WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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.

native wildflower meadow Nature Nature Preserves wildflower meadow

Wildflowers at our Nature Preserves

Mike Cranney / July 8, 2021
Across all of our preserves and properties, Willistown Conservation Trust boasts unique habitat supporting a wide variety of native wildflowers....
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Native Plants native wildflower meadow Nature wildflower meadow

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

Andrew Kirkpatrick / July 6, 2021
Every time I walk into a nursery or big box store I feel a great temptation to purchase the prettiest...
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Plastic Free July Science Watershed

Microplastic Pollution is No Small Problem

Zach Smith / June 30, 2021
By Zack Smith Mankind’s mass production and consumption of plastic has reached all corners of our globe, from the depths...
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Plastic Free July Staff

Plastic Free July: Tips from the Trust

Monica McQuail / June 30, 2021
Planning Plastic Free Events This year, in honor of Plastic Free July, consider throwing a Plastic Free 4th of July...
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Plastic Free July Watershed

Plastic Free July Resources

Watershed Protection Team / June 30, 2021
Watch A Plastic Ocean | You may remember this documentary from our film presentation - it's now available on Netflix!Plastic...
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Plastic Free July Staff

WCT Goes Plastic Free!

Monica McQuail / June 30, 2021
This month of July, the entire staff of Willistown Conservation Trust is taking the challenge to go plastic free for...
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Nature Science

Creek Week: Harmful Algae Blooms

Watershed Protection Team / June 25, 2021
The arrival of warm weather means summer is coming and peak swimming season is right around the corner. However, when...
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Nature Science Watershed

Creek Week: Agricultural Grazing & Its Impact on Streams

Watershed Protection Team / June 24, 2021
Headwaters throughout the United States constantly face many pressures that threaten their integrity. New housing developments, new roads, yards and...
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Nature Science Watershed

Creek Week: A Hidden Stream Engineer

Watershed Protection Team / June 24, 2021
Ecosystem engineers are species that change the habitats in which they live. In the Trust’s program area, one ecosystem engineer...
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Nature Science Watershed

Creek Week: Crayfish Commotion

Watershed Protection Team / June 23, 2021
Chester County is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes on the east coast with its rolling hills, beautiful...
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Nature Science Watershed

Creek Week: Beaver Business

Watershed Protection Team / June 22, 2021
In the middle of our spring tree planting, the Watershed Protection Team had quite the surprise when we spotted evidence...
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Nature Science Watershed

Creek Week: The Trouble With Lawns

Watershed Protection Team / June 21, 2021
Few landscape features define American suburbia like the lawn. Drive through a neighborhood anywhere in the US and you are...
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Conservation Land Protection Nature at Night Stewardship Uncategorized

Celebrating Preservation Month

Erik Hetzel / May 25, 2021
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF LAND CONSERVATION IN THE WILLISTOWN COUNTRYSIDE The Biden administration...
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Conservation Nature at Night Uncategorized

Historic Sugartown & Willistown Conservation Trust: Where Preservation Meets Conservation

Communications Team / May 14, 2021
Historic Sugartown and Willistown Conservation Trust are teaming up to offer a program that explores the preservation of the 19th-century...
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Uncategorized

Stream Exploration: Discovering Ridley Creek

Communications Team / April 23, 2021
Do you know what watershed you live in? Ridley Creek is a historically important waterway and continues to play a...
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Stewardship Tree Planting Volunteers Watershed

The Power of Trees in a Watershed

Lauren McGrath / April 20, 2021
Trees that grow along waterways play a critical role in maintaining a healthy stream or river. Trees provide a huge...
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Citizen Science Watershed

Darby Creek Headwaters Monitoring Program

Lauren McGrath / April 14, 2021
The Watershed Protection Program has teamed up with Darby Creek Valley Association (DCVA) and Stroud Water Research Center to create...
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Uncategorized

The Campaign for Rushton Woods Preserve

Tripp Way / April 14, 2021
THE NEED HAS NEVER BEEN GREATERFor over forty years, land conservation has been a primary focus of our mission resulting...
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Native Plants Nature Nature at Night Nature Education Nature Preserves Stewardship Uncategorized

Nature at Night: Native Plants for Your Landscape

Communications Team / April 9, 2021
What if you treated your backyard as a piece of the larger mosaic of a habitat and added native plants...
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Education Interns, Co-Ops

Willistown Conservation Trust Welcomes 12 Student Interns This Season

Communications Team / April 2, 2021
Internships are an integral part of Willistown Conservation Trust’s (WCT) work. Each year hardworking students join our team and bring...
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Bird Banding

Our Back-ordered Shipment of Warblers and Other Migrants is Scheduled to Arrive Tomorrow!

Communications Team / May 9, 2013
It's been an unusually cold, sluggish spring and with all the rain these past few days, our total banded bird...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Don’t Miss Our BEAUTY IN THE BRAMBLES Workshops, Starting this Week!

Communications Team / April 23, 2013 / 1 Reply
Whether you live in Willistown or nearby townships, there is much to learn about those hard-to-explain shrub habitats.  Discover the beauty...
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Bird Banding Owls

Spring Songbird Banding Kicks Off this Week plus Beauty in the Brambles Workshops

Communications Team / April 17, 2013
WAIT! If you're a subscriber reading this in email format, before reading any further, please click on the title of...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

They’re Back….

Communications Team / April 12, 2013
Spring Songbird Banding at Rushton Woods Preserve Begins Tuesday April 16!!Stay tuned...  LOTS more information to follow about banding and...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Valentine’s Day Fun: What Men Can Learn from Avian Romance

Communications Team / February 14, 2013 / 1 Reply
Male Hooded Merganser displaying (by http://www.flickr.com/photos/newfoundlander61/) The natural world is filled with romance, beauty and enchantment, and every day seems to be...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

WCT Gives Thanks for a National Grant from Audubon and Toyota

Communications Team / November 20, 2012 / 1 Reply
Go to wctbirds.wordpress.com  or click on the post's title above to view the blog post in your browser instead of through email....
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

American Woodcocks at Songbird Banding, A Visit from American Birding Association and A New High for Saw-whet Owls Banded at Rushton!

Communications Team / November 5, 2012
Sandy set us back drastically last week with net lanes filled with water and debris, but public songbird migration banding...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

Songbird Banding Continues Full Speed Ahead and Owl Banding Off to a Roaring, Record-Shattering Start

Communications Team / October 17, 2012 / 1 Reply
Well, I have lots to report from the field, so I'll start with last week, which was an exciting one...
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Bird Banding

Rushton Still Riddled with Warblers and Open for Birdness Monday!

Communications Team / October 5, 2012
This week we waited out a string of rainy mornings, finally opened nets on Thursday, got rained out after two...
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Bird Banding

Banding Delayed this Week Due to Rain but Columbus Day Open to Public

Communications Team / October 4, 2012
We have not been able to band at all this week because of the rain every morning.  Monday was a...
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Bird Banding Owls

Mid-Morning Shower Yields a Pot of Avian Gold at the End of a Rainbow

Communications Team / October 1, 2012
The air was thick, sticky and unseasonably warm on Wednesday, not at all the kind of crisp air that brings...
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Bird Banding

Three Connecticut Warblers, a Wilson’s Warbler, Gray-cheeked Thrush and More!

Communications Team / September 22, 2012 / 4 Replies
NOTE: For those of you viewing this post by email, please remember to click on the title to read the...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Fall Banding Season Off to a Bright Start!

Communications Team / September 11, 2012 / 2 Replies
Last week was the first official week of Rushton's fall 2012 public banding season.  The rain prevented us from banding on...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Autumn Colors Are Flying Our Way, and Fall Banding Will Soon Begin

Communications Team / August 28, 2012 / 2 Replies
Are you looking for a great spot to observe fall migration?  Since habitat is everything, the Willistown Conservation Trust invites...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

As Nesting Season Comes to a Close…

Communications Team / August 13, 2012
Nesting season is over, and fall migration is very near.   We must soon say goodbye to migratory beauties, like...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Entertainment for Bird Lovers Tonight!

Communications Team / July 16, 2012 / 1 Reply
Don't miss the rare moment of fame for birds and birders tonight at 9pm as HBO premiers Jeffrey Kimball's new...
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Bird Banding

Purple Martin Majesty

Communications Team / July 6, 2012 / 1 Reply
Last week we banded 713 baby Purple Martins, a member of the swallow family, at The Glenn Mills School, compared...
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Bird Banding

A Kentucky Warbler in the Net!

Communications Team / June 21, 2012
Ever since we heard a Kentucky Warbler singing in the woods, we were hoping that one would fly into the...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Spring Migration Banding Is Done, Summer MAPS has Begun!

Communications Team / June 15, 2012
NOTE to SUBSCRIBERS:  For best viewing results of this blog, please click on the post title to view in your...
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Bird Banding

Last Day of Spring Migration Banding Tomorrow

Communications Team / May 23, 2012
Come visit the Rushton banding station and see the birds tomorrow morning if you haven't already!  We will be banding...
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OUR NATURE PRESERVES

Our nature preserves are open to the public 365 days per year, providing natural places that offer peace and respite for all.   We do love dogs, however... Because it is an important bird area (IBA) for nesting grassland birds who are very sensitive to the presence of dogs, they are not allowed at Kirkwood … Learn more about our nature preserves.

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DONATE TODAY!

What Will You Discover? We invite you to discover first hand some of the compelling new projects the Trust has been working on: Dive into our local streams and see what lives there. Inspire yourself by learning something new through one of our educational programs. Seek out adventure at one of our three nature … Donate Today

OUR STORY

Willistown Conservation Trust's mission is to: "preserve and manage the open land, rural character, … read more

WHERE WE WORK

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