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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Plants Want to Live
agroecology Farm Sustainable Agriculture

Plants Want to Live

Fred De Long / April 20, 2020
Plants want to live...
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How the Trust Helps Birds
Bird Banding Bird Conservation

How the Trust Helps Birds

Communications Team / April 20, 2020
How is a small land trust like Willistown Conservation Trust helping the global effort to help birds? Take a look...
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Marvelous Macroinvertebrates
Stewardship Watershed

Marvelous Macroinvertebrates

Watershed Protection Team / April 20, 2020
Watch this video webinar of Lauren McGrath, Director of Watershed Protection, to learn more about the secrets of stream insects...
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U.S. Fish & Wildlife Provides Grant to Track Species of Greatest Concern in Northeast
Bird Banding Bird Conservation migration Motus

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Provides Grant to Track Species of Greatest Concern in Northeast

Bird Conservation Team / April 20, 2020
A major grant gives wings to NE Motus Collaboration.
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Nature Escapes for Kids: Create Your Own Headdress
Nature Nature Education Rushton Nature Keepers

Nature Escapes for Kids: Create Your Own Headdress

Blake Goll / April 9, 2020
Role playing is such a wonderful way for children to mentally escape and be transported to a different time and...
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Meet Our Newest Watershed Team Members
Interns, Co-Ops Watershed

Meet Our Newest Watershed Team Members

Watershed Protection Team / April 8, 2020
The Watershed Protection Program is thrilled to introduce the newest members of our team: Evan Hunt, Jules Smith and Zack...
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Designing the Future of Motus
Bird Conservation Rushton Conservation Center

Designing the Future of Motus

Bird Conservation Team / April 6, 2020
Birds are on the ropes in our rapidly changing world. One recent report suggests that North America’s bird populations have declined...
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Nature Escapes for Kids: Healing Forest Art Walk
Nature Nature Education Rushton Nature Keepers

Nature Escapes for Kids: Healing Forest Art Walk

Blake Goll / March 26, 2020
"The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. "
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Nature Escapes for Kids: Building Toad Abodes and Heart Space
Nature Nature Education Rushton Nature Keepers

Nature Escapes for Kids: Building Toad Abodes and Heart Space

Blake Goll / March 24, 2020
In doing something as simple as building a place for a toad to rest his head, a child is actually...
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Create Your Own Meadow – Step 3: Preserve
Native Plants native wildflower meadow Stewardship wildflower meadow

Create Your Own Meadow – Step 3: Preserve

Stewardship Team / March 19, 2020
Early May – Early October: Once your wildflowers are planted, regularly inspect your meadow to ensure that invasive weeds are...
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Update Regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
General

Update Regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Willistown Conservation Trust / March 13, 2020
Last updated 6/8/20 Our hearts go out to all of our friends, visitors and supporters during this unprecedented public health...
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Create Your Own Meadow – Step 2: Plant
Conservation Native Plants Stewardship

Create Your Own Meadow – Step 2: Plant

Stewardship Team / March 3, 2020
Mid April – Early May: Once your wildflower plugs arrive, it may be tempting to lay out plants in neatly...
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Announcing Weekly Preserve Workdays
Conservation Nature Stewardship Volunteers

Announcing Weekly Preserve Workdays

Blake Goll / February 25, 2020
We need your help! Willistown Conservation Trust maintains 3 public preserves, soon to be 4! With so much beautiful habitat,...
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Explore Nature at Willistown Conservation Trust’s Preserves
Conservation Nature Stewardship

Explore Nature at Willistown Conservation Trust’s Preserves

Stewardship Team / February 6, 2020
Did you know that the Willistown Conservation Trust has three preserves that are open to the public year round? This...
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A Farewell and a Welcome
Staff Stewardship

A Farewell and a Welcome

Communications Team / February 6, 2020
Hello,The recent bittersweet news is that our good friend and colleague, Bill Hartman, has left Willistown Conservation Trust to become...
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Creating Your Own Meadow – Step 1: Prepare
Native Plants Stewardship wildflower meadow

Creating Your Own Meadow – Step 1: Prepare

Stewardship Team / February 5, 2020
Depending on the size you want, it’s not too late to plan a meadow for your property. Native wildflowers and...
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Behold the Hackberry!
Conservation Land Protection Nature Stewardship

Behold the Hackberry!

Stewardship Team / January 29, 2020
The Society of Municipal Arborists recently announced its 2020 Tree of the Year. It’s the Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). This tree...
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The Willistown Conservation Trust Staff and Trustees Mourn a Hero of the Countryside
Conservation Land Protection

The Willistown Conservation Trust Staff and Trustees Mourn a Hero of the Countryside

Blake Goll / January 27, 2020
IN MEMORIAM: MRS. J. MAXWELL R. (BETTY) MORAN August 7, 1930 – January 23, 2020 The Willistown countryside lost one...
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What 40 Years of Conserving Land Looks Like
Conservation Land Protection

What 40 Years of Conserving Land Looks Like

Erik Hetzel / January 15, 2020
For over 40 years, the Trust has been protecting land in the Willistown area. As we head into 2020, the...
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Resolve to Be a Better Human for Birds (i.e., Earth)
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Conservation

Resolve to Be a Better Human for Birds (i.e., Earth)

Blake Goll / January 10, 2020
This fall, world scientists made a clear and unequivocal declaration in BioScience Magazine that planet Earth is in a climate...
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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.