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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An Artist’s Thoughts on Conserved Land
Conservation Rushton Conservation Center

An Artist’s Thoughts on Conserved Land

Communications Team / December 11, 2019
https://youtu.be/LPY6yw4qDyk
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With the Spotted Lanternfly it’s Always Squash Season
Conservation Nature Rushton Conservation Center Stewardship

With the Spotted Lanternfly it’s Always Squash Season

Communications Team / November 14, 2019
At our most recent free lunch & learn at the Rushton Conservation Center, Meagan Hopkins-Doerr provided a wealth of useful...
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12.7 More Acres Conserved Forever
Conservation Land Protection Nature Watershed

12.7 More Acres Conserved Forever

Communications Team / November 11, 2019
The map of permanently conserved land in the Willistown area just got a little greener, thanks to Lawrie Harris. Lawrie...
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12.7 More Acres!
Land Protection

12.7 More Acres!

Blake Goll / November 11, 2019
The map of permanently conserved land in the Willistown area just got a little greener, thanks to Lawrie Harris. Lawrie...
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Welcome Andrew Kirkpatrick
Staff Stewardship

Welcome Andrew Kirkpatrick

Willistown Conservation Trust / October 30, 2019
We are thrilled to have Andrew Kirkpatrick join the Willistown Conservation Trust staff as Associate Director of Stewardship, working with...
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Public Notice of Accreditation Renewal
Conservation Land Protection Stewardship

Public Notice of Accreditation Renewal

Erik Hetzel / October 25, 2019
The land trust accreditation program recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national quality standards for protecting important natural places and...
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Our 1000th Bird – A Look at the Numbers
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Bird ecology migration

Our 1000th Bird – A Look at the Numbers

Bird Conservation Team / October 25, 2019
At Rushton we do as the birds do and follow their seasons. Each season is unique in its own way,...
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Community Supported Avifauna
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Farm

Community Supported Avifauna

Blake Goll / October 22, 2019
As this was my first year participating in the Rushton Farm CSA, I noticed some interesting correlations between the harvest...
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Volunteers Plant 300 Trees To Improve Ridley Creek Watershed
Conservation Nature Preserves Stewardship Watershed

Volunteers Plant 300 Trees To Improve Ridley Creek Watershed

Lauren McGrath / October 18, 2019
As the sun rose over the meadow that was formerly Ashbridge Lake on October 4, the first of our three...
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First Birds Nanotagged at Rushton Woods Detected by Chesapeake Bay Motus Tower
Bird Conservation Bird ecology migration

First Birds Nanotagged at Rushton Woods Detected by Chesapeake Bay Motus Tower

Bird Conservation Team / October 14, 2019
Exciting news! The first birds ever to be fitted with Motus nanotags at Rushton Woods Preserve have been detected by...
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Variety is the Essence of Life
Conservation Native Plants Nature Stewardship Watershed

Variety is the Essence of Life

Stewardship Team / October 7, 2019
The old saying goes that variety is the spice of life. In nature, variety is the very essence of life....
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Using Motus and Rushton to Study the Wood Thrush
Bird Conservation Bird ecology Conservation migration

Using Motus and Rushton to Study the Wood Thrush

Bird Conservation Team / October 2, 2019
The flutelike song of the wood thrush is emblematic of summer mornings at Rushton Woods Preserve. Unfortunately, both the wood thrush...
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Shocking Report Illustrates the Importance of Land Protection
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Bird ecology Conservation Land Protection Nature

Shocking Report Illustrates the Importance of Land Protection

Communications Team / September 20, 2019
Yesterday an alarming study in the journal Science was released, which detailed the dramatic and shocking decline of birds in...
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Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 3. Preserve
Conservation Native Plants Nature Stewardship Watershed

Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 3. Preserve

Stewardship Team / September 20, 2019
The final blog post in our series of 3 is designed to help you plant native trees and shrubs in...
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Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 2. Plant
Conservation Native Plants Nature Stewardship Watershed

Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 2. Plant

Stewardship Team / September 18, 2019
Welcome to the second in a series of 3 blog posts to help you plant native trees and shrubs in...
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Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 1. Prepare
Conservation Native Plants Stewardship Watershed

Riparian Buffer Planting – Step 1. Prepare

Stewardship Team / September 16, 2019
This is the first in a series of 3 blog posts to help you plant native trees and shrubs in...
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Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Bird Banding Bird Events migration

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Blake Goll / September 13, 2019
You smile as the familiar catbird belts out its harsh petition for the sun to rise now. Above you, a...
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Why Riparian Buffers are So Important & How You Can Help Them
Conservation Native Plants Stewardship Watershed

Why Riparian Buffers are So Important & How You Can Help Them

Stewardship Team / September 13, 2019
The areas surrounding streams, known as riparian buffers, are critical to the protection and health of these precious water resources....
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The Farm Crew
agroecology Farm Volunteers

The Farm Crew

Fred De Long / September 5, 2019
This past week we welcomed back the Haverford Crew Team for their annual workday at Rushton Farm. It was their...
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Southbound
Bird Banding Bird Conservation migration

Southbound

Blake Goll / September 2, 2019
They grace us with their stunning tropical colors and songs for just a few months before their restless souls are...
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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.