Conservancy's Summit Today Precedes World Environment Day Events
Next Month
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
21 May 2010
By Joyce Gannon,
With water as the designated theme of ongoing World Environment Day
events in Pittsburgh, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy wanted to
play a more prominent role than just exhibitor and attendee at the
major global water conference that will take place here June 3.
So the conservancy organized its own summit, "The Story of Our Region's
Rivers and Streams," and made sure the event would not conflict with
the much larger "Water Matters!" event to be held at the David L.
Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.
The conservancy even altered the name of its event to avoid confusion.
The summit with a local perspective will take place 10 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. today at the conservancy's main office on Waterfront Drive,
Washington's Landing on Herrs Island.
The event will allow the conservancy to brief its members and the media
about how the nonprofit is working to improve and safeguard local water
sources. In addition to conservancy staff, David Hess, former secretary
of the state Department of Environmental Protection, will be a featured
speaker.
"We've been doing some really tremendous things on water quality at the
conservancy on a local, grass-roots level. We're making a difference,"
said Nick Pinizzotto, senior director of watershed conservation and
conservation services who is based at the conservancy's watershed
conservation program in Blairsville, Indiana County.
When the conservancy was created in 1932, it was known as the Greater
Pittsburgh Parks Association and had a mission to provide public works
jobs during the Great Depression with projects such as landscaping a
park along Bigelow Boulevard. Over the years, it has been known
primarily for land conservation and the preservation of Fallingwater,
the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Mill Run, Fayette County.
But in the last decade, it has stepped up its focus on water, said Mr.
Pinizzotto.
Among the conservancy projects he will highlight in his presentation is
one at the Little Mahoning Creek Watershed in Indiana County, which he
characterized as "probably the most intact watershed in Western
Pennsylvania."
Because of its healthy population of fish, the creek is an economic
resource that attracts tourists to the region, so the conservancy has
worked closely with the local community to ensure the water quality.
"It's our comprehensive approach: the community is the steward. It's a
case study of how we go about our work," said Mr. Pinizzotto. "It's
definitely not a top-down approach."
Besides talking about water quality projects today, the conservancy
will give an on-site overview of its Allegheny River mapping project
along the river's bank outside its offices.
Pittsburgh was selected last fall by the United Nations Environment
Programme as the North American host city for World Environment Day.
While World Environment Day will be celebrated June 5, activities have
been going on throughout the region since Earth Day in April.
Another event leading up to World Environment Day will take place
Thursday when the Rachel Carson Homestead Association and the Carnegie
Museum of Natural History host a symposium on biodiversity.
The featured speaker will be E.O. Wilson, a Pulitzer Prize winner and
Harvard University scientist who supplied data to Ms. Carson, an
environmentalist born in Springdale, when she wrote the book, "Silent
Spring." Mr. Wilson will receive the Rachel Carson Legacy Award at the
event.
For more information on upcoming World Environment Day events, go to
www.pittsburghwed.com.
Joyce Gannon: jgannon@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1580.