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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

Cover Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Rushton Nature Keepers: Inspiring tomorrow’s conservationists

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Rushton Nature Keepers exploring a wetland habitat with Wildlife Biologist Mike McGraw (2021). Photo by Blake Goll

In the midst of today’s chaotic pace and uncertainty, children need more than ever those timeless moments in nature that are so crucial to their creative rejuvenation, problem-solving skills, and emotional development.  Rushton Nature Keepers (RNK) is a membership program seeking to do just that and more. The purpose is to provide area children, ages 8-11, with opportunities for meaningful connections to nature that they can take with them for the rest of their lives.  In so doing, we hope to help build an army of earth conscious adults who will value the land and understand the importance of conservation. 

Established in 2018, RNK is the Willistown Conservation Trust’s multi-disciplinary approach to children’s environmental education. Through a range of transformational experiences offered throughout the summer and fall at Rushton Woods Preserve and other Trust preserves, Nature Keepers develop a close relationship to nature and a comprehensive understanding of conservation.  The unique thematic approach of RNK follows the Trust’s conservation disciplines: birds and wildlife, regenerative farming, watersheds, and healthy habitat.  

From releasing wild birds at the banding station and discovering aquatic insects that live in the stream, to harvesting potatoes on the farm and exploring native wildflower meadows, Nature Keepers grow their sense of wonder while learning that they can seek refuge in nature—healthful traits that will persist through adulthood (see more in Plant a Love of Nature in Your Kids). In return for these rich benefits, the students develop a lifelong conservation ethic that fosters mindful stewardship of our planet.

A few favorite Rushton Nature Keepers activities in 2021. Photos by Blake Goll

Dedicated Nature Keepers who show satisfactory attendance across the varied programs earn their Rushton Jr. Naturalist title at the end of the year.  The Junior Naturalists attend a “graduation ceremony” during which they are tasked with defending Rushton from a barrage of various development scenarios, using the knowledge they have gained throughout the year.  Past Junior Naturalists valiantly spoke for the birds that use Rushton during migration, the wildflowers (and their associated insects) that promote pollination of the crops, and the forest that protects the watershed as they vehemently opposed (imaginary) plans for twenty townhomes, conventionally farmed soybean fields, and parking lots.

“You are the future keeper of our natural world.  It will be up to you to protect it, cherish it, and teach others about it. In our rapidly growing human population, Nature will need all the help she can get,” said Education Programs Manager Blake Goll to the Junior Naturalists.

It’s all about restoring our relationship with nature. One of the pillar objectives of RNK is to learn about the many intricate connections within nature and how humans can play a positive role in conserving its integrity. This type of education is just as paramount for children today as any traditional school subject. For in the end, Earth is the ultimate classroom and Mother Nature the eternal teacher.

A Rushton Nature Keeper enjoying a quiet solo spot meditation in the forest (2021). Photo by Blake Goll

What past RNK members are saying:

“There are a lot of people who really care about conservation and the approach you have taken at Rushton Nature Keepers has really been powerful to our family….not to mention the beautiful land and resources you share with us each time we gather”.  ~ Patty Neeb (parent of two Rushton Jr. Naturalists)

“Rushton Nature Keepers is such a gift for the people who can be open to it.  You gave us a chance to be on a farm, which is something I think we all have a deep yearning for.  There’s empowerment that comes from understanding farming.  It’s a self-sustaining environment. Being able to produce your own food…there’s power in that.”  ~Patty Neeb

“All my children have enjoyed your programs and I appreciate the chance to get them involved in nature and conservation. While my daughter is only 10 years old, I believe the activities at Rushton will encourage her to follow her passion for nature, birds and science throughout her life.” ~ Steve Oblack (parent of three Rushton Nature Keepers and one Rushton Jr. Naturalist)

“I can’t begin to express the deep appreciation we have for RNK. The tremendous passion, expertise, time, and care you put into the program is extraordinary. Absolutely extraordinary! Thank you for the important educational work you do and for the countless gifts you’ve imparted to our family.  What a privilege it’s been for our young people to experience! Thank you for making the world a better and more beautiful place for all.” ~Lizzie Rumbaugh (parent of three Rushton Jr. Naturalists)

To learn more about Rushton Nature Keepers, see the schedule of events, or register for membership, click here! (RNK events begin on June 21, 2022)

Also, check out the video below of last year’s Rushton Nature Keepers highlights!

Rethinking Lawns: Fighting Climate Change with Native Plants

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By Monica McQuail, Willistown Conservation Trust Communications Specialist

Photos by Blake Goll, Willistown Conservation Trust Education Programs Manager

With the arrival of March, many of us are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Spring and everything the season brings: the feeling of the warm sun on our skin, the taste of moisture in the air, the smell of damp soil after a brief rain, the stunning views of leafy trees and emerging flowers, and of course, the sounds of chirping birds…drowned out by the incessant drone of lawn mowers and weed-whackers.

Transitioning to working from home has meant that many of us have learned the strange truth of suburban life; that it’s neither peaceful nor quiet. According to Audubon, “A typical gas-powered push mower emits 85 to 90 decibels for the operator (90-95 decibels for riding lawnmowers). This scares away the birds, leads to hearing loss and detracts from the peace offered by the outdoors.” Not only are lawn mowers a nuisance to humans, but noise pollution leads to stressed out wildlife, especially for smaller animals that spend more time hiding than eating due to loud sounds, and birds that have been found to lay fewer eggs in noisy areas.

But what if I told you that a quiet future without lawnmowers and weed-whackers is not only possible, but even attainable right now? And that this future is filled with butterflies and helps prevent climate change? The solution is simple: rethink your lawn.

Lawns are a contradiction. They are the most grown crop in the United States, yet they produce food that humans and wildlife cannot eat. They’re a staple of American suburban life, yet they were imported from England (the most prized grass in our country  –  Kentucky bluegrass  –  is native to Europe and the Middle East, not Kentucky). They give off a sense of ease and leisure, yet they require an inordinate amount of work, time and money to maintain. Their lush green color evokes life, yet they are ecological deadscapes.

Now let’s look at the numbers. American homeowners dump about 80 million pounds of pesticides into their lawns each year – that’s about 10 times more than farms use per acre.  According to the EPA, Americans spill more than 17 million gallons of fuel each year when refueling lawn equipment, polluting our air and groundwaters along with those pesticides. Mowers and weed-whackers burn 800 million gallons of gasoline per year, which contributes to the greenhouse gases that drive climate change. And we can’t forget water – 3 trillion gallons of which are used on lawns annually, a number that is especially shocking in the wake of the recent droughts and some of the deadliest wildfires our country has experienced. With 40 to 50 million acres of lawn to maintain (a number that equals the country’s national parks combined), Americans spend a whopping $105 billion on lawncare.

With the climate and extinction crisis looming, maintaining these biologically barren landscapes is no longer a sustainable option, no matter how small your lawn may be. We need to start adding hardy plants that sequester carbon to our landscaping. We need to support insects that pollinate 80% of all plants (and 90% of flowering plants). We need to think about our watersheds and select plants that have long root systems that can absorb excess water and prevent polluted runoff into our storm drains and streams. We need to select plants that support our ecosystem and provide a viable food web and shelter for all organisms. In short, we need to plant native species. Not only do native plants possess all these benefits listed, but they also require less water, little to no herbicides or pesticides, and best of all – no noisy lawn mowers.

So this spring, as you begin prepping your grassy green lawn for the upcoming season, consider revamping some or all of it into a beautiful natural oasis that attracts birds and butterflies and requires little maintenance once it is established.

This innovative gardening concept goes by many names, including “Wildscaping,” “Meadowscaping” and “Ecosystem Gardening,” and its main tenants are to garden sustainably, conserve our natural resources and create a habitat that benefits wildlife, according to conservationist and author Doug Tallamy. Tallamay is behind the Homegrown National Park Movement (www.homegrownnationalpark.org), which aims to turn half (that’s about 20 million acres) of all privately-owned green lawns in the United States into native plantings.

“Now, for the first time in its history, gardening has taken on a role that transcends the needs of the gardener. Like it or not, gardeners have become important players in the management of our nation’s wildlife. It is now within the power of individual gardeners to do something that we all dream of doing: to ‘make a difference.’ In this case, the ‘difference’ will be to the future of biodiversity, to the native plants and animals of North America and the ecosystems that sustain them,” says Tallamy in his book, “Bringing Nature Home.”

Lawns should not exist purely for “curb appeal.” They should provide joy, nourishment and life for all who inhabit them, from the Monarch caterpillar munching on milkweed and the goldfinch looking for seeds among some purple aster, to the child who stares with wonder at this incredible world. After all, if something is not eating your plants, then your garden is not part of the ecosystem.

What to plant for the birds:

  • Composite flowers, spruces, hemlocks and pine > House Finch, Purple Finch, Cassin’s finch, American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, Pine Siskin
  • Birches and sumacs > Black-Capped Chickadee, Carolina Chickadee, Mountain Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Juniper Titmouse, Oak Titmouse
  • Pines, hickories, oaks, cherries > Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Ladder-Backed Woodpecker, White-Headed Woodpecker, Northern Flicker
  • Oaks and beeches > American Crow, Fish Crow, Northwestern Crow, Blue Jay, Carolina Scrub-Jay, Woodhouse Scrub-Jay, Florida Scrub-Jay
  • Sunflowers, elderberries, serviceberries > Northern Cardinal, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Black-Headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Scarlet Tanager, Western Tanager
  • blackberries and wild grasses > Dark-Eyed Junco, White-Throated Sparrow, White-Crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lark Sparrow
  • columbine, jewelweed, bee balm > Hummingbirds

What to plant for the butterflies:

  • Native oak trees, willows, birches, maples; goldenrod, milkweed and sunflowers > Butterflies and caterpillars

If you want to learn more about native plants, follow Willistown Conservation Trust @wctrust on social media, head to wctrust.org to find more educational content, or join us for our many stewardship-focused events!

A Macroinvertebrate’s Thanksgiving Feast

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Each fall, trees provide a veritable Thanksgiving Feast for aquatic macroinvertebrates. They spend the whole spring and summer preparing this feast, growing it, maintaining it, making sure everything is just right, and, come fall, dropping it all in the stream. What is this feast? Leaves!

Leaves from trees and shrubs are a form of allochthonous input, or something that enters an ecosystem from outside of the system. In small headwater streams, such as those found in our area, allochthonous input is a dominant source of energy, essentially forming the base of the food chain. Generally, these small headwater streams are forested, preventing light from reaching streams, inhibiting photosynthesis, and thus limiting the growth of aquatic plants. Consequently, the main source of energy in these streams comes from trees in the form of fallen leaves.

Once leaves fall into the stream, microbes, such as bacteria and fungi, colonize leaves, starting the process of decomposition. Some macroinvertebrates, called shredders, eat the leaves themselves, feasting on the plant material. Other macroinvertebrates, called scrapers, eat the layer of algae, bacteria, and fungi that develops on fallen leaves. Both shredders and scrapers are eaten by predatory macroinvertebrates, which are in turn eaten by frogs, salamanders, fish, and other aquatic animals, moving energy up the food chain.  

Leaf litter in streams also provides important habitat for macroinvertebrates. Smaller macroinvertebrates can hide from predators in the leaf litter, while predatory macroinvertebrates can hide from unsuspecting prey in the leaf litter as well. 

Since leaf litter is so important for macroinvertebrate communities, any changes to the amount and type of leaf litter that reaches the stream can impact the macroinvertebrate community. In areas where trees have been cleared along stream banks, the primary energy input is no longer leaf litter. Rather, since sunlight can reach the stream, aquatic algae and vegetation will grow more readily and become the dominant source of energy. As a result, the macroinvertebrate community will shift to a community that primarily eats aquatic vegetation and algae, with consequences for the entire food chain. Similarly, if the composition of riparian vegetation changes and non-native plants become more common than native plants, the macroinvertebrate community may shift as well. 

The best way to maintain and improve this Thanksgiving Feast for our aquatic life is to protect forests along streams, remove invasive species, and plant native trees along streams. Willistown Conservation Trust is working to enhance this feast at Ashbridge Preserve, where we have planted over 1000 trees along Ridley Creek. We hope that these trees will improve water quality and contribute much needed allochthonous input for the inhabitants of Ridley Creek.

By Anna Anna Willig | she/her | Watershed Conservation Associate | As part of our Watershed Protection Program, Anna assists with monthly water chemistry sampling, maintains the tree planting at Ashbridge Preserve, and analyzes water quality data from sampling and from our EnviroDIY sensors.

Wildflowers at our Nature Preserves

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Across all of our preserves and properties, Willistown Conservation Trust boasts unique habitat supporting a wide variety of native wildflowers. Each place has distinct characteristics, creating different experiences and diverse species everywhere you go. You can find wildflowers in bloom at our preserves throughout the seasons, peaking in mid-summer during Wildflower Week. Spend time at each one to appreciate the full palette of our native wildflowers!

Rushton Woods Preserve is a great place to see a wide variety of wildflower species. The formal plantings and rain garden around the Rushton Conservation Center (RCC) are perfect inspiration for your own yard. Look especially during Wildflower Week for the purple coneflower, false sunflower, cutleaf coneflower, purple blazing star, and butterfly weed. Meadow strips also surround Rushton Farm, providing food and habitat for helpful insects, birds, and pollinators. These come to life in the summer and remain lush and colorful through the fall.

  • Hartman meadow
  • Hartman Meadow

Down the road at Kirkwood Preserve, over 80 acres of grasses and wildflowers provide key habitat for picky bird species that will only nest in these large, open areas. Vast drifts of milkweed and dogbane give way to goldenrod and ironweed as summer moves into autumn, but don’t overlook the native grasses, such as big bluestem and Indian grass, which provide beautiful color and texture. Climbing the trail to the top of the hill will give you an awesome vantage point to look out over all of the colors below.

At Ashbridge Preserve, a gas line right-of-way ensures that a large strip of land remains unforested. This right-of way actually provides great meadow habitat, with beautiful views across Ridley Creek. Most of the preserve is part of the floodplain wetland, so you will find wildflowers that grow in moist soil, such as soft rush and swamp hibiscus. If you follow the trail past the first creek crossing and through the woods, you will be rewarded when you re-emerge into the meadow and see mixes of goldenrod, joe pye weed, milkweed, and ironweed.

  • Ashbridge Meadow
  • Milkweed

If you need a break from the sun, follow our trails into the woods at the preserves; you can find shade-loving wildflower varieties too! The forest floor looks brilliant in the spring, when ephemerals such as toothwort, bloodroot, spring beauty, mayapple, trout lily, and trillium emerge. It explodes with color again in the fall, when masses of snakeroot, white wood aster, big leaf aster, and jumpseed bloom. You can find some of these species in the garden at the Trust office, a great place to look for inspiration for a native shade garden of your own. While you’re there, be sure to walk through Hartman Meadow to see the gorgeous mixes of milkweed, joe pye, coneflowers, mountain mint, spiderwort, bergamot, and more.

There is interest and inspiration to be had all around WCT’s preserves, farm, and gardens any time of year. Our native wildflowers not only look beautiful, but also provide the habitat and food necessary to ensure a healthy ecosystem. Stop by all of our preserves during Wildflower Week and beyond — I hope to see you there!