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Capturing a Snapshot of Darby Creek

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By WCT Watershed Conservation Associate Anna Willig 

At the beginning of November, the Watershed Protection Program at Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) partnered with the Darby Creek Valley Watershed Association (DCVA) and, together, enlisted four volunteers to conduct a sampling “blitz” in the Darby Creek Watershed. With the help of our determined volunteers, we collected samples from 19 previously unstudied sites in two hours (Map 1). Once the volunteers collected the samples, everyone met at the Upper Main Line YMCA’s Artisan Village to analyze water quality and discuss the results. 

Our Team (from left to right): Charlie Coulter (volunteer), Anna Willig (WCT, author), Lauren McGrath, Michelle Lampley (UMLY), Deirdre Gordon (volunteer), Lloyd Cole (volunteer), Dale Weaver (volunteer), and Aurora Dizel (DCVA).

Darby Creek originates in small tributaries along the Route 30 corridor from Easttown to Ardmore which flow together as the stream makes its way towards John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge where it meets the Delaware River. Throughout its length, Darby Creek flows through many highly developed areas, picking up road salts, fertilizers, and other pollutants from lawns, parking lots, and roadways. 

Despite these threats to the health of the stream, few community science studies have been completed to understand the health of Darby Creek and all of its tributaries. To shed some light on the water quality in the Darby Creek Watershed, the Darby Creek Community Science Monitoring Program was launched in 2021 in partnership with DCVA and under the scientific guidance of Stroud Water Research Center. To date, volunteers have been trained to collect high quality water chemistry data at 15 sites throughout the entire watershed every four weeks. 

The sampling blitz, which covered 19 sites in the headwaters of Darby Creek, allowed us to gain even more information on water quality while controlling for weather conditions. Rain, heat, and other weather conditions can impact water quality measurements. By sampling at a single point in time, we can capture differences in water quality between sample sites rather than changes caused by time. Many of the sampling sites were located on small tributaries, allowing us to study how fine-scale differences in land use upstream of the sample site can impact water quality. 

One of the goals of the sampling blitz was to understand salt pollution in the headwaters of Darby Creek. Road salts applied in the winter end up in streams as snow and ice melt and flow into the nearest waterway. Salts can build up in groundwater and soils, resulting in long-term increases in salt concentration in streams, a phenomenon known as freshwater salinization. Freshwater salinization is occurring across North America, and increases in salt concentration threaten the fish, insects, mussels, and other organisms living in streams. By measuring salt concentration in November, before winter road salts are applied, we capture baseline concentrations that reflect long-term buildup of salts in soils and groundwater. 

The results of the sampling blitz indicate that salt pollution (as measured by chloride concentration) varied widely across the headwaters of Darby Creek. Chloride concentration ranged from 34 ppm to 230 ppm (Map 1). The lowest chloride concentration was measured at Site 19, a site located on Camp Run, a small tributary to Darby Creek. The area that drains into Camp Run is predominantly agricultural land, with some sections of limited residential development and forest. By contrast, chloride concentration was highest at Site 2, a site on an unnamed tributary. The land that drains into Site 2 is similar to the size of the Camp Run watershed, but is much more developed. The tributary originates near a SEPTA train station and flows under Route 30, picking up salt and contamination from residential and commercial developments. Identifying pollution hotspots, such as Site 2, can help determine areas that should be targeted for future restoration. 

Map 1. Sample sites in the headwaters of Darby Creek. Each point represents the approximate location of a sample site and is colored by the chloride concentration at that site. Low chloride concentrations are represented by pale yellow, with high chloride concentrations represented by a dark red. The red box indicates the sample area.

Another indicator of water quality that volunteers measured was specific conductivity, which reflects how well electricity can move through water. Pure water is a poor conductor and has a low conductivity. As more ions are added to the water — from pollutants such as salts, fertilizers, and heavy metals — conductivity increases. Conductivity also varied greatly between sites, ranging from 325 to 967 μS/cm. While a higher conductivity indicates a higher concentration of pollutants, it does not indicate the type of pollutant. When chloride (which is an ion that increases conductivity) is compared to conductivity at each site, we found that there is a strong relationship between the two measurements (shown by the trendline), indicating that salt pollution is the biggest driver of conductivity in the headwaters of Darby Creek (Figure 1). However, there are two sites, Site 1 and Site 9, that do not quite follow the relationship. Further research is needed to understand what is driving conductivity at these sites. To learn more about conductivity, check out the State of Our Streams Report. 

Figure 1. The relationship between chloride concentration and specific conductivity in the headwaters of Darby Creek. Each point represents a chloride concentration and specific conductivity measurement taken at a sample site. Points are colored by site. 

The results of the snapshot survey indicate that water quality is highly variable in the headwaters of Darby Creek. Sites that drain the highly-developed Route 30 corridor, such as Site 2 and Site 5, have relatively poor water quality, while sites that drain areas with more open space, such as Site 18 and Site 19, have much better water quality. The variability in water quality within a small section of the Darby Creek Watershed highlights the deep connection between local land use and stream health. Protecting areas of open space, especially in small tributaries, is crucial to maintaining and improving water quality throughout the entire watershed. 

Additionally, increasing awareness of threats to water quality, such as winter road salt application, can help to reduce the impact on local streams. To reduce road salt contamination in streams, avoid over applying salt and sweep up any salt that remains after snow and ice have melted. The salt can be reused for the next winter storm, saving money and helping improve water quality! 

This snapshot survey was a pilot for a larger survey WCT, DCVA, and Stroud Water Research Center are hoping to conduct in the spring. We are deeply grateful to the Upper Main Line YMCA for hosting this event and to our fantastic volunteers who were willing and eager to explore new sections of stream to collect this data. The snapshot survey would not have been possible without our partnerships with DCVA and Stroud Water Research Center. If you are interested in joining our community science program, please contact Lauren McGrath at lbm@wctrust.org. 

My Conservation Journey: A Tale of Two Countries

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By WCT Bird Conservation Associate Phillys N. Gichuru

My first memorable conservation experience was when, as an undergrad, my population genetics professor walked into the classroom and very nonchalantly said he was going to miss one of our classes, because he was going to participate in the translocation of elephants from the larger Narok area into Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya. Of course, all five of us in the classroom asked if we could go along too. That experience is how I was sold on conservation as a viable career option for me. It was the thrill, the tender care for each animal, and the passion for the job that drew me in. This was true for every job experience I took on after that. 

I went on to work with Ol Pejeta Conservancy as a field technician affiliated with my university at the time, collecting black rhino (Diceros bicornis) dung samples for non-invasive genetic analysis to study population genetics. Technically, the fresher the dung, the better the chances of getting DNA from it. What was most endearing about this experience is because black rhinos are critically endangered, at the time, every rhino in this population was monitored very closely to reduce poaching incidences. Over time, each warden knew every little detail about the rhinos, and they called you when the dung was fresh with a bonus story of how they had just gotten chased by a rhino and had the torn trousers to prove it. 

While conservation in Kenya and the US is very similar in a lot of aspects — including my observations they both rely heavily on donors/fundraising, habitat loss is a never-ending concern, and passion drives most people in this field — it is also very different. Most of Kenya’s wildlife can be found in protected areas, Kenya does not employ hunting as a model of conservation, and most obviously, we have a lot more charismatic megafauna that tend to get a lot of attention. In parallel, Kenya heavily relies on tourism to fund conservation. Protected areas in Kenya are either federally owned (National Parks) or privately owned (mostly conservancies). While there are private conservancies, the federal government has a huge stake in management of endangered/critically endangered species such as the elephants, black rhinos, Hirolas, Sable, and Roan antelopes, wild dogs, Grevy (zebras). 

Oh! If it wasn’t obvious, we took part in that elephant translocation. The adults get darted and tranquilized from a helicopter and you swoop in very fast with a 4-wheel car right before they go down. To tranquilize the calves, if present, we load them on a huge truck and move them to the park. It takes phenomenal precision.

Now at WCT, I am far from the savanna and I work to conserve animals that are significantly smaller than the elephants and rhinos. I’ve found that the precision required in the elephant translocation process lends itself to the precise skills used to gently remove birds from our mist nets before wrapping tiny bands around their slim legs in the bird banding process. Conservation comes in all shapes and sizes.

To learn more about the science of endangered feces, click here.

— By WCT Bird Conservation Associate Phillys N. Gichuru

Chester County Commissioners, PA DCNR, Willistown Conservation Trust, and Willistown Township Celebrate 12-Acre Addition to Kirkwood Preserve

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Photo from L to R: Julie Graham (WCT), Drew Gilchrist (PA DCNR), Judy Thomas (Chester County Parks & Preservation), Jeanne Swope (WCT Volunteer), Ted Leisenring (Willistown Township Open Space Review Board), Erik Hetzel (WCT), Michelle Kichline (Chester County Commissioner), Bill Shoemaker (Willistown Township Supervisor), Josh Maxwell (Chester County Commissioner), Kate Etherington (WCT), Bonnie Van Alen (WCT), Mary Hundt (Willistown Township Parks & Recreation), Beth Hucker (WCT), Brook Gardner (Willistown Township Open Space Review Board), Molly Perrin (Willistown Township Supervisor). Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz joined Willistown Conservation Trust at Rushton Conservation Center prior to the Kirkwood Ceremony.

Willistown, PA — On Monday, October 24 Willistown Conservation Trust welcomed the Chester County Commissioners, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and Willistown Township to Kirkwood Preserve (855 Grubbs Mill Rd., Newtown Square) to commemorate an additional 12 acres added to the 83-acre Nature Preserve owned and maintained by Willistown Conservation Trust.

Partners in attendance at the ribbon cutting ceremony included Willistown Conservation Trust Executive Director Kate Etherington and Director of Land Protection Erik Hetzel; Chester County Commissioners Michelle Kichline and Josh Maxwell (County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz joined WCT before the ceremony); the PA DCNR Grants Coordinator Drew Gilchrist; Willistown Township’s Parks & Recreation Director Mary Hundt, Board of Supervisors Chair Bill Shoemaker, Supervisor Molly Perrin, Open Space Review Board Chair Ted Leisenring and Open Space Review Board Member Brook Gardner; and Chester County Preservation Programs Coordinator Judy Thomas.

This ceremony honored the partnering funders who were vital in the acquisition and permanent protection of this additional 12 acres of public open space. The project was financed and made possible by a grant from the PA DCNR through the Keystone Act of 1993 to WCT; grant funds provided by the Chester County Commissioners through the Chester County Landscapes 21st Century Fund; and the Willistown Township Open Space Fund.

Chester County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline note, “The beauty of Chester County’s open space program is found not only in thousands of acres preserved, but also in the partnerships that make it happen. We are admired by communities across the commonwealth and the nation, and this is because all preservation partners — be they the State, the County, our municipalities, and conservancies like Willistown Conservation Trust — always make smart, well-planned investments in open space.”

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“Kirkwood Preserve is a special place,” says WCT Executive Director Kate Etherington. “Nestled among privately conserved lands, its protection preserves an important greenway, scenic vistas, important habitat for grassland birds and other species, meadows abundant with pollinators, and a prime section of Crum Creek. Additionally, Kirkwood provides ample recreational activities for the community with miles of pedestrian and equestrian trails.”

With the additional 12 acres comes a new trail within the Preserve — one that will provide access to many more miles of trails on adjacent conserved lands throughout the Willistown Countryside.

Says PA DCNR Grants Coordinator Drew Gilchrist, “The DCNR is pleased to partner with Willistown Conservation Trust and other funding partners in the preservation of this important parcel. With its preservation, the land will continue to provide essential environmental services, wildlife habitat, connect existing preserved land and expand the local trail network for all to enjoy and appreciate.”

Thanks to Willistown Township funding, WCT intends to install a stepping stone creek crossing along Crum Creek, which will connect the main portion of Kirkwood Preserve to this new addition. This creek crossing will also provide access to a portion of the existing Preserve that has not been accessible to the main area. WCT anticipates the creek crossing installation beginning in early fall of 2023, though walkers and hikers are currently permitted to cross the creek to access the Kirkwood Preserve addition. Proper footwear is advised.

Says Bill Shoemaker, “The celebration of this addition to the Kirkwood Preserve marks another chapter in the longstanding partnership of Willistown Township and WCT. The expanded parking lot and the soon-to-be-added stepping stones across the creek make the Preserve even more available for people to enjoy. The advantages of preserving open space resources are so important to this community, and Willistown Township is proud to be a part of this today!”

This open space is also part of a larger 16-acre conservation project across Grubbs Mill Road that will enable the preservation of an historic farmstead dating from the late 18th century that includes an iconic Chester County bank barn. Portions of the property that are not subject to the Kirkwood acquisition have been placed under conservation easement and restricted from any further development, allowing for the preservation of an historically significant landscape that embodies the rural character of the Willistown countryside.

2022 Lenape Sojourn

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By Watershed Protection Program Director Lauren McGrath; Photos by Kate Etherington

On August 16, 2022, Executive Director Kate Etherington and the Watershed Team attended the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania’s 5th Rising Nation River Journey and signed the Treaty of Renewed Friendship. The Lenape people are the original inhabitants of Delaware, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Southern New York, and were stewards in the Delaware River Watershed for over 10,000 years before the arrival of European settlers. 

The group of nearly 50 individuals and organizations gathered in the sunny courtyard of Founders Hall at Haverford College, a longtime collaborator with the Lenape Nation, to celebrate the culmination of the River Journey. The ceremony began with smudging, or burning of ceremonial incense, performance of drumming and singing and the sharing of Lenape stories to share the significance of this event by Chief Shelley DePaul, Chief Gentle Moon Demund, and Tribal Council Storykeeper, Adam Waterbear DePaul. The Treaty signing then began, with supporting organizations and individuals taking turns to sign the document. “WCT recognizes the Lenape Nation as the original stewards of this land, and as an organization working to protect the land and waters within the Delaware River Watershed, we are honored to be invited to sign this Treaty, to carry on the tradition of land and water stewardship, and look forward to learning from and partnering more closely with the Lenape Nation in the years to come,” said Kate Etherington. The three week River Journey takes place every four years in August. The goal of this trip down the Delaware (or Lenape Sipu), is to “promote awareness that the Lenape people living in Pennsylvania are carrying on their ancestral traditions, culture and spiritual beliefs, and that they are engaged in numerous projects to provide practical ways for all citizens to respect and protect our homeland and the health, welfare, and future of the next seven generations of our children”1 as well as to elevate that Pennsylvania is one of the only states that does not recognize its indigenous peoples. 

Musicians opened the ceremony with traditional drumming and singing (Photo: Kate Etherington)

The Treaty of Renewed Friendship is an acknowledgement that the Lenape are the indigenous caretakers of these lands and signatories agree to support the Lenape Tribe in their own unique way including: Hosting Cultural / Educational programs, partnering as caretakers of the Lenape homeland and Delaware River, assisting in Lenape Language revival projects, assisting in displays/exhibits of Lenape culture, helping the Lenape people to obtain and/or protect sacred land sites, encouraging updated curriculum in public schools, attending Lenape functions, volunteer service and support, distributing information, financial assistance1. In signing the Treaty of Renewed Friendship, WCT joins a growing list of like minded organizations to collaborate and work towards shared goals of moving forward in our work of promoting respect and protecting the natural environment for future generations. Click here to read the full Treaty.

Chief Shelley DePaul introduces and reads through the Treaty of Renewed Friendship in advance of the signing (Photo: Kate Etherington)

From a historical perspective, WCT’s program area contains at least one important landmark in Lenape Nation history. Okehocking Reservation (a portion of which is now known as Okehocking Preserve), is one of the first Reservations in the United States and many of the Lenape People were moved onto this parcel of land as colonization settled into the Southeastern Pennsylvania landscape. The majority of the Lenape in this Reservation were forcibly removed and driven westward to form communities in Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin in the late 1800’s2. 

In addition to the historic significance of the Lenape People in Chester County, there is a growing understanding in the scientific and land trust communities that to create climate resilient environments, we must turn back to the ancestral stewards of the landscape and work towards incorporating the knowledge and ethic of these cultures into the work of conservation. WCT is grateful for the opportunity to sign the Treaty of Renewed Friendship with the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania and focus efforts in the next four years to elevate their voices and knowledge, grow in our understanding of stewarding the landscape, and building meaningful connections with the natural environment.  

Click here to learn more about the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania and to see upcoming events and educational opportunities (including language classes!) from the Lenape Nation, and be sure to visit the curated exhibit at Haverford College from January through July of 2023.

Wanishi! 

References: 

  1. https://www.lenape-nation.org/
  2. https://glenprovidencepark.org/2011/11/21/the-okehocking-before-the-settlers/

Advocacy Alert! PA Growing Greener Would Invest Millions in Conservation and Outdoor Recreation

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Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

Currently, there is a proposal in the Pennsylvania General Assembly called Growing Greener 3, and its funding affects our livelihood, along with the success of all conservation and environmental organizations in Pennsylvania. Our friends at Natural Lands wrote this message on the importance of using our collective voice in support of Growing Greener 3 this week, and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Read below and help us Invest in Nature.

Growing Greener 3 would invest $500 million in:

  • conservation of open space and farmland, 
  • clean water initiatives, 
  • upgrades in state parks and forests, 
  • projects to reduce flooding, and
  • trails, greenways, and parks. 

There are two pieces of good news, and one problem. First, there is bipartisan support to use federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for these local investments. Second, Pennsylvania revenues are at all-time highs — we can afford to make this happen.

The problem is this: the representatives and senators who are championing this legislation tell us they are not hearing about it from their constituents. 

This is where you can help. Would you please take just a moment to tell your elected officials that this investment is important and urgently needed? THIS WEEK is the most important time to get the message out. 

Here’s what you can do:  

Ask them to talk to their leadership in the House/Senate to urge their support of Growing Greener 3. Please share this message with friends, neighbors, and family who also might be willing to make a call.

Here’s a sample email you can copy and paste: 

I’m writing to urge Senator/Representative X to support Growing Greener 3. Our district needs investment in clean water, open space and farm conservation, vibrant parks and trails, outdoor recreation, and projects to reduce flooding. Please tell your leaders in the Senate/House that our district needs this funding. It’s important to me to have safe places to get outside, clean water to drink, and fresh air to breathe. Please make sure that Pennsylvania is investing in those things on our behalf. 

Thank you for making your voice heard, and for speaking up for nature!

Sincerely,

Kate Etherington

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 three nature preserves in the Willistown area - Ashbridge, Kirkwood and Rushton Woods Preserve. We maintain these lands for the … Learn more about our nature preserves.

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The work of the Willistown Conservation Trust is concentrated on 28,000 acres of Willistown Township … read more