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 Owls

Last Days of October Produced The Season’s First Juncos, First Snowfall, and A Bunch of Halloween Owls

Communications Team / November 3, 2011
I haven't brought you up to date on last week or this week yet because it has been pretty hectic...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

Final Fall Fallout of Migratory Songbirds & Our First Saw-whet Owl of the Season!

wctbirds / October 22, 2011
Last Friday (10-14), we banded 56 birds to the delight of my adult class (age 50+) from Widener's Osher Lifelong...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

Final Fall Fallout of Migratory Songbirds & Our First Saw-whet Owl of the Season!

Communications Team / October 22, 2011
Last Friday (10-14), we banded 56 birds to the delight of my adult class (age 50+) from Widener's Osher Lifelong...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

Rushton Migration Minutes: An Unexpected Second Wave of Warblers Preceded the Sparrow Surge Last Week… and One of Our Banded Owls Appeared In Quebec!

Communications Team / October 13, 2011
“Bird Migration is the world’s only true unifying natural phenomenon, stitching the continents together in a way that even the...
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Bird Events

Something Birdy to Do this Weekend

Communications Team / October 5, 2011
I don't like to crowd your inbox with more than one post per week, but I just found out about...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

Last Week of September Brings a Major Migratory Shift

Communications Team / October 4, 2011
Even with the warm, muggy weather of last week, we still noticed a major shift in Rushton's migratory visitors.  The...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

Screech Owl Steals the Stage and Compost Pile Attracts a Pile of Birds!

Communications Team / September 23, 2011
Hello Everyone, Here is our banding update for the past 2 weeks of Fall Migration Banding thus far.   Sorry...
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Bird Banding Bird Events Owls

Fall Warblers are Back in Town

Communications Team / September 1, 2011
…. "Those little nimble musicians of the air, that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them...
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Bird Banding Bird Events

Bird Babies, MAPS, Monarchs and More!

Communications Team / August 17, 2011
I hope this finds you enjoying the height of your summer and the company of those nosy, gregarious catbirds that...
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Bird Banding Bird Conservation

The Ugly Ducklings

Communications Team / July 13, 2011
A couple of weeks ago, we got up close and personal with the somewhat unfortunate looking (and terrible smelling!) Turkey...
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Bird Banding

Bird Banding Proven to Be Safe for the Birds

Communications Team / July 8, 2011 / 1 Reply
Bird banding has been around since the 1950s as the authoritative technique for monitoring bird populations and studying their movements,...
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Bird Conservation Conservation

Light and Refreshing Summer Reading

Communications Team / July 1, 2011
Looking for a refreshing little book to bring with you to the beach this summer?  Particularly one full of lovely...
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Bird Conservation

Birds and Words

Communications Team / June 17, 2011
Our Junior Birding Club, which is a division of PA Young Birders, had its first ever monthly meeting this past...
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Bird Banding

Rushton Banding Station Final Spring Update

Communications Team / June 2, 2011
Thanks for a wonderful season and look for fall banding information arriving in late August! If you'd like to receive...
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Bird Banding

Spring Migration Banding is Closed for the Season – But Stay Tuned

Communications Team / May 30, 2011
Our Banding team completed three productive days during the week of May 16 through the 21st despite unrelenting rain.  We continued to...
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Bird Banding

Banding Update – Monday May 16, 2011

Communications Team / May 16, 2011
As we mark the half-way point of  the spring banding season, we've banded 300 birds from 40 species and we've caught...
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Bird Banding

Just a few photos to share

Communications Team / May 16, 2011
Hi everyone, Our bird banders have been very, very busy this spring. So busy that they haven't had much time...
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Bird Banding

Spring Banding Has Begun!

Communications Team / April 25, 2011
Our Spring banding season began with a rainy day, a foggy day and a gorgeous day each with corresponding results. ...
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Bird Banding

Join Us This Spring!

Communications Team / April 12, 2011
Spring is in the air and you are invited to join our WCT bird banding team where you can learn...
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Bird Events

What a Wonderful Evening with Adrian Binns

Communications Team / April 5, 2011
What fun we had with Adrian Binns last Friday night.  Over 120 people gathered at Radnor Hunt for a cocktail...
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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.