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We are a member-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring the region’s waters, forests, natural areas and wildlife, planting community trees, gardens and greenspaces, and caring for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. |
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Give Back to Nature Near You: Help Western PA's Wild Places & Green Spaces Thrive |
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From 68 miles of streams restored to 800 trees planted in urban areas, the Conservancy’s work in 2025 has touched communities across our region and helped wildlife thrive – all possible thanks to the passion and generosity of WPC supporters. Here is a small sample of projects you’ve helped us advance or achieve so far in 2025!
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More than 650 volunteers and community partners helped us plant 800 trees in 73 City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods and 57 municipalities in 2025, to increase tree canopy, provide wildlife habitat, manage stormwater runoff and provide shade.
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With volunteers and community groups, we planted 4,100 native perennials and shrubs in 27 of our 130 community gardens, to support pollinators and absorb stormwater runoff.
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We’ve conserved 2,195 acres of forested land to date in 2025.
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We installed new parking areas or signage at two WPC preserves to improve access to nature. At five preserves, volunteers helped build or improve trails. At six preserves, we enhanced forest ecosystems by controlling invasive plants and planting trees – including 71,000 trees at our Lake Pleasant Conservation Area.
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So far in 2025, our watershed conservation team has conserved or restored nearly 68 miles of stream and planted 19 acres of native riparian trees along streams to improve water quality, with many more to be planted by the year’s end!
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Natural Heritage Program biologists finished the second field season updating the County Natural Heritage Inventories for Franklin, Adams, York and Cumberland counties. The project will add natural heritage areas to a list of 350 areas that were inventoried more than 20 years ago and recognized for their ecological importance.
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With partners, we continue to advance work to share stories about underrepresented and marginalized people connected to the history of state parks and forests.
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We continued World Heritage Preserved, a multi-year effort to repair and preserve essential components of Fallingwater’s stone, concrete, roofs and steel systems.
Thank you! Your support makes a real difference for conservation and for future generations. Please make a one-time or monthly donation, or renew your membership today! Give back to nature near you and help Western Pennsylvania's wild places and green spaces thrive. |
 Give back to nature today |
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Register for Old-growth Forest Webinar |
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Old-growth forests—forests that have developed over a long period of time—have large trees and provide habitat for a variety of plant, animal and fungal species. Join us for a free webinar, “New Understandings of Old-Growth Forests,” on December 3 at 12 p.m.
WPC staff in the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program will discuss the unique ecology of old-growth forests in the state, where these forest types exist and the distinctive characteristics of these habitats. |
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Volunteer to Plant Trees, Care for Trails |
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Trees provide shade, offer shelter for wildlife and food for pollinators, sequester carbon, mitigate stormwater runoff and more!
Help us plant trees in communities and along streams in Allegheny County and beyond, during November and through December 6.
Or, join us for our final trail maintenance of 2025 at Toms Run Nature Reserve on November 8, followed by an optional potluck at our Pittsburgh office. |
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Visit Fallingwater in 2025 |
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As the colorful fall leaves transition to reveal a serene winter landscape, take a trip to the Laurel Highlands to visit Fallingwater. Experienced educators will help you understand Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture during interior tours, which are available throughout November, on weekends in December and December 26-30.
On November 13, join the contributors to Fallingwater’s new book, “Fallingwater: Living With and In Art,” for a webinar and panel discussion as they share stories about the art found in the house’s collection. |
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Attend an Archaeological Presentation |
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Attend a free presentation November 15 from 1-4 p.m. related to our Untold Stories Project. Indiana University of Pennsylvania Graduate Student Abdul Jones will present research and findings about the Laurel Hill Settlement, founded in the early 19th century by African-American settlers and located within Laurel Ridge State Park near Johnstown, Cambria County.
This will be at the Richland Campus of Pennsylvania Highlands Community College in Johnstown. Registration not required but appreciated by emailing qnpfc@iup.edu. |
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Partners Restore Culvert, Close Sinkhole |
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We recently held a small event to celebrate the completion of work in Westmoreland County to restore a sinkhole caused by the collapse of a stream culvert.
Thanks to many community and funding partners, the remediation work was completed on schedule, ultimately helping to prevent a similar collapse and reduce sediment into an unnamed tributary stream that flows into Loyalhanna Creek. |
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New Outdoor Classroom, Play Space Opens |
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Children and families from Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Spring Garden Early Childhood Center in Pittsburgh, with PNC Foundation and PPS officials and WPC staff, recently celebrated the completion of a 6,000-square-foot, outdoor learning and natural play spaces. Children can engage with an amphitheater, mud kitchen, project tables, chalk zone, a colorful art fence and more. PNC Grow Up Great, which has partnered with WPC since 2012 to support School Grounds Greening projects, made the $65,500 project possible. |
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Download Fall Images |
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When you explore Fallingwater and the surrounding Bear Run Nature Reserve, you experience the site as the Kaufmann family did, by discovering Fallingwater’s intimate relationship with the mountain landscape. Lose yourself in the sounds of Bear Run’s rushing waters as you view sandstone outcroppings and stroll along the stream surrounded by rhododendron and a colorful tree canopy. Observe wildlife as you explore 20 miles of blazed hiking trails on the preserve, a natural area integral to biodiversity conservation in the Laurel Highlands and the mid-Appalachian region. |
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Fallingwater Museum Store: Textiles! |
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Heirloom-worthy textiles make a return! As fall deepens and temperatures turn colder, we are excited to announce the return of our luxurious textiles – Ffenestr and Carreg – by London-based weaver Eleanor Pritchard. Pritchard developed the blanket and pillow designs during her visit to Fallingwater, where she drew inspiration from elements of the house. Over the years the textiles have garnered the attention of collectors from around the world. Offered as limited-edition pieces, the textiles are available exclusively at Fallingwater while supplies last. |
| Shop for these heirloom-worthy textiles |
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HELP WILD PLACES & GREEN SPACES THRIVE |
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GIVE BACK TO NATURE NEAR YOU |
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