WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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Welcome to the Willistown Conservation Trust Blog

News, ideas, questions, and observations from Willistown Conservation Trust Staff as we use local conservation to make a broad impact.

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Busy Beavers Revive Thirsty Landscapes

Lindsey McQuiston / December 17, 2024
How the American Beaver Mitigates Drought Impact By: Sarah Barker As we near the end of what is shaping up...
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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Awards $1 Million Grant to Protect Open Space

Kate Etherington / November 20, 2024
Willistown Conservation Trust to Establish Kestrel Hill Preserve By: Kate Etherington, President and Executive Director Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) is...
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Hot, Dry and Salty: The Impact of Droughts on Freshwater Systems

Watershed Protection Team / November 15, 2024
By: Lauren McGrath, Director of Watershed Protection Program For the Watershed Program, it has felt like the September that never...
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Willistown Conservation Trust Teams Up With Inveraray HOA to Plant 400 Trees and Shrubs!

Watershed Protection Team / November 11, 2024
By: Lauren McGrath, Director of Watershed Protection Program From October 17 through October 20, 400 trees were planted in the...
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The Story Behind Ohana Farm

Lindsey McQuiston / November 6, 2024
By: Eliza Gowen, Community Farm Outreach Coordinator Those of you who’ve attended certain WCT events this Fall may have noticed...
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Building a Native Plant Nursery

Stewardship Team / November 4, 2024
By: John Holback, Stewardship Manager One of our recent initiatives at Willistown Conservation Trust was the establishment of a small...
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Restoring the Land

Communications Team / November 3, 2024
By John Holback, Stewardship Manager In early 2024, Willistown Conservation Trust purchased a 90-acre parcel of land between Plumsock Road...
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Mussel Memory: Discoveries of the Darby and Cobbs Creek Community Science Program

Lauren McGrath / November 3, 2024
By Lauren McGrath, Director of the Watershed Protection Program, and Susan Lea, Darby and Cobbs Creek Community Science Volunteer In...
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Bird Conservation Bird ecology

Saving Birds through Coffee

Blake Goll / November 3, 2024
WCT’s Growing Bird Friendly® Coffee Coalition Bird populations in the U.S. and Canada have declined by 29% — almost 3...
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Gardening for Cleaner Water

Communications Team / November 3, 2024
Chanticleer Joins the Darby and Cobbs Creek Community Science Program The Darby and Cobbs Creek Community Science Program (DCCCS) is...
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Saving Open Space

Communications Team / November 3, 2024
Another successful initiative takes rootat Kestrel Hill Preserve What can be done to protect beautiful but rapidly disappearing wilderness, vulnerable...
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Impactful Giving

Communications Team / November 3, 2024
By David L. Unruh, Board of Trustees Most donors to Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) are likely familiar with the common...
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A Small Fish Navigating a Big Sea: My Experience at a Global Conference

Anna Willig / October 2, 2024
By: Anna Willig, Conservation Data and GIS Specialist In August, I had the privilege of attending the Annual Meeting of...
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Tracking Northern Saw-whet Owls Across North America

Aaron Coolman / September 1, 2024
By: Aaron Coolman, Motus Technical Coordinator and Avian Ecologist Aaron with a tagged Northern Saw-whet Owl in Nova Scotia This...
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Education Nature Education Rushton Nature Keepers

The Making of a Lifelong Nature Keeper

Blake Goll / August 30, 2024
One of our primary goals in connecting youth to nature is to transform their mindset to viewing themselves as part...
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Bird Conservation Nature Education Rushton Nature Keepers

How Willistown Conservation Trust Helped a Young Birder Like Me

Blake Goll / August 15, 2024
So I do my everyday ritual. I go and get the mealworms from the refrigerator and I blow my whistle...
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Protecting our Feathered Friends: The Importance of Chimney Swift Nest Boxes

Bird Conservation Team / August 1, 2024
Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) are fascinating small birds with a cigar-shaped body and long narrow wings, known for their distinctive...
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Meet WCT’s 2024 Seasonal Interns

Communications Team / July 3, 2024
Andrew Wraith (He/Him) | Conservation AssociateAndrew is a current graduate student in Environmental Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, but...
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Willistown Conservation Trust Receives Second Grant from Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Bird Conservation Team / July 1, 2024
On May 15, 2024 the Cornell Lab of Ornithology awarded Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) $25,000 through the Land Trust Bird...
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Creek Week 2024: Case Study of Little Crum Creek Park

Watershed Protection Team / June 29, 2024
By: CJ Chen, Spring 2024 Watershed Team High School Intern From going out to nature preserves and injecting trees with...
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Plastic Free July Tips
Conservation Watershed

Plastic Free July Tips

Lauren McGrath / July 14, 2020
Welcome to another year of Plastic Free July! To say that this year is a little unusual would be an...
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Nesting Birds in Your Yard
Bird Conservation Bird Events Nature

Nesting Birds in Your Yard

Communications Team / July 9, 2020
Did you notice more birds than usual this spring around your yard? Watch the video of this this virtual event...
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Plastic Free July in the Age of COVID-19
Conservation Watershed

Plastic Free July in the Age of COVID-19

Watershed Protection Team / July 2, 2020
As we launch into Plastic Free July, we find it particularly challenging in the presence of COVID-19, when retailers seem...
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Why Donating is Important
agroecology Farm Sustainable Agriculture

Why Donating is Important

Fred De Long / June 29, 2020
A farmer’s primary job is to provide. Provide not just to those who can afford food, but those who cannot.
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Stewardship Volunteer Program – Update!
Nature Preserves Stewardship Volunteers

Stewardship Volunteer Program – Update!

CommIntern / June 29, 2020
Set up a time with our Stewardship Team to come out and safely volunteer at our preserves!
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Fireflies, Moths, and Your Yard in the Dark
Nature

Fireflies, Moths, and Your Yard in the Dark

Communications Team / June 25, 2020
If you missed our Fireflies, Moths, and Your Yard in the Dark presentation, watch the video to learn about our...
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Native Plants for Your Landscape
Native Plants

Native Plants for Your Landscape

Blake Goll / June 19, 2020
Learn what native plants will thrive in your garden. Whether it’s a meadow, a rain garden, a woodland shade garden...
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The Bluebird Keeper
Bird Conservation Bird ecology

The Bluebird Keeper

Blake Goll / June 18, 2020
“I have the ability to look at a piece of wood and say I can do this or that with...
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Rejuvenation at Rushton Farm!
agroecology Farm Nature Preserves

Rejuvenation at Rushton Farm!

Communications Team / June 12, 2020
Rejoice with the Staff at Rushton Farm as we celebrate the start to a new season. Hear first hand from...
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Troubled Times – Striving for a Better Future
Conservation General

Troubled Times – Striving for a Better Future

Communications Team / June 10, 2020
Dear Friends, In the aftermath of the horrific murder of George Floyd, my heart aches for his family, for the...
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Meet Brian Storey, the Bird Chasing Shutterbug Chef
Bird Conservation Bird ecology Photography

Meet Brian Storey, the Bird Chasing Shutterbug Chef

Communications Team / June 1, 2020
How did a professional chef become an avid bird watching photographer? How did the pandemic fuel Brian's passion for birds?...
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Feeding Our Community
agroecology Farm Sustainable Agriculture

Feeding Our Community

Fred De Long / May 27, 2020
In these uncertain times, food insecurity has moved front and center as a primary issue...
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Our Native Wildflower Meadow: An Example of How to Heal Nature from Home
Native Plants Stewardship wildflower meadow

Our Native Wildflower Meadow: An Example of How to Heal Nature from Home

Blake Goll / May 27, 2020
Not only are native wildflower meadows elixirs to human health, they also promote ecological health...
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Rain Gardens – Digging Deeper
Conservation Native Plants Stewardship

Rain Gardens – Digging Deeper

Andrew Kirkpatrick / May 26, 2020
Rain gardens are popping up everywhere. You will find them on college campuses and office parks, in mall parking lots,...
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Video – 7 Ways to Give Traveling Birds a Boost – Flappy Hour Recap
Bird Conservation Bird ecology Bird Events Conservation

Video – 7 Ways to Give Traveling Birds a Boost – Flappy Hour Recap

Communications Team / May 20, 2020
On May 14th the Trusts’ Bird Conservation field team held a virtual flappy social hour. They shared short talks about ways you can support...
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Tag the Trust, Win Some Swag!
Nature Nature Preserves Photography

Tag the Trust, Win Some Swag!

Communications Team / May 14, 2020
CONTEST DETAILS How do I enter? -Snap a photo at of one of Willistown Conservation Trust’s three preserves Ashbridge PreserveKirkwood...
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Clean Water Science Pioneer – Ruth Patrick
Watershed

Clean Water Science Pioneer – Ruth Patrick

Watershed Protection Team / May 13, 2020
Dr. Ruth Patrick was one of the most important scientists to study freshwater systems.  She was a pioneer when it...
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Moving Targets
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Motus

Moving Targets

Communications Team / April 29, 2020
If you’ve ever run a 10K, a marathon, or a turkey trot, you’ve probably pinned a bib to your shirt...
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Seeking the Healing Power of Nature on Earth Day
Conservation General Nature

Seeking the Healing Power of Nature on Earth Day

Communications Team / April 22, 2020
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.-John Muir In 1970, millions of Americans pledged to...
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Stewardship Volunteer Program
Stewardship Volunteers

Stewardship Volunteer Program

CommIntern / April 20, 2020
We hope to resume weekly volunteer sessions at our preserves in June.
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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.