Washington County, alongside Pittsburgh and the Southwestern PA Region, has a storied history of being at the forefront of environmental conservation, restoration, and stewardship. For decades, the people of this community have risen to the task of caring for our public lands and waterways, including the plethora of animal and marine life that inhabit them. Nonprofits and their volunteers work hard to provide clean, safe, and equitable natural landscapes. A deep respect for our ecosystems and the agricultural activity that helps to sustain our population remains at the heart of this mission to help create a healthier and happier place for all of us to call home.
One person who understands this truth is Virginia McAnulty, who currently serves as vice-president of the Washington County Watershed Alliance (WCWA). As a kid growing up on a farm along the Monongahela River, McAnulty couldn’t yet comprehend the scope of environmentalism as a movement, but she could intuit the importance of the natural world on a personal level, surrounded by “all the mushrooms, trees, bugs, and critters a kid could ask for.” As an adult, she experienced firsthand the aftermath of the area’s vast development and knew she had to act.
“When I started witnessing the decimation and degradation of the natural landscape around me, the fact it could be ‘lost’ permeated my consciousness,” she says. “By the time I moved back to this area in 2005, the conversion of forest and farmland into car dealerships and parking lots was well underway. When I realized that our beautiful Chartiers Creek was so degraded it wasn’t even safe for recreational use, I decided to get involved.”
Since then, she has helped to spearhead efforts for the WCWA, which uses a watershed-based approach to encourage responsible utilization of air, land, and water resources, support sound agricultural activities, and promote the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the county’s natural resources. Right now, McAnulty views the biggest challenge as how to balance the expanding needs of residents, businesses, and the environment.
“The Southwest PA region has seen explosive growth in the last few decades, and many of our municipalities are unable to keep up with the increasing demand for their sewer and water infrastructure,” she says. “Nor are there robust ordinances in place to protect and preserve what few natural areas we have left, especially along our waterways.”
Currently, the WCWA and the other local watershed associations under its umbrella are hard at work on a variety of projects, including piloting water monitoring units that can transmit water monitoring data 24/7 over a cell connection, establishing a county-wide monitoring program that will provide data for future projects, and hosting multiple community education programs and events.
The WCWA has been the recipient of a capacity-building grant from the Washington County Community Foundation, much-needed funds that have allowed the organization to thrive.
“It has meant the difference between growth and stagnation,” McAnulty says. “The grant has allowed us to hire consultants with the expertise we need to help develop a plan and move forward with confidence. We first used the grant to complete a new strategic plan which is invaluable in helping us to identify the path we want to follow and the assets we must acquire.”
More than anything, McAnulty hopes people recognize how everything in the natural world plays a vital role in keeping us all healthy.
“Nature is a complex matrix and if one part is damaged, every other part is harmed,” she says. “It's far easier (and cheaper) to keep what we have rather than to try to restore it after it’s gone, although it’s never too late to correct the mistakes of the past.”
Community Resources
Looking to get involved with conservation efforts, but unsure of where to start? Virginia has kindly offered us some insights:
- For people most interested in learning and teaching about the natural world around us (birds, trees, butterflies, geology, etc.), I would suggest they contact the Pennsylvania Master Naturalist
- For the protection and preservation of watersheds: Penn State Extension Master Watershed Steward program
- For the bigger picture of the Ohio River Basin: The H2O Water Network
- For those interested in advocating at the municipal level, I would encourage them to reach out to their local borough, township or city to inquire whether an Environmental Advisory Board has been established. If so, they can request to be appointed to the EAB. If not, they can inquire about getting one established. (Those who want to get their hands dirty and establish cooperative relationships can reach out to their local Watershed Alliance or Association. In Washington County that would be the WCWA or one of the associations that fall under its umbrella.)
- Looking for an environmentally themed book recommendation? Virginia’s favorite is The Overstory by Richard Powers. “It is a novel that speaks very powerfully to the relationship between trees and people,” she says. Also, it won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
- More resources: The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) has a program called Pennsylvania Organization of Watersheds and Rivers which is very active and often offers workshops and educational opportunities. The Penn State Extension has a wealth of information, webinars, classes, and workshops. I recommend exploring your current interests and seeing where your journey takes you.