Westmoreland Land Trust

10/31/2026

📸🍂 We Have our Fall Photo Contest Winner! 🏆

Sometimes, it's the little things in nature that make the biggest impression! 🐿️🍁

Congratulations to Daniel Cowell, whose beautiful photo taken at Ackermann Nature Preserve captured a great combination of fall color and wildlife! This little chipmunk, busy preparing for the changing season, reminds us to slow down and appreciate the small wonders all around us.

🍁 Thank you to all who participated in our photo contest! We loved seeing the the preserves through your lens.

🎉 Daniel, congratulations! We'll have your WLT swag ready for you!

📷 Photo credit: Daniel Cowell

10/30/2026

🎂 🎈 We had a great time celebrating our Volunteer Land Steward Barry's 83rd birthday yesterday! Barry contributes countless hours of his time to caring for and maintaining St. Xavier Nature Preserve every week.

WLT is powered by volunteers like Barry. 💪 Thank you, Barry, for all you do and Happy Birthday! 🎉

10/29/2026

Thank you to TribLive Westmoreland for joining us in the field yesterday!

On a sun-drenched late October afternoon, a group of Greater Latrobe High School students and FirstEnergy Corp. employee volunteers got their hands dirty planting about 200 saplings, which are expected to convert part of a former farm field in Unity into a forest in a decade, providing more habitat....

10/28/2026

🌳 🌳 4,000 trees, one growing forest! We're getting closer to our 2026 goal at St. Xavier Nature Preserve, with the final trees set to take root this November!

Today, we welcomed Greater Latrobe School District Environmental Science Capstone students and local FirstEnergy employee volunteers for the first day of Phase 3 of our community tree planting kickoff!

Building on last month's planting with Seton Hill University and our community Earth Day planting, today's volunteers helped plant a diversity of native trees as part of our larger effort to restore forest habitat at St. Xavier.

Friendship Farms in Latrobe starts the last phase of planting 1,300 trees that will complete our countdown this November! More to come.

💚 A huge thank-you to Greater Latrobe students and educators, First Energy, and DCNR's Forbes State Forest, whose extensive expertise and assistance have been instrumental in this ongoing restoration effort.

We're also especially grateful to the many community volunteers who have helped plant and care for these trees over the years. This is what conservation looks like when a community comes together! 🌿

10/27/2026

🍁 Have you experienced fall in the Grove at St. Xavier Nature Preserve?

Towering trees planted over generations are showing off their autumn best, creating a magical space to enjoy the season.

Places like this in our region remind us why protecting local land matters. 🍂 We hope you visit us soon.

10/26/2026

🌿 Our final field trip for Westmoreland County PA Master Naturalist trainees began at the Monastery Run Improvement Project, where Beth Bollinger of Saint Vincent College Chemistry Department led a fascinating tour of the 20-acre wetland treatment system designed to address abandoned mine drainage (AMD) and improve water quality in the Loyalhanna Creek watershed.

🌱 Next, we headed to Duff Park in Murrysville, where Pia van de Venne shared her incredible knowledge of invasive plants and decades of experience working to protect local ecosystems. Pia also founded Friends of Murrysville Parks.

Then, Dan Corrall led the group on a hike to put their new knowledge into practice. Trainees identified and removed invasive species, including garlic mustard and barberry, along the way.,

A huge thank-you to Beth, Pia, Dan, and everyone who helped make these field trips such valuable learning experiences for our PA Master Naturalist trainees!

🍃 What a great way to wrap up this portion of the program!

10/25/2026

📸 🍁 Don't forget about Westmoreland Land Trust's Fall Photo Contest!

It's not too late to submit your fall photos from our preserves. Deadline is October 30th!

Details below 👇 There is no limit on the number of entries. We've got some great photos already - thank you! Keep them coming! 🍂

🍁📸 Westmoreland Land Trust Fall Photo Contest!

Fall is a beautiful time to explore our preserves, and we want to see autumn through your lens!

Share your best fall photos taken at a Westmoreland Land Trust preserve with us!

📷 How to Enter:
🍂 Take a fall photo at one of our nature preserves.
🍂 Share your photo in the comments below.
🍂 Include the name of the preserve where it was taken.
🏆 The winning photographer will receive WLT swag, recognition on our page, and a special feature on our website!

Deadline: October 30th at midnight

📍 St. Xavier Nature Preserve | Meadowlark Nature & Art Park | Ackermann Nature Preserve | Turtle Creek Gorge | Twin Lakes Meadow

Find info about locations and more on our website!

10/23/2026

🍂 We had a wonderful visit yesterday with our friends from Mid Penn Bank at Meadowlark Nature & Art Park!

We're so grateful for Mid Penn Bank's continued investment in our nature education programs through Pennsylvania's Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) Program.

🌿 With classroom workshops, teacher professional development, and program planning in full swing, their generosity helps us bring meaningful, hands-on nature education to students across Westmoreland County. Last school year, their support helped us reach over 6,500 Westmoreland County students. We couldn't do it without community-minded businesses like Mid Penn Bank!

A special thank-you to Melinda and Rachel for taking the time to visit and for sharing in our mission!

10/22/2026

We are so grateful to The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County for supporting our nature education programs in Westmoreland County School Districts and helping us partner with local educators to bring hands-on nature learning to Westmoreland County students both inside the classroom and outside at our nature preserves.

This generous grant will specifically help us reach more children not only in the classroom but also with meaningful outdoor learning opportunities in communities where access to these experiences may be limited.

Did you know? In 2025-2026, Westmoreland Land Trust Education Manager Dr. Paula Purnell delivered over 260 workshops in 11 Westmoreland County School Districts, reaching over 6,500 Westmoreland County students!

The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County has awarded 9 grants totaling more than $103,000 to Westmoreland County nonprofits working in areas of the county where a high percentage of the population lives in poverty.

“These grants are designed to help organizations respond to urgent needs and meaningful opportunities in Westmoreland County,” said CFWC Executive Director McCrae Martino. “By investing in programs that support individuals and families facing financial hardship and strengthen the communities where they live, we can help build a more vibrant, resilient county.”

The 9 organizations receiving grants are:
Christian Layman Corps
Heroes Never Alone Inc
Fight the Blight
Laurel Highlands Workforce & Opportunity Center
University of Pittsburgh
Westmoreland Bar Foundation
Westmoreland County Blind Association
Westmoreland Children First
Westmoreland Land Trust

Read the full announcement here: https://cfwestmoreland.org/news/2026-grants

10/21/2026

🌳 We're getting excited for our next community tree planting at St. Xavier Nature Preserve!

These young trees provided by FirstEnergy are getting ready for their new home! Next week, we'll be joined by FirstEnergy employee volunteers and Greater Latrobe School District Environmental Science Capstone students for Phase 2 of our community planting kickoff, building off our planting with Seton Hill University last month.

Then, in just a few weeks, Friendship Farms in Latrobe will plant 1,300 more trees, helping restore habitat and grow a healthier forest for generations to come! 🌱 This will make well over 1,700 trees planted this year at St. Xavier, on top of the 2,300 planted in 2023. 4,000 trees.

Thank YOU to all of the community volunteers who have been part of this huge effort of planting and tending to these trees over the years, and thank you especially to Forbes State Forest for their extensive help in these efforts.