underinvested communities,” says Jeff.

Thanks to a comprehensive street tree inventory completed in 2005—the first major

investment in urban forestry in Pittsburgh at that time by the Pittsburgh Shade Tree Commission—thousands of trees have been planted in communities across the region.

Moreover, data from that inventory uncovered substantial needs for extensive tree pruning and removals, and for major investments in tree plantings across City of

Tree Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Parks Department and City of Pittsburgh Forestry Division. Although the TreeVitalize Pittsburgh project and other WPC community forestry work has enabled plantings throughout Allegheny County since 2011 with a total of more than 40,000 trees and 18,000 volunteers, there is an ongoing need for tree plantings throughout the Pittsburgh to help increase resilience against climate change, promote sustainability and environmental justice, and improve the overall quality of life for all residents.

Healthy trees and their canopy provide many measurable benefits to communities including cleaner water and air, higher property values, increased economic activity and reduced adverse health outcomes.

New Inventory to Inform New Project’s Green Decisions

Rick Duncan is in his happy place among trees and shrubs along Allegheny River Boulevard in Penn Hills.

Pittsburgh neighborhoods, including along streets and in parks and open spaces. This set the stage for two important community investments: the creation of Tree Pittsburgh in 2006 to manage contracted tree pruning and removals, and create community outreach and education programming; and, in 2008, the establishment of TreeVitalize Pittsburgh, a project created by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and managed by the Conservancy, to address tree canopy loss in Pittsburgh through community engagement and volunteer tree plantings.

More than 27,000 street and park trees have been planted with the help of 9,800 volunteers in the City of Pittsburgh through the TreeVitalize Pittsburgh partnership, which also includes DCNR,

Penn Hills resident Rick Duncan is a busy man who wears many hats, but if you ask him about trees…he’ll actually slow down. “I find myself in awe of trees. Trees are one of the most majestic and important living organisms on Earth, and we owe it to our communities and future generations to protect and steward them,” Rick shares.

As a self-proclaimed data geek and retired GIS analyst, it’s come as no surprise that he recently cofounded the nonprofit Allegheny River Boulevard Preservation Association, to restore, preserve and enhance the natural and built environments along Allegheny River Boulevard (ARB), a six-mile roadway through the City of Pittsburgh, Penn Hills, Verona and Oakmont communities that provides views to the Allegheny River. In 1994, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office designated ARB as a significant Historic District, eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Part of the preservation efforts for this scenic roadway are ecological improvements, which include removing and reducing invasive species, planting new trees and shrubs, and caring for existing native vegetation.

Rick, who is part of several community conservation efforts, was pleased that many trees along ARB will be included in the 2024 Pittsburgh Street Tree Inventory using GIS assessments.

“Having this information about trees along ARB will be a game-changer for our management plan, greatly informing our restoration and reforestation decisions in the Allegheny Valley now and into the future,” Rick says. “Trees and their benefits are vital in safeguarding the delicate balance of ecosystems and biodiversity, and I’m appreciative we’re partnering to improve the trees and traveling experience for the communities and visitors of the Allegheny Valley.”

And, in case the beginning of this article made you wonder…two of the tallest trees in the City of Pittsburgh are a bald cypress in Mellon Park and a European hornbeam in Arsenal Park. Don’t forget to let us know at trees@ paconserve.org if you have ideas for new street tree planting locations.

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A new accessible trail (pictured on right) will provide access to and views of future new native trees and wildflowers at this location at the Oakford Park Nature Reserve in Westmoreland County.

N E NEWGRE CHAPTER

FOR ANOLDRELIC

“We’re pleased to be addressing community needs while enhancing access to nature and improving wildlife habitat, now and in the future.”

— Andy Zadnik, the Conservancy's senior director of land stewardship

S

ometimes it is good to change history for the “greener.” That’s why work to restore some of the land that was once home to the historic local landmark, Oakford Park, in Jeannette, Westmoreland County, is currently underway.

Oakford Park opened in 1896 as a place where people could enjoy the outdoors through picnicking, swimming and amusement park attractions, making the grounds a community staple and meeting destination for decades. Although the park closed in 1938, its swimming pool, constructed in 1921, remained open until the 1980s. The most visible remnants of the park, including the pool, were removed by 2003. Today, a gas station marks the spot where the park’s trolley entrance once stood.

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“Oakford Park offered a sense of place and being,” says Penn Township resident Regis McHugh, who acquired the property in 2020. He and his wife, Jamie, donated the land to the Conservancy in 2022 with the hopes that it could be restored and once again be used as a local community greenspace.

“The property sat vacant for years, but we always believed it had so much potential for the greater good to help the community, environment and nature thrive,” Regis recalls. “We had many good times there and didn’t want to see this important local history vanish.”

With the McHughs’ help, the Conservancy began a community-led process soon after the property was donated to

The Conservancy completed work in late October on an 11-space parking area, with two accessible parking spaces, at the new Oakford Park Nature Reserve.

Oakford Park was one of many trolley parks in the region, where the end of a trolley line transitioned into a park entrance. Today, a gas station marks this spot.

provide residents, local community leaders and other stakeholders with opportunities to imagine future possibilities for Oakford Park.

Through surveys and community meetings—held in conjunction with multiple local partners including the Westmoreland County Conservation District, Friends of Oakford Park and Westmorland Land Trust—local municipal leaders and community residents participated in discussions to create a vision to revitalize the existing greenspace. Some of the initial outreach included visits to explore possible wildlife restoration projects and seek locations for tree plantings along Brush Creek, which runs through the property.

A photo of visitors enjoying recreation attractions at Oakford Park, which officially opened to the public in 1896, in Jeannette.

“The discussions helped us to determine how people in the community might want to use it in the future,” says Conservancy Vice President of Land Conservation Shaun Fenlon. “Their feedback has been so instrumental in helping to create a preliminary vision for this green space and how it can better serve the community,” explains Shaun, who said residents shared many ideas, from walking trails and exercise areas to playgrounds and community gardens.

Residents also communicated that they felt it important to ensure that the greenspace offers a place for recreation, such as fishing and hiking, as well as supporting wildlife, such as pollinators and birds. The process was meant to be inclusive and incorporate a wide array of new ideas, opportunities and 17

challenges, Shaun says, adding, “We are so appreciative of everyone’s good thinking and feedback.”

The high level of interest, coupled with an increasing number of visitors exploring the site over the past few years, necessitated short-term measures to improve public access to the site, including clearing invasive plants and overgrowth, removing tons of debris, and enhancing biodiversity with native shrubs, plants and trees.

With 45 nature preserves and 130 community gardens across the region, the Conservancy is well-positioned to receive community input and use its expertise to create a restoration plan to help transform some areas of the green space.

“We don’t install or manage playground equipment or swimming pools on our preserves, but we do restore areas with native plantings, create rain gardens and make site access improvements with parking and trails,” says Conservancy Senior Director of Land Stewardship Andy Zadnik. “And that’s exactly what we’ve done here at the new Oakford Park Nature Reserve thanks to funding from the Richard King Mellon Foundation.”

Swamp milkweed, wild bergamot, lance leaved aster, common milkweed and black-eyed Susan are just some of the native wildflowers one can expect to see in the rain garden meadow and around the new parking lot next spring. Designed by Conservancy

staff to enhance pollinator habitat, the 60-foot-long rain garden will capture stormwater during heavy rain events, slowly absorbing and releasing the rainwater into a nearby storm drain to prevent flooding at the preserve. The Conservancy also completed work in late October on an 11-space parking area, with two accessible parking spaces, at the entrance of a .2-mile accessible trail. A picnic table and initial signage will be added later this year, along with 20 native trees, including eastern redbud, red maple, American basswood and oak species.

“We’re pleased to be addressing community needs while enhancing access to nature and improving wildlife habitat, now and in the future,” adds Andy. “If the community has future visions for this space, the good news is that these enhancements will provide a healthier and more sustainable greenspace for future Oakford Park improvements.”

Local stakeholders and community residents, including Regis, are looking forward to fully realizing the additional possibilities of this historic land.

“We’re excited that our donation helped spark conversations about the future of local greenspace in our community,” Regis says.

“We can’t think of a better partner than the Conservancy to lead this effort and help Oakford Park start its new green chapter.”

A future 60-foot-long rain garden in this location will capture stormwater during heavy rain events and include wildflowers such as coneflower, wild bergamot, swamp milkweed and boneset.

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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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AT

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.

m Cynt o r F u hia o Y C nk

ow a rr

ha

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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800 Waterfront Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15222 412-288-2777 info@paconserve.org WaterLandLife.org Fallingwater.org

note to printer: FSC placement

Nature thrives on connections—between species, habitats, and communities. Every river that flows, every forest that stands, and every wildlife corridor that exists plays a critical role in sustaining our environment.

Our work to protect Western PA’s wild places and green spaces thrives because of our connection with passionate and dedicated individuals like you. Member support is at the heart of all of our efforts.

Together, we are a powerful force for local conservation – protecting Western Pennsylvania’s land and wildlife, restoring our rivers and streams, and preserving our region’s most exceptional places.

Please consider renewing your membership, give a gift membership, or making a special year-end gift today.

Scan the QR code or visit WaterLandLife.org/Donate.