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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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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Creek Week 2024: Invasive Carp Species in the United States

Watershed Protection Team / June 28, 2024
Calvin Keeys For hundreds of years, people have been moving to the United States and bringing parts of their culture...
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Help Us Meet the Challenge!
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Help Us Meet the Challenge!

Communications Team / October 29, 2020
Are you a friend of the Trust but have never donated or have you supported the Trust in the past...
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From Tops of Trees to the Base of the Food Chain
Nature Science Watershed

From Tops of Trees to the Base of the Food Chain

Lauren McGrath / October 13, 2020
There is a chill in the air and the leaves are starting to turn, signaling that fall is here! Have...
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Nature at Night: Flappy Hour, Using Motus to Track the Flight Path of an Avian Biologist
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Bird Events Flappy Hour Motus Nature at Night Uncategorized

Nature at Night: Flappy Hour, Using Motus to Track the Flight Path of an Avian Biologist

Communications Team / October 9, 2020
Meet Shelly Eshleman, our newest Motus team member and bird conservation biologist as she describes her path to working for...
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Join Us for a Pop-Up Picnic Dinner to Help Kick Off Art on the Trails
Farm General Nature Preserves Sustainable Agriculture Trails Uncategorized

Join Us for a Pop-Up Picnic Dinner to Help Kick Off Art on the Trails

Kelsey Lingle / October 8, 2020
A week-long event Art on the Trails: Preserve Gallery Walk with a pop-up picnic dinner on the lawn at the Rushton Conservation...
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Trails Workshops (Part 1 & 2)
Nature Nature Preserves Stewardship Trails

Trails Workshops (Part 1 & 2)

Communications Team / September 28, 2020
Do you love trails? We do! Willistown Conservation Trust is offering virtual trails workshops! Hosted by Andrew Kirkpatrick, Director of...
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Mapping the Ashbridge Tree Planting
Nature Stewardship Tree Planting

Mapping the Ashbridge Tree Planting

Communications Team / September 23, 2020
The most important part of a tree planting usually comes after the trees are in the ground.  Recently planted trees...
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Legacy of the Land: A History of Land Conservation in Willistown
Conservation Land Protection Nature

Legacy of the Land: A History of Land Conservation in Willistown

Communications Team / September 23, 2020
Trust’s Executive Director and co-founder Bonnie Van Alen, co-founder Alice Hausmann, and Director of Land Protection Erik Hetzel, discuss the...
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History of the Trails Team
Nature Nature Preserves Stewardship Trails Volunteers

History of the Trails Team

Communications Team / September 23, 2020
Besides its abundance of over 7,500 acres of countryside permanently protected from development, Willistown has long been known for its...
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Fifteen More Acres Protected Forever!
Conservation Land Protection Uncategorized

Fifteen More Acres Protected Forever!

Communications Team / September 22, 2020
The final conservation chapter to the 15-acre Stonehedge Farm at Plumsock and Goshen Roads in Willistown has finally concluded. The...
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The Wings of Change
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Bird ecology

The Wings of Change

Blake Goll / September 19, 2020
Our banding station has been operating for fall migration for the past three weeks, and change is evident...
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Unraveling the Mysteries of Migration with Motus Technology
Bird Banding Bird Conservation Bird Events Conservation Motus Nature Owls

Unraveling the Mysteries of Migration with Motus Technology

Kelsey Lingle / September 14, 2020
Since 2017 the Trust’s Bird Conservation Team along with its partners (the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, Project...
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Conservation Celebration September 21 – 25
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Conservation Celebration September 21 – 25

Blake Goll / September 14, 2020
A week of celebrating the many groups that support the important work at the Trust. Be on the lookout for...
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The Wonder Twins
Farm Interns, Co-Ops Sustainable Agriculture

The Wonder Twins

Fred De Long / August 28, 2020
It was a warm day in mid-June and summer was right around the corner when Abby and Anna showed up...
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Watershed Department Bids Farewell to Drexel Co-ops
Academic Partners Interns, Co-Ops Watershed

Watershed Department Bids Farewell to Drexel Co-ops

Lauren McGrath / August 28, 2020
"When my co-op at Willistown Conservation Trust began at the beginning of April, I had no idea what to expect...
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Planting in Fall
Native Plants native wildflower meadow Stewardship

Planting in Fall

CommIntern / August 27, 2020
The most significant benefit of planting in the fall is the jump-start it gives plants to get their roots established.
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“The Secret Life of the Skunk”
Lunch & Learn Nature Education

“The Secret Life of the Skunk”

Communications Team / August 25, 2020
Kate Garchinsky reads “The Secret Life of the Skunk” by Laurence Pringle. Kate is the talented artist of this book...
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Motus Wildlife Tracking System – A Tutorial
Bird Conservation Motus

Motus Wildlife Tracking System – A Tutorial

Bird Conservation Team / August 10, 2020
Learn about the Motus Wildlife tracking system by watching this slideshow. You'll learn about the technology, the network, and its...
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Tomato Tasting Recipes
Farm Tomato Tasting

Tomato Tasting Recipes

Kelsey Lingle / July 22, 2020
Can't make it to our Tomato Tasting event? Join us in spirit and celebrate tomato season by making our favorite...
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How to Safely Pick Up Plastic Litter
Conservation Watershed

How to Safely Pick Up Plastic Litter

Lauren McGrath / July 21, 2020
It is that time of year again – Plastic Free July!  In case you missed our previous blog posts on...
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Plastic Free July Tips
Conservation Watershed

Plastic Free July Tips

Lauren McGrath / July 14, 2020
Welcome to another year of Plastic Free July! To say that this year is a little unusual would be an...
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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.