WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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The Making of a Lifelong Nature Keeper

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One of our primary goals in connecting youth to nature is to transform their mindset to viewing themselves as part of the natural world. Through repeated, memorable experiences in nature during their formative years, children learn to understand, respect, and love the earth. This critical foundation inspires lifelong choices to protect the environment, while also providing children with mental focus, emotional stability, physical health, and spiritual resilience. There is no better example than Catherine Oblack, a 16-year old student who has been involved with our youth education programs since she was 8 years old. The following is her story, told through her words.

Catherine Oblack, age 16, at Rushton Farm this summer during the Rushton Nature Keepers Summer Harvest program. Photo by Blake Goll

One day that I will remember forever is the first day I got to go bird banding at Willistown Conservation Trust when I was eight. From the time I started elementary school, I loved nature and was especially obsessed with birds. I enjoyed watching and learning about birds and what is being done to protect them. I wanted to learn more and get involved, so this led to my family finding WCT and signing up for Junior Birders, which was their youth program that has now expanded into Rushton Nature Keepers.

When my dad told me that they had a bird banding session that I could attend I was ecstatic. I had learned about bird banding and how it is used to study and protect birds, but I didn’t know that I could go see it in person. I was also super excited that the target species were warblers, as I had read all about them but did not see them as much on my own. I spent the evening before reading over all the types of birds that they typically banded; I could not wait.

Eight-year-old Catherine seeing a Common Yellowthroat for the first time at the Rushton banding station. October 2016. Photo by Blake Goll

When I arrived in the early morning, I remember how excited I was as I walked through the beautiful trails to the banding station. The autumn woods were just starting to wake up and come to life as the sun rose above the tree line. When I reached the banding station, I was welcomed in along with the other guests. After I had been introduced to Blake and Lisa, they invited me up to watch a Common Yellowthroat warbler being banded. I had arrived hoping to see some birds, but it hadn’t prepared me for experiencing what it was like to be so close to a wild bird. I could see all the markings and traits that had been described in the guidebooks, and I was awestruck by the birds’ beauty.  

Catherine releasing a banded Gray Catbird at her first day at the banding station, October 2016. Photo by Blake Goll

After my first day at the banding station, I continued to go to bird banding before school whenever I could for many years, each season learning more not only about the birds, but also about the conservation efforts at WCT. I also participated in WCT’s other educational activities, like Rushton Nature Keepers, that helped me develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of nature. This program helped grow my love for the natural spaces right around me and also respect for the people that work hard to keep them open. It also reinforced my desire to have a positive impact on our environment.

Catherine nature journaling as a Jr. Birder in 2017
Catherine tasting honey with Jr. Birders at Rushton Farm in 2017.
Catherine harvesting potatoes as a Rushton Nature Keeper in 2018.
Catherine holding a fox pelt as a Jr. Birder in 2017. Photo by Blake Goll

Going into my sophomore year in high school, I knew that I still wanted to be involved with WCT, so I helped Blake with Rushton Nature Keepers over the summer. Rushton Nature Keepers is a youth program that teaches kids (ages 8-11) about not only birds, but also about sustainable farming, our local watersheds, and many other aspects of conservation that allow curious kids like me to grow into young naturalists. It was a full circle moment when I got to help with the program and see other kids having the same experiences that fueled my own love of the natural world. I had so many wonderful and unique experiences in the junior programs at WCT, so it was amazing to help other kids get to experience these same things. Whenever I am at Willistown now, I still experience the same feelings that made me love learning about and experiencing nature firsthand and am inspired to help protect our natural lands and habitats.   

Catherine helping to oversee Rushton Nature Keepers this summer. Photo by Blake Goll

Meet WCT’s 2023 Seasonal Interns

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Internships are an integral part of Willistown Conservation Trust’s (WCT) work. Each year, hardworking students join our team and bring with them a wealth of experience and enthusiasm. They provide essential duties during our busy seasons working on the farm, banding birds, maintaining trails, planting trees, taking water samples, mapping, interacting with volunteers, teaching our young Rushton Nature Keepers, and more. These students represent the future of the conservation movement, and we are proud to play a role in educating and inspiring these future leaders!

Get to know our interns below, and be sure to say hi when you see them!

WATERSHED

Sarah Barker (she/her)
Watershed Protection Program Co-Op
Sarah is a junior at Drexel University where she is majoring in Biology with a concentration on evolution, ecology, and genomics. Before she joined us, she spent six months working for a water quality start-up called Tern Water as a water chemistry research/lab assistant and another six months working at Polysciences as a quality control chemist. Now, as a Watershed Protection Program Co-op, her responsibilities include assisting in sample collection, equipment maintenance, data collection and entry, running laboratory analyses, and aiding in educational outreach. When she’s not learning about the local ecology and effects of land use on the environment, Sarah enjoys singing, writing, doing arts and crafts, and spending time with her two cats.
Sally Ehlers (she/her)
Watershed Protection Program Co-Op
Originally from Little Silver, New Jersey, Sally Ehlers is an undergraduate student studying Environmental Science, Biology, and Writing at Drexel University. Last spring and summer, she worked as a co-op for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries lab in Highlands, New Jersey, where she focused on projects that addressed the impacts of toxins on young life stages of marine and estuarine fishes. Here at WCT, she will assist with a variety of data collection including water quality monitoring, monthly sampling, and annual macroinvertebrate sampling. For her independent project, she will be analyzing macroinvertebrate data collected by the Watershed Team.

RUSHTON FARM

Maria DiGiovanni (she/her)
Conservation Apprentice

A recent graduate of Cornell University, Maria DiGiovanni studied International Agriculture and Rural Development, and as a Conservation Apprentice here at Rushton Farm, she is ready to take on the many daily tasks necessary to get food from the farm to our CSA members and greater community. Maria comes to us with all sorts of experience, including studying how niche meat farmers in North Carolina maintained resilience throughout the pandemic, launching a campaign on urban biodiversity in Rome, Italy, and interning for PennEnvironment to promote better state environmental policy. When she’s not getting her hands dirty weeding and harvesting produce, Maria enjoys baking, cooking, running, and grabbing coffee with friends.

Barlow Herbst (he/him)
Rushton Farm Intern

Barlow is a recent graduate of Harriton High School, and he is headed to Colby College in the fall! This is his second year interning at Rushton Farm. Prior to his internship, Barlow participated in the Rushton Bird Banding Program. Barlow has been birding for four years which is how he discovered WCT and all we do. He initially started with saw-whet owl banding and eventually began volunteering at Rushton Farm. When he’s not in the fields, Barlow stays busy practicing guitar, rowing crew, and doing ceramics.

BIRD CONSERVATION & NORTHEAST MOTUS COLLABORATION

Chris Regan (he/him)
Conservation Associate

Chris Regan joins our Bird Conservation Program with plenty of field experience and a degree in Wildlife Science from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science & Forestry. In addition to his time working as a Piping Plover steward for New York State Parks and later as a Field Technician for the Town of Hempstead Conservation & Waterways Department where he banded Oystercatchers, Common Terns, and Tree Swallows, Chris has also studied biomass regeneration and carbon sequestration of various hardwood tree species. Here at WCT, he will be assisting the bird banding team with their MAPS Banding operation and helping Shelly Eshleman’s Eastern Towee research. When he’s not banding birds, you can find him with other bands — The Meantime and The MovieLife — playing shows throughout the Northeast. 
Victoria Sindliner (she/her)
Conservation Associate

Victoria Sindlinger is a recent high school graduate, and come fall, she will be pursuing a degree in Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Before then, she’ll be working here at WCT as an Avian Field Research Technician, where you can find her assisting Shelly Eshleman’s Eastern Towhee research, participating in grassland bird surveys, and taking on other field research duties as they come up. Victoria is no stranger to WCT’s Bird Protection Program, having volunteered with both migratory songbird and saw-whet owl banding at the age of 12! A bird-lover through and through, she is also devoted to the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, Wyncote Audubon, the eBird review team for Philadelphia County, and Bird Safe Philly.

STEWARDSHIP

Will Steiner (he/him)
Stewardship Intern

Will Steiner is a senior who attends Ursinus College and studies marine biology. Prior to joining us in 2022, Will participated in a few research trips during his time in school. Will is looking forward to gaining experience from working with the Stewardship team and engaging in hands-on conservation work. After his internship is complete, Will plans to finish school and continue to seek biology and conservation-related opportunities. Out of the field, Will spends his time drawing and hitting the gym.

Introducing WCT’s Strategic Plan

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STRATEGIC PLAN | 2023-2025
Saving, Studying, and Sharing Land, Water, and Habitat


WHERE HAVE WE BEEN?

Land conservation efforts have been underway in the Willistown area for over 40 years. A satellite program of Brandywine Conservancy, formed in 1979, was known as the Willistown Area Conservation Program. With the encouragement of the community and key local conservation leaders, Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) became an independent, community based land trust in 1996 with a committed and active Board of Trustees.

Using the Crum, Ridley, and Darby Creek watersheds as a boundary guide, WCT’s traditional program area encompasses 28,000 acres in Chester County and portions of Delaware County, and is located approximately 20 miles west of Philadelphia. Despite tremendous growth pressures that have converted many neighboring communities into vast tracts of sprawl development, the WCT program area still remains largely an oasis of green space.

Successful land conservation and stewardship paved the way for major growth within the organization. Since its founding, WCT has grown to include a suite of activities focused on science, stewardship, education, and community engagement. In addition to Land Conservation and Land Stewardship, these core activities include Bird Conservation, Community Farm, Watershed Protection, and Outreach and Education. This holistic approach to conservation explores the connections among land, birds, habitat, agriculture, and water, and educates the public on these connections.

Our land protection and stewardship efforts have been focused on the Willistown area; however, our work has a regional and national impact on conservation.

WHERE ARE WE GOING?

Over the next three years, as our land protection efforts thrive and new opportunities in our traditional program area diminish, we anticipate a growing emphasis on habitat conservation and restoration, education and community outreach. Within these conserved lands, we will use our growing body of research in bird, water, and agro-ecology to inform best practices and engage with the community to educate and inspire an ethos of conservation and care of our land, waters, and habitat where wildlife thrives. In addition, we will identify and consider land protection and conservation opportunities outside of our traditional program area that fulfill service gaps in surrounding communities and meet vital conservation needs, as we interact and collaborate with new communities and organizations.

We will continue to be a robust organization that is well established, broadly supported, and attracts leaders at the forefront of the conservation field. Our science-based programs will contribute research to inform conservation priorities and best practices on a regional, national and international scale. We will attract a diverse group of staff, Trustees, and volunteers who are deeply committed to the mission of WCT and bring a variety of perspectives, skills, and experiences to our work. We will offer robust community and educational programs that attract a wide swath of participants. We will use our established expertise and connections for the conservation benefit of communities outside our traditional area of focus.

To read our Strategic Plan in full, click the cover below:

Help Keep our Drinking Water Clean by Reducing Salt Pollution

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By WCT Conservation Research and Data Specialist Anna Willig
Cover Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Salt levels, often measured as chloride concentration, have increased dramatically in U.S. streams since the 1940s, when it became common practice in the U.S. to salt roads during winter storms. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation applies over 800,000 tons of road salt per year to state roads in addition to a similar amount applied by municipalities and private citizens. These numbers add up to over 1.5 million tons of road salt applied per year in Pennsylvania alone, all of which eventually ends up in waterways. Though salt is naturally present in streams at trace concentrations due to the weathering of rocks and soils, the insects, fish, mussels, and amphibians that live in local waterways cannot tolerate the spikes in salt concentration that occur in winter.

Road salts threaten streams in two ways. During and after a winter storm, salt concentrations in streams can skyrocket as salty meltwater rushes in, creating conditions that are acutely toxic for fish and other stream creatures. Salts also build up in soils and in groundwater, slowly entering streams throughout the year and resulting in chronically elevated salt concentrations. Many stream organisms, particularly freshwater mussels, cannot tolerate these long-term increases in salt concentration and gradually disappear from streams.  

In the streams in the Willistown region, we have seen both acute spikes in salt concentration and evidence of chronic build-up through our monthly water quality monitoring program  in the headwaters of Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creeks. Chloride concentration, an indicator of salt pollution, is typically highest in winter months, with a notable spike occurring in February 2021. The spike in February 2021 was caused by snowmelt actively washing road salts into the streams. Chloride concentrations remain elevated throughout the year, often exceeding 50 mg/L, the maximum salt threshold that the most sensitive stream organisms can tolerate. 

Figure 1. Chloride concentration, an indicator of salt contamination, in the headwaters of Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creeks. All the red points indicate sample sites in Ridley Creek, the green points indicate sample sites in Crum Creek, and the blue points indicate a sample site in Darby Creek. 

Salt contamination in streams also harms human health and infrastructure. Road salt can end up in drinking water wells and water supplies and often is not removed by water treatments facilities. As salts move through the environment, they can pick up other pollutants along the way, further contaminating streams and drinking water. Salts also speed up the corrosion of metal pipes and concrete, shortening the lifespan of infrastructure. Similarly, overuse of salt rusts and corrodes cars, leading to expensive repairs. 

While road salt is necessary for safety, here are some ways to reduce salt pollution:

  • Shovel before applying salt. Even on cold days, the sun can still melt a thin layer of snow and may take care of the problem for you.
  • Do not use more than the recommended amount of salt. Only 1 mug full of salt, or 12 oz., is required to melt a 20-foot-long driveway. Read the instructions on your bag to see how much you need. 
  • If you feel crunching when you walk, you applied too much! Salt only works when it dissolves, so all the crystals that you feel crunching underfoot are not actually melting snow and ice. 
  • After the snow and ice have melted, sweep up any remaining salt! Save it and apply it during the next storm. 
  • Report large piles of salt on roads to your local municipality.
  • Share information about road salt and encourage your neighbors to use less!

To learn more about how to reduce salt pollution, check out these resources: 

Fish Shocking

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On Saturday, October 22, the Watershed Protection Program joined scientists from the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University’s Fisheries Team (ANS) to survey for fish in Ridley Creek at Ashbridge Preserve. It was a beautiful Saturday morning — crisp, bright, and perfect for learning more about the wildlife that calls Ridley Creek home! This event provided a unique opportunity to get a fish’s eye view of stream health, and it would not have been possible without the wonderful support of the talented Fisheries Team members Dr. David Keller and Paul Overbeck.

The morning started with a primer on fish survey protocols. Paul walked volunteers through the mechanics of electrofishing, a sampling technique where a small electric current is passed through the water to stun fish just long enough to be scooped up in a net and placed in a bucket. The scientists headed into Ridley Creek and began to survey, and immediately there was action in the water! 

As stunned fish began to fill the buckets, they were brought to shore and placed in aquariums to be studied. Within a short period of time, over 10 species of fish, crustaceans, and amphibians were documented. The Fisheries scientists quickly began to identify the wildlife and share what the presence of these creatures means for the ecosystem of Ridley Creek and surrounding landscape. Once the fish were observed in the aquariums, they were all safely released back into Ridley Creek. 

Included in the fishes that were identified was the American eel (Anguilla rostrata), a fish that migrates thousands of miles in its lifetime. This fish breeds in the Sargasso sea and migrates to headwater ecosystems — like at Ashbridge Preserve — where they can live over 25 years before completing their migration. The presence of this incredible fish showcases the connectivity of Ridley Creek with no large barriers to stop their movement to and from the Atlantic Ocean. American eel populations are declining due to large dams that block their migration, contribute to habitat loss, and overfishing of young eels.

Another fascinating fish present in the stream is the cutlip minnow (Exoglossum maxillingua). These fish are easy to identify up close, with a specially adapted three lobed, lower lip. These fish prefer gravel and rocky bottomed streams and are unable to thrive in polluted waterways where fine sediment buries rocky habitat. 

Black nose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) are one of the most visibly common fishes in the headwaters of Ridley Creek and were abundant in the sample collected by ANS scientists! These fish are small, with big fish growing to be less than 4 inches long, but they school in shallow clear waters and can often be seen from the stepping stones at Ashbridge Preserve.

Fallfish (Semotilus corporalis) is the largest minnow native to eastern North America and they are abundant in the Ridley Creek headwaters! They are excellent targets for anglers, and their energetic behavior has earned them the nickname “freshwater tarpon.”

Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris) is well known to anglers as a sport fish, but this fish is actually an introduced species in Pennsylvania waterways! Since being introduced some time in the 1880s, they are actively stocked in waterways throughout the state.  

In addition to the fish that were sampled from Ridley Creek, ANS brought preserved specimens of fish of interest, including the northern snakehead (Channa argus), an aggressive invasive fish that has been spreading throughout the Delaware River watershed. 

This exciting and fascinating experience highlighted the importance of the ways that our activities on the landscape impacts the many lifeforms that call Ridley Creek home. The presence or absence of different species of fish can inform researchers of the health of Ridley Creek. There is a clear relationship with the development of the landscape and the decreasing health of freshwater ecosystems resulting in the loss of indicator species. As species disappear from the ecosystem, the entire system becomes weaker. As we head into a future that includes more frequent large storms, it is important that we focus on understanding how we can strengthen and improve the health of our systems to create resilience — the first step in this process is looking at who is present in the ecosystem. 

A huge thanks to the Fisheries Team for sharing their immense knowledge and skill! Click here to learn more about ongoing Fisheries research!

For more information on the research being conducted by the Watershed Protection Program and the lessons we have been learning about water quality in Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creeks, please explore the State of Our Streams Report.

— By Watershed Protection Program Director Lauren McGrath