Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

All of our efforts are based on a three-year strategic plan that is broken down into measurable goals for each program area. The current strategic plan covered 2015 through 2017, and includes the following: <br/>o Protecting Land: We will protect the exceptional places of Western Pennsylvania for future generations focusing on ecologically significant areas and important forested landscapes, watersheds and agricultural, scenic and recreational lands. <br/>o Caring for Protected Land: We will provide exemplary stewardship of our properties and conservation easements in Western Pennsylvania for their protection in perpetuity. We will manage our properties to protect native plants and wildlife, and for public enjoyment, recreation, and education.<br/>o Preserving and Presenting Fallingwater: We will preserve Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and conserve the site for which it was designed, interpreting the historic, aesthetic, experiential, and social values they represent for present and future generations of the world community. <br/>o Conserving Watersheds: We will conserve and restore priority watersheds of Western Pennsylvania, resulting in improved water quality, in-stream habitats, riparian corridors, and aquatic life. <br/>o Greening Our Communities: We will enhance Western Pennsylvania's cities and towns by implementing high-impact greening projects to promote attractive and healthy environments and livable places, thereby helping to revitalize communities and reduce impact on undeveloped lands and natural resources.<br/>o Guiding Conservation with Science: WPC will provide the highest quality science, data and analysis to guide conservation of Pennsylvania's natural resources. <br/>o Engaging Every Generation: We will communicate the mission and work of WPC to inspire engagement and support across generations.<br/>o Cultivating Our Youth: Recognizing that a sustainable future depends on an engaged and informed youth, we will provide educational activities across program areas using our properties, projects, and staff expertise.<br/>o Embracing Our Community: We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive organization through focused initiatives and partnerships to engage a broad community.<br/>o Informing Public Policy: We will take a leadership role in fostering and promoting sound and responsible public policies by building awareness and engagement of public officials to advance and support conservation and restoration of Western Pennsylvania's exceptional places. <br/>o Addressing Energy Impacts: WPC will work to avoid and minimize impacts from energy development to Pennsylvania's land, water and ecological resources through scientific study, public policy and conservation actions.<br/>

The Conservancy has a highly qualified and long-tenured staff. As President and CEO, Thomas D. Saunders has provided sound leadership since 2008. We place a high value on accountability and transparency in all of our activities. <br/><br/>We accomplish our work with the help of more than 12,000 volunteers and partners who help us plant and maintain community gardens and trees, care for our protected properties and ensure that visitors at Fallingwater have an enjoyable experience. <br/>

In order to assess progress toward our strategic goals, the Conservancy holds quarterly update meetings that are attended by all senior staff. We walk through each strategic initiative and report on quantifiable goals, such as number of acres conserved or number of stream miles stabilized.

Since our founding in 1932, support from individuals, foundations and corporations has helped the Conservancy become the largest regional conservation organization in Pennsylvania, achieving the following impact: <br/>• Assist in establishing ten state parks and adding acreage to existing state parks, game lands and state forests; <br/>• Protect more than 255,000 acres of land with ecological and recreational values and ensure healthy working forests and farmland, including more than 22,000 acres in the last two years; <br/>• Enhance or restore more than 3,000 stream miles through streamside plantings and in-stream construction projects that reduce erosion, provide habitat for aquatic organisms and protect the quality of the region's drinking water; <br/>• Transform local communities into healthy living environments by planting more than 130 community flower and vegetable gardens each year, planting and caring for 27,000 shade trees, and implementing green infrastructure projects, such as bioswales and water-capturing tree pits that address critical stormwater management issues in urban areas. <br/>• Host more than five million visitors at Fallingwater, including a record 181,000 in 2016, allowing people of all ages to experience the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright and engage them in understanding Fallingwater's history's through a robust education program that includes public tours, internships, lectures and school programs. <br/><br/>With the help of our members, partners and volunteers we will continue to advance our mission to protect Western Pennsylvania's extraordinary places. <br/>