Westmoreland Land Trust

09/06/2026

💦 This past week’s Pennsylvania Master Naturalist training took us from the classroom straight into Monastery Run at St. Xavier Nature Preserve!

A huge thank you to Carla Ruddock, Director of Conservation with Mountain Watershed Association, for leading our Westmoreland County PA Master Naturalist trainees through this week’s topic, Water in the Landscape.

Trainees explored both natural and human-made influences on our local watersheds and learned about different methods used to assess water quality.

The group then headed to Monastery Run, where they used kick nets and D-nets to collect aquatic macroinvertebrates before bringing their samples back to the classroom for a closer look and identification. Among their finds were crayfish, riffle beetles, and both free-swimming and case-building caddisflies.

Another great evening of hands-on learning and a beautiful meadow sunset on the hike back! 🌅💧🌿

09/04/2026

Storm damage update: Nothing like the help of volunteers to get the job done! 🌳

After last night’s storm left debris down throughout St. Xavier Nature Preserve, our volunteers wasted no time getting to work.

A huge thank you to our Lead Stewards Darryl and Barry, who spent the morning on chainsaw duty clearing fallen trees and limbs, and to Charlene, who headed up branch patrol with the UTV. There was a lot to tackle, and we are incredibly grateful for the time and hard work they continually give to St. Xavier.

We also want to give a big shout out to the Unity Township Road Department and Unity Township Volunteer Fire Department, who had the trees cleared from St. Xavier Road in lightning speed.

It takes a community to clean up after storms like this, and today was a great reminder of just how fortunate we are to have ours.

09/04/2026

We hope everyone is safe after last night’s storms.

We have quite a bit of cleanup ahead of us at St. Xavier Nature Preserve this morning, with large limbs and trees down throughout the property.

But in the midst of the damage, we loved finding this little reminder of nature’s resilience. 🍄 Huge branches came crashing down just inches away—yet somehow, this tiny mushroom remained standing.

For now, St. Xavier Road and access to St. Xavier Nature Preserve are closed today while cleanup is underway. Please stay safe and avoid the area. We’re hopeful we’ll be able to reopen soon.

Thank you to Unity Township Volunteer Fire Department and Road Department for all of their work keeping everyone safe and working on the now two trees that feel across power lines along St Xavier Rd.

Anyone who is available to help us today with chainsaw work, please feel free to stop by. We will never turn down help.

Stay safe, everyone and thank you for your patience while we get St. Xavier cleaned up with our volunteers.

09/02/2026

Statue restoration update at St. Xavier! 🌿

We’re excited to share another update on our work to preserve some of the special historic features found throughout St. Xavier Nature Preserve, once home to St. Xavier Academy.

The restoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary statue at the entrance to the grounds is now complete, while work on the Saint Thérèse statue at the historic grotto is nearing completion, thanks to Arch Masonry in Mt. Pleasant.

A huge thank you to dedicated WLT volunteer Bernie Scherer, who has generously given his time and talents over 2 years to carefully restore the wall at the grotto with his masonry expertise.

And another big thank you to Barry Williams, who restored the concrete bridge leading to the grotto, making this beautiful area easier for visitors to access and enjoy.

These projects are wonderful examples of how our volunteers help us care for both the natural and cultural history of St. Xavier—one project at a time. 💚
Stay tuned for more progress!

09/01/2026

🦌 We ❤️ Our Hunters! 🌿

Thanks to the hard work of eight Westmoreland Land Trust hunters and also staff, our new pedestrian bridge and connector trail at St. Xavier Nature Preserve is officially complete—ahead of schedule and ready for use!

Over two volunteer workdays, this incredible group donated their time, skills, tools, and a whole lot of hard work to build the bridge and complete a new trail circuit connection through the preserve.

Our hunters play an important role in responsible land stewardship and deer management, but their contributions go far beyond hunting season. They volunteer countless hours helping us maintain trails, improve habitat, care for our properties, and make these special places better for everyone who visits.

This new connection is part of our larger effort to expand and better connect St. Xavier’s trail system, giving visitors more opportunities to experience the preserve’s meadows, forests, and streams.

We are incredibly grateful for people who don't just enjoy the land—they roll up their sleeves and help care for it.

🗺️ Stay tuned—we'll be releasing an updated St. Xavier trail map soon so you can explore the new connection for yourself! For now, stop in at 106 Saint Xavier Rd during a week day and we'll point you in the right direction.

08/31/2026

🌳 📣 St. Xavier Community Tree Planting Kickoff

Saturday, September 12 | 9:30 AM–12:30 PM
📍 St. Xavier Nature Preserve | 106 St. Xavier Road, Latrobe

Join the Westmoreland Land Trust and students from Seton Hill University as we kick off an exciting fall effort to plant 1,300 trees at St. Xavier Nature Preserve!

This community volunteer morning will mark the beginning of our larger-scale fall planting effort with Friendship Farms. Volunteers will help with tree planting and tending, giving newly planted trees the care they need and tending our grove that was planted 3 years ago. Help restore habitat and grow the next generation of forest at St. Xavier.

No experience is necessary—just come ready to get your hands dirty and make a lasting difference!

Please bring: work gloves, long pants, sturdy closed-toe shoes, and a reusable water bottle.

🌱 Help us kick off 1,300 new beginnings at St. Xavier!

08/30/2026

🌿 Another great week of Pennsylvania Master Naturalist training at St. Xavier Nature Preserve!

This week, Erik Raulinaitis, WLT Land Stewardship & Projects Coordinator, led the cohort through the fascinating intersection of ecology and place.

During a walk through The Grove, Erik encouraged participants to imagine what St. Xavier may have looked like 500 years ago and then consider the environmental and human-made changes that have shaped the landscape we see today. The group also explored the many layers involved in thoughtful, ethical land restoration and conservation.

Back in the classroom, Pam Curtin, PA Master Naturalist and Director of Visitor Engagement at West Overton Village, introduced participants to the Master Naturalist iNaturalist Project and showed the group how to document their observations and take them from casual sightings to research-grade data. 🌱🔎

We love seeing St. Xavier serve as a place of education and training for Westmoreland County residents.

Thank you to Erik and Pam for sharing their knowledge with this year’s cohort! 🌳

08/29/2026

A late-summer stroll through Twin Lakes Meadow is calling. 🌾🌸

This is a beautiful time of year to wander the meadow paths and catch the last of the summer wildflowers among the tall native grasses before the seasons begin to change.

📍Twin Lakes Meadow
333 Streetpark Lp
Greensburg, PA 15601

And keeping a meadow like this healthy takes work behind the scenes. A special thank you to our Lead Steward, Nancy King, who spent time at Twin Lakes Meadow this week removing teasel, an invasive plant that can crowd out native species. We are always looking for more volunteers to join Nancy and our team. Please reach out if you're interested at [email protected].

Take a walk, slow down, and enjoy one of the last glimpses of summer at Twin Lakes Meadow. 🌿

08/27/2026

We love our hunters! 🌿🥾

A huge thank you to our hunters who spent time this past weekend beginning work on a multi-phase trail connectivity project at St. Xavier Nature Preserve!

This project will extend and better connect St. Xavier’s current four miles of trails, creating opportunities to experience even more of this incredibly diverse 350-acre preserve in a single hike.

Our hunters don't just help us manage deer populations—they also give back their time and expertise to help us care for and improve the land for everyone who enjoys it.

Their second workday is this Saturday, so stay tuned for more progress pictures soon! We can’t wait to show you where these new connections will lead. 🌳

As a reminder, hunting on Westmoreland Land Trust property requires a written permit from Westmoreland Land Trust. Restrictions and requirements exist. Hunting without written permission is not allowed.

08/26/2026

A huge thank you to Westmoreland Heritage Trail volunteers who installed our new signs along the trail!

We’re proud to partner with WHT and the many organizations, municipalities, and volunteers working together to protect and enhance this important corridor.

The signs mark a few of the boundaries of property in the Turtle Creek Gorge in Trafford conserved by Westmoreland Land Trust that will remain protected for generations to come.

There’s even more to celebrate! We are thrilled about the recent announcement from Rep. Summer Lee's office, who joined us for this ribbon cutting, that over $1.075M will be invested to address abandoned mine drainage from the Biddle Mine to help continue efforts to restore the Turtle Creek watershed.

Congratulations to Westmoreland County and to our friends at Westmoreland Conservation District, Turtle Creek Watershed Association, and more for this momentous achievement and for all of their tireless work over the years.

Protected land. Cleaner water. Connected trails. Strong partnerships.

To those who share in our vision and mission, thank you for your continued support.

Welcome to our new partner Westmoreland Land Trust!