WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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COMING SOON: Kestrel Hill Preserve

October 30, 2023 By Willistown Conservation Trust

A new 90-acre nature preserve at Kirkwood Farm

While the price to acquire the land was high, all agreed resoundingly that failure to protect Kirkwood Farm would have come at even higher costs to wildlife and water quality and would have altered permanently the rural and historic qualities of a community imperiled by sprawling development and suburbanization.

And so it was that Willistown Conservation Trust put forth plans and galvanized support to acquire 90 acres of Kirkwood Farm, create a new nature preserve, and open the land for the public to experience and enjoy for the first time in centuries.

Owned and operated by Willistown Conservation Trust, the new nature preserve, Kestrel Hill – named after the Kestrels often seen soaring over the bucolic countryside – will be secluded, idyllic, and peaceful, featuring rolling hills, sweeping vistas, mature woodlands, and two streams that form tributaries of Ridley Creek.

Willistown Conservation Trust plans to convert existing farmlands to native habitat, expand riparian buffer areas in wetlands and along stream banks, open hiking trails for equestrians and pedestrians, and provide public access and parking. Once complete, Kestrel Hill will be a sanctuary for wildlife and for all who come to visit and experience the wonders of our natural world.

We look forward to welcoming you to Kestrel Hill at a future date to be announced. Until then, keep an eye out for updates and visit our website to take a ‘sneak peek’ and learn more.

Drone image by Dave Tavani

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Reflecting on a Summer at Rushton Farm

October 30, 2023 By Willistown Conservation Trust

Fresh out of college, my first venture into the ‘real world’ has likely looked different than that of plenty of my classmates. While the typical 9-5 may conjure images of videochats, spreadsheets, and other office drudgery, I spent my summer in the dirt. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Rushton Farm has become the place of summer’s sweetest memories, made alongside enchanting scenery and even more fascinating people. I had studied much about food systems to complete my degree, but without on-farm experience, I arrived clueless about the everyday workings of a farm. Only four months later, I cannot say I am anywhere near an expert on that subject, but I am at least sure of one fact: food is magic. The work of producing food, moving my body for hours in all sorts of outdoor conditions, pushed me to reconnect with my humanness in a profound but altogether simple way. It just felt right. Even the smallest occurrences provoked childlike awe, such as my first time picking green beans off the vine and thinking, “woah, this is really a green bean!” This farm, to me, is the most ‘real’ of all the places I could be.

The magic of farming derives not only from the tangible production but the sharing of it all. At Rushton Farm, I made friends of all ages, each drawn to the farm from a distinct background ranging from foraging to film. The wonderful company often made it feel more like summer camp than work. And when the heat of the afternoon made us sluggish, I was at least assured we were suffering together. Beyond the field, I shared the farm with family and friends by regularly doling out fresh veggies or bouquets of flowers. Giving a portion of the work I adored, whether to our members or my loved ones, was perhaps the most human part of it all.

Amid all the wonders of this work, I often thought about how fortunate I am to have had the experience I did. Because Rushton Farm is a beloved CSA with a strong community farm program, my coworkers and I are paid a decent wage that does not fluctuate with yield or profit margins. While our members get to enjoy the freshest organic produce, I considered how countless Americans lack access to such local, nourishing food. My proximity to agriculture exposed just how separated we are from the realities underlying our food systems.

As I depart from Rushton Farm, I am assured that I am on the right path—a life motivated by the magic of food and the people who make it possible. Whatever I do next in my study of food systems, I hope to continue to share all the love and learning I found in these six acres.

Maria DiGiovanni | Maria graduated from Cornell University with a BS in International Agriculture and Rural Development in May 2023. She is devoted to research and advocacy at the intersections of food systems and labor. At Cornell, her senior thesis in partnership with the Cornell Farmworker Program aimed to increase the perspectives of the New York State undocumented workforce in policy discourse regarding proposed federal legislation, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. This fall, Maria is traveling to Italy as a Fulbright Scholar to investigate how young Calabrian farmers maintain sustainable agricultural livelihoods, aiming to imagine policies and pathways that revalorize rural spaces and draw future generations to farming. She looks forward to continuing her studies of rural development in a graduate program.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Update Regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

March 13, 2020 By Willistown Conservation Trust

Last updated 6/8/20

Our hearts go out to all of our friends, visitors and supporters during this unprecedented public health crisis. We want to remind you of the incredible gift of nature that 40 years of local conservation in the Willistown area has made possible for you and your families to enjoy.

Being outside in nature can reduce your stress, and exercise can boost your immune system. We encourage you to come visit our nature preserves, Ashbridge Preserve, Kirkwood Preserve, and Rushton Woods Preserve, for a walk in nature, some fresh air, and a break from the relentless news.

We ask that you follow CDC guidelines at our nature preserves by maintaining social distance from other visitors, even on the trails. And if the parking lot at the preserve is full, please come back another time.

We currently have a variety of virtual events available for your participation. Check our Events Calendar for more information and registration. As our county moves into the yellow, and then green phase, we will closely monitor available guidance, and hope to offer an updated selection of programs and events celebrating our environment and the many people who work with us to advance conservation and sustainability when it is safe to do so.

Thank you for your continued support. . . and get outside!

Filed Under: General

Welcome Andrew Kirkpatrick

October 30, 2019 By Willistown Conservation Trust

We are thrilled to have Andrew Kirkpatrick join the Willistown Conservation Trust staff as Associate Director of Stewardship, working with Director of Stewardship, Bill Hartman. He joins us from the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education where he was Land Stewardship Manager, in charge of its 340-acre preserve. As part of his duties, Andrew led trail projects, coordinated volunteer activities, and managed their retail native plant nursery.

So how does a guy with a bachelor’s degree in politics and government wind up in land conservation and stewardship? Well, it started in Georgia and ended in Maine.

But before that, fresh out of college, Andrew worked for the Department of the Treasury. It was a great fit for his background and interests at the time. But he found the work, in his words, “really boring.”

He decided to take a little time-out and hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Pennsylvania. He walked home, as he put it. Then after a short hiatus, he picked up where he left off and continued on to the northern terminus in Maine.

Along the way, he marveled at how well the small, tightly knit community of hikers communicated. The way he describes it, the flow of information was organic and seamless, which turned it into a literal and figurative voyage of discovery. Through-hikers like Andrew usually have a trail name – his was Leaf Treader, taken from a Robert Frost poem that describes an individual’s awareness of nature and its cycles. And it was his own awareness of nature, being immersed in it day-after-day (even grim periods of non-stop rain), that led Andrew from the trail to a career in conservation.

He learned about a master’s program in Landscape Architecture and Ecological Restoration at Temple University from his wife. Upon graduation from that program, he started on the path of his new career at Morris Arboretum. And the rest is history.

Andrew is most excited to learn more about conservation easements and monitoring. He and Bill have already hit the ground running conducting monitoring visits throughout our program area and with more than 100 easement properties, there will be plenty of opportunity to learn!

Not surprising, in his free time, Andrew enjoys gardening and hiking with his 7-year old daughter, Stella. When you see him out-and-about, please say hello and join us in welcoming him to the Trust!

Filed Under: Staff, Stewardship

OUR NATURE PRESERVES

Our nature preserves are open to the public 365 days per year from sunrise to sunset, providing natural places that offer peace and respite for all. Willistown Conservation Trust owns and manages Hartman Meadow, Ashbridge, Kirkwood, Kestrel Hill and Rushton Woods Preserves. We maintain these lands to preserve and enhance … Learn more about our nature preserves.

Upcoming Events

09 December
TBA

Avian Adventures with Aaron | December 9th

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13 January
Ashbridge Preserve

Avian Adventures with Aaron

E. Strasburg Road, West Chester, PA

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19 January
Rushton Conservation Center

Rejuvenate at Rushton Fireside Wellness Retreat

915 Delchester Road, Newtown Square, PA

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925 Providence Road
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610) 353-2562
land@wctrust.org

WHERE WE WORK

The work of the Willistown Conservation Trust is concentrated on 28,000 acres of Willistown Township … read more

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