Rushton Nature Keepers: Inspiring tomorrow’s conservationists

May 31, 2022 By Blake Goll

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!

A Rushton Nature Keeper “Graduate” Restores Historic Bluebird Trail to Willistown

October 25, 2021 By Blake Goll

By Education Programs Manager Blake Goll

Photos by Blake Goll

Almost ten years ago, a little girl named Siana Christaldi and her brother began religiously attending the Trust’s nature programs that were then part of the nascent Junior Birding Club. Siana especially loved the adventures in which she and her family enthusiastically participated: watching the dazzling courtship flights of the American Woodcocks at Rushton Farm in early spring, exploring a local vernal pool for spotted salamanders one rainy night in early April with Education Programs Manager Blake Goll, and even lending an eager hand for local stream cleanups at the Trust’s nature preserves.

Siana’s passion for nature flourished over the years as she continued to participate in Rushton Nature Keepers program that was established in 2018 as the Trust’s holistic approach to environmental education, encompassing major conservation themes of healthy habitat, birds and wildlife, watersheds, and regenerative farming. In 2019, Siana and her family also dove wholeheartedly into the Trust’s Homeowner Bird Box Program—receiving their own bluebird box to monitor in their yard. A bluebird family quickly took up residence, and Siana was hooked. Naming the dad Blueberry and the mom Muffin, she bravely inspected the nest regularly despite having her hair tousled by the chastising dives of the parents.

Siana and her brother Daniel at a Rushton Nature Keeper program in 2018

It was this personal connection to the bluebird box in her backyard that inspired her to build bluebird boxes for her Girl Scout Silver Award project last winter. Siana (now 14 years old) first met with local bluebird box builder, Ken Leister, better known as The Bluebird Keeper; he has built close to 1,000 boxes in the past ten years for homes, schools, golf courses, local businesses, and nonprofits like Willistown Conservation Trust. And his boxes are crème de la crème if you are a bluebird; they are equipped with thoughtful features that many commercial boxes lack, such as an extra-large roof and ample ventilation to help prevent the chicks from overheating during hot summer days.

After collecting free scrap wood from a local fencing company, Siana worked with Ken to learn the dimensions and to cut all the parts for ten bluebird boxes. She took these parts back to her building team of two friends and instructed them on how to assemble a “Ken Leister bluebird box.” Siana reflects, “We all had fun learning and building these boxes, and the whole experience felt like a special gift during the Covid-19 quarantine.”

In early spring, Siana worked with Blake to install the ten boxes at a private property in Willistown. This was significant because the farm’s current owner is keen on reestablishing the bluebird box trail that her grandfather, Hardie Scott, had lovingly established in the 60’s. In those days, concern was growing over the declining bluebird populations; threats included non-native competing species like House Sparrows, widespread pesticide use, and habitat loss from development. With the help of compassionate citizens establishing nest box campaigns and well monitored bluebird trails beginning in the 60’s and 70’s, Pennsylvania is once again home to healthy populations of these stunning backyard birds.

Siana helped monitor the bluebird trail this summer with Blake and found that the boxes were also being enjoyed by Tree Swallows, native birds that hunt insects on the wing. Since bluebirds hunt insects by diving into the grass from a hunting perch, they are not a direct competitive threat to Tree Swallows. Consequently, a swallow will generally allow a nearby bird box to be occupied by bluebirds but not by other swallows. As such, the boxes were cleverly paired at a private farm in Willistown to hopefully allow Eastern Bluebirds and Tree Swallows to live and breed harmoniously.

The new bluebird trail now lies vacant under the crisp autumn sunshine in the wide-open rolling hills, wild meadows, and fields of Willistown. The boxes hold the promise of many more broods of baby birds in the spring to come. When the Tree Swallows return to somersault through the honeysuckle-scented air and the bluebirds’ sweet songs bubble forth from the new leaves, Siana’s boxes will again come to life.

Siana and her brother Daniel monitoring the bluebird trail this summer. BHG

Blake Goll | she/her | Education Programs Manager | Blake plays a big role in the Trust’s Bird Conservation Program, as well as the outreach and educational initiatives as the coordinator for the Rushton Nature Keepers program.

Nature Escapes for Kids: Create Your Own Headdress

April 9, 2020 By Blake Goll

Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff — *A Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer during Discover Rushton Mini Camp. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff*

One of my childhood memories that has not faded throughout the years is from “Outdoor School,” which was basically a week-long field trip to a local nature center. Simply reporting to a nature preserve instead of school everyday with my classmates was enchanting on its own. One of the lessons, however, really got my attention: role-playing the Native American way of life. I remember the instructor telling us about how connected they were to the land and how even when they walked it was with respect to the earth. Following her lead, I picked my way delicately among the leaves —rolling my foot from the heal through the outside edge and then finally the ball and toe. This was, she explained, how Native Americans could stealthily walk through the woods without making a sound during hunting trips.

Role playing is such a wonderful way for children to mentally escape and be transported to a different time and place. Making nature headdresses is one such activity that fully engages a child’s creativity and focus while exercising fine motor skills and communication. I got this activity from a marvelous little book called Play the Forest School Way by Peter Houghton and Jane Worroll. The book is full of great ideas for outdoor play and is an essential resource for parents, especially during this time.

*A Rushton Nature Keeper wearing his nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll*

Start with introducing the concept of a headdress to your child. For example, in England a king or queen wore a crown with jewels to represent nobility, or a Native American chief may have been awarded a feather in his headdresses for an act of courage. Then explain to your child that they will be creating their own headdress and embellishing it with items found in nature; these items can be chosen to personally represent themselves and/or transform themselves into a mythical deity, woodland fairy, or other character of their imagination.

*A Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll*

All you will need prepared ahead of time is a long strip of sturdy plain white paper or posterboard. It should be 3-4 inches wide and long enough to go around the child’s head. You can help the child with fitting the strip to their head and cutting it to the right length; be sure to mark on the strip where the ends will overlap with tape so the child knows not to decorate that little section. Put a piece of double-sided tape along the length of the strip, onto which the child will stick bits of grass, seeds, flowers, twigs, feathers, and whatever else they find. (You will also need regular tape to put over top of the embellishments to secure them in place, and to tape the ends of the strip together once they are finished decorating—a stapler will also work.)

*Decorating nature headdresses. Photo by Blake Goll*

*Making nature headdresses. Photo by Blake Goll*

When you set the child loose to look for their embellishments (whether in your yard, a woodland, or nature preserve), I found it is easiest to have them gather their items and then bring them back to a work space rather than bring the paper strip with them during the foraging. It is easier for them to focus on foraging first and designing and sticking things to their headdress second. And boy do they design! You will be amazed at the beautiful works of art that your child will create.

*Rushton Nature Keeper wearing her nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll*

*Rushton Nature Keeper wearing his nature headdress last summer. Photo by Blake Goll*

Be sure to have your child explain their creative decision process when they are finished. What does each decoration symbolize? Why did he/she choose that item? What was the role of that decoration in the natural world? Who have they become with the headdress on? How does it make them feel? Are there animals in nature that create works of art or use decorations? Can you think of animals with headdresses of sorts?

Last but not least, don’t forget to take a picture of your child wearing the headdress since unfortunately these do not last in their original form for very long. They are, however, guaranteed to last a lifetime in your child’s memory.

Rushton Nature Keepers

Blake manages our Rushton Nature Keepers (RNK) club for children ages 7-11. Through year-round programs covering four conservation themes (birds and wildlife, regenerative farming, healthy habitat, and watersheds), RNK provides children with unique opportunities to develop a meaningful life-long relationship with nature. Although things are subject to change regarding Covid-19, we plan to resume children’s activities on May 2^nd. Click here for the schedule of RNK programs and membership information.

Nature Escapes for Kids: Healing Forest Art Walk

March 26, 2020 By Blake Goll

*A young student making forest art in Rushton Woods. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff*

The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls. ”
Pablo Picasso

You may have heard of healing forests around the world, especially in countries like South Korea and Japan, that are designated as places for people to find calm, balance, and rejuvenation. There is abundant research that supports the many benefits of nature to our wellbeing: relieving anxiety, depression, and stress while boosting our immune systems, productivity, and even sleep. Walking has all of these benefits as well; one study found that adults who walked for 30 minutes five times a week had more energy to get through the day, felt healthier, and were more confident than people who walked less frequently.

*An Abington Friends student enjoying a woodland walk at Rushton Woods Preserve last fall. Photo by Blake Goll*

Now imagine combining the super therapies of nature and walking with art! Art is healing in its own way because it connects us to something deep within our soul. A Healing Forest Art Walk is therefore beneficial to both children and adults. I found this fantastic activity from HealingForest.org, which I encourage you to visit for more ideas and extensions of this.

The Healing Forest Art Walk starts with a quiet walk in the woods. There are many nature preserves in our area (including our own Rushton Woods Preserve and Ashbridge Preserve) with trails that bring you through wooded areas. This quiet walk encourages the release of the executive network of the brain (the part that is overworked as kids sit in front of screens doing school work or as you feverishly answer email after email). Once that part of the mind is relaxed, the rest of it is free to wander here and there with all senses and emotions present and engaged.

*Blake with Rushton Nature Keepers in the woods of Ashbridge Preserve.*

Now find a spot with a nice open section of forest floor. With a partner, spend 5 minutes exploring the vicinity and collecting 5 items each (so you’ll have 10 total). As with building toad abodes, the main rule is to only collect what has already fallen or about to fall. Reconvene with your partner and spend 5-10 minutes creating nature art with your found items. Once finished, everyone goes on a “gallery walk” to visit each pair’s artwork; you can guess what the artist had in mind and then hear the artist’s interpretation.

*Children creating nature art at Rushton Woods Preserve. Photo by Blake Goll*

*Beautiful fungi on the forest floor of Rushton Woods Preserve: an example of what NOT to collect for nature art. Photo by Blake Goll*

*Nature art: an owl made of leaves. Photo by Blake Goll*

This activity can easily be done with only one child as well, in which case it’s fun to have them create their own forest friend. Whooo would not enjoy this?

I will leave you with some quotes about art to help get your child’s (or your) creativity flowing:

“Art is not what you see but what you make others see.” – Edgar Degas

“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.” – Claude Monet

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso

Rushton Nature Keepers

Nature Escapes for Kids: Building Toad Abodes and Heart Space

March 24, 2020 By Blake Goll

A Rushton Nature Keeper shows off a baby toad he found at Rushton Woods Preserve last summer. Photo by Blake Goll/Staff

I first learned of this whimsical nature activity (building toad abodes) while I was living in the wilderness of Central Pennsylvania soon after college, training as an environmental education intern at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. Our soft-spoken instructor always took us through training activities as though we were children ourselves, which helped to get us in the mindset of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Only in this mindset can you understand what makes these little people tick, what ignites their imagination, and what sparks those seemingly small moments to burn into their memories forever.

So there I was curiously scrambling and scuffling about the crisp brown bed of cool soil, fragrant dried needles, and damp green moss beneath the shade of the giant hemlocks . My fellow interns and I each worked our own patch of the forest floor, collecting bits of bark, twigs, pine cones, stones, and fallen leaves —anything that could be used to build the foundation of our own sturdy toad abode. Then came the interior design aspect because it only took a small stretch of the imagination to surmise that toads are discerning creatures with particular aesthetic tastes. A shimmering found butterfly wing might become a welcome doormat, or a fern frond might act as a cozy curtain.

As you can probably guess, a child can be entertained by this activity for quite a long time. And just as I look back fondly on that time with the forest floor of Central Pennsylvania, so too may your child remember their toad abode building fun. The best part about it is its simplicity; the core of this activity is really a tactile connection to nature. All you need is a patch of earth (in the woods, your yard, or a nature preserve) and a fertile imagination. The only rule is that you try to avoid picking mushrooms or plants from the earth. (Focus instead on items already at rest.)

A Rushton Nature Keeper building a toad abode. Photo by Blake Goll

You can extend this activity from one simple toad abode to a whole village or even focus on houses for fairies instead of toads. The details are not important. This kind of free play in nature as a child is what fosters critical thinking, creativity, empathy, and mental health as adults. In doing something as simple as building a place for a toad to rest his head, a child is actually creating a healing space in his/her heart to return to as an adult.

Rushton Nature Keepers: Inspiring tomorrow’s conservationists

What past RNK members are saying:

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)

A Rushton Nature Keeper “Graduate” Restores Historic Bluebird Trail to Willistown

Nature Escapes for Kids: Create Your Own Headdress

Rushton Nature Keepers

Nature Escapes for Kids: Healing Forest Art Walk

Rushton Nature Keepers

Nature Escapes for Kids: Building Toad Abodes and Heart Space

Rushton Nature Keepers

OUR NATURE PRESERVES

Upcoming Events

Winter Stewardship Volunteer Days | Contact us to Join!

Winter Stewardship Volunteer Days | Contact us to Join!

Rejuvenate at Rushton Wellness Retreat

DONATE TODAY!

CONTACT

WHERE WE WORK

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

FAQs