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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Bird Banding Bird Events

Sayonara Spring – Hello Breeding Birds of Summer!

Communications Team / July 2, 2013
Yellow Warbler with Columbine. Photo by Dustin Welch. WAIT! If you're a subscriber reading this in email format, before reading any...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Rushton Migration Update

Communications Team / May 15, 2013 / 1 Reply
Kentucky Warbler.  Photo by Cory DeStein WAIT! If you're a subscriber reading this in email format, before reading any further, please...
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Bird Events

Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Tomorrow, May 11!

Communications Team / May 10, 2013
Snowy Egret. Photo by Mike Rosengarten. Join John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge friends and supporters on Saturday, May 11, 2013,...
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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
American Redstart. Photo by Mike Rosengarten. It's been an unusually cold, sluggish spring and with all the rain these past...
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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
White-throated Sparrow. Photo by Blake Goll WAIT! If you're a subscriber reading this in email format, before reading any further,...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

They’re Back….

Communications Team / April 12, 2013
Magnolia Warbler. Photo by Justin Thompson.Spring Songbird Banding at Rushton Woods Preserve Begins Tuesday April 16!!Stay tuned...  LOTS more information...
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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
Common Yellowthroat being released after banding. Photo by Adrian Binns. Go to wctbirds.wordpress.com  or click on the post's title above to view...
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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
American Woodcock. Photo by Justin Thompson. Sandy set us back drastically last week with net lanes filled with water and...
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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
White-throated Sparrow. Photo by Mimi Davis. Well, I have lots to report from the field, so I'll start with last...
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Bird Banding

Rushton Still Riddled with Warblers and Open for Birdness Monday!

Communications Team / October 5, 2012
Left to right (Nashville, Tennessee, and Magnolia warblers). Photo by Ed Goll. This week we waited out a string of...
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Bird Banding

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

Communications Team / October 4, 2012
Hatch year male Downy Woodpecker. Photo by Blake Goll. I think he's just as frustrated as we are about the...
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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
Female Common Yellowthroat. Photo by Blake Goll. The air was thick, sticky and unseasonably warm on Wednesday, not at all...
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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
Black-throated Green Warbler. Photo By Mark Moore. Last week was the first official week of Rushton's fall 2012 public banding season. ...
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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
Swamp Sparrow. Photo by Justin Thompson. Are you looking for a great spot to observe fall migration?  Since habitat is...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

As Nesting Season Comes to a Close…

Communications Team / August 13, 2012
Banded male Indigo Bunting. Photo by Justin Thompson. Nesting season is over, and fall migration is very near.   We...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Entertainment for Bird Lovers Tonight!

Communications Team / July 16, 2012 / 1 Reply
Red-eyed Vireo. Photo by Blake Goll Don't miss the rare moment of fame for birds and birders tonight at 9pm...
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Bird Banding

Purple Martin Majesty

Communications Team / July 6, 2012 / 1 Reply
Purple Martin chicks. Photo by Adrian Binns Last week we banded 713 baby Purple Martins, a member of the swallow...
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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.