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

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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
  • Tree Swallow nest lined with goose feathers

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.

Volunteer Spotlight: Eagle Scout Will Hetzel Leads Troop 106 in Building Bog Bridges at Ashbridge Preserve

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By Director of Stewardship Andrew Kirkpatrick

Photos by Director of Land Protection Erik Hetzel

It has been over five years since I began working in the nonprofit sector, and during that time I have learned a universal truth about our work; volunteers are the backbone of our operations. People who choose to give their time to support our mission are critical to our success. Across all of our program areas, we could not achieve our mission without our volunteers.

Boy Scout Troop 106 with Andrew Kirkpatrick and Erik Hetzel

When it comes to our Habitat Restoration Program, managing and maintaining our nature preserves in Willistown — Rushton, Kirkwood, and Ashbridge — would not be possible without the help of our volunteers. Keeping trails clear and invasive species in check is a full-time operation. Our preserve manager Mike Cranney has his hands full, but with the help of our incredible volunteers, he can accomplish a lot. Local Eagle Scout, Will Hetzel (son of our Director of Land Protection, Erik Hetzel) recently demonstrated this in August when he organized scouts from Troop 106 to install eight new bog bridges at Ashbridge Preserve.

We use bog bridges at our preserves to allow visitors to traverse wet and mucky areas without causing damage to the trail. The bog bridges, also called puncheons, are constructed with wood planks on top of footers and covered with chicken wire to reduce slippery conditions when it rains. The bog bridges are anchored to the ground using rebar stakes. For his project, Will raised over $1,000 in donations and goods to build the new bog bridges for the path adjacent to Ridley Creek.

On a hot and sunny Wednesday afternoon, Will gathered his team of scouts to build the bridges on site and install them along the trail. Will and the scouts were well organized, efficient, and professional. I felt inspired watching these fine young men work together in the preserve, getting their hands dirty and creating an amenity that will benefit the community. The scouts did a great job and completed the project from start to finish in three hours. Thanks to them, this trail, which is often wet and muddy, will now be more easily accessible to our visitors.

Having been a scout myself, I can say what an accomplishment it is for Will to reach the rank of Eagle Scout and complete his service project. Not many scouts stick it out and commit to this level of accomplishment. It is a reflection of Will’s perseverance, fortitude, and determination that will serve him well throughout his academic and future professional career. I think we can all draw inspiration from the example set by Will and the scouts from Troop 106. Taking the time to give back by volunteering is both personally fulfilling and incredibly impactful for organizations like ours.

If you are interested in joining our group of dedicated volunteers, you are welcome to join us at our Stewardship Volunteer Thursdays, held at our various Preserves from 9am to 4pm every Thursday through November. You can come for the whole session or as long as you’re able! Send an email to Preserve Manager Mike Cranney (mjc@wctrust.org) to sign up. If you’d like to complete a larger project, similar to Will’s bog bridges, please get in touch with Stewardship Director Andrew Kirkpatrick (ajk@wctrust.org).


By Andrew J. Kirkpatrick | he/him | Director of Stewardship | As part of the Trust’s Habitat Restoration Program, Andrew oversees the stewardship of our private conservation easement properties and our nature preserves, in addition to coordinating our Stewardship volunteers days.

Honoring Bonnie’s Legacy and Looking to Willistown Conservation Trust’s Future

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Within the ever growing area of Chester County lies a hidden swath of land that sits in stark contrast to the noisy highways and developments that surround it. Here, the rolling hills dotted with an abundance of wildlife, luscious pastures, and scenic woodlands offer a quiet reprieve to passersby, one that has remained nearly untouched since the early settlers first arrived. Today, this special place is known as Willistown, and its rural charm and 7,500 acres of protected open space would not exist if it weren’t for Bonnie Van Alen.

Born in Chester Springs, Bonnie Van Alen (née Bartholomew), grew up on her family farm, where she spent her time working and riding her pony across the countryside. She describes her childhood as “free range,” one without boundaries aor constraints that afforded her a deep connection with nature and the great outdoors. “I loved every aspect of it: the animals, the wildlife, and the freedom,” she says. Following her education at Agnes Irwin School and later at Penn State University, Bonnie returned to Chester County with her sweetheart, Jim Van Alen. The two married and settled in Jim’s childhood home of Willistown in 1969 where they lived next door to Jim’s family on Delchester Road. It was there that they raised their three boys — Jimmy, Alex and Rob — who spent their younger years exploring creeks and woodlands around the farm.

During this period in the 1980’s, the Van Alens and their neighbors grew concerned over development pressures threatening to disrupt the important habitat and rural characteristic of this area. Bonnie took it upon herself to explore a new tool that the Brandywine Conservancy had been using to restrict uncontrolled development: conservation easements. Leaving her work with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Bonnie launched a satellite program under the Brandywine Conservancy with the purpose of conserving Willistown properties with conservation easements that would be held by Brandywine.

After a crash course in conservation easement law and easement drafting, Bonnie and her conservation partner Kathe McCoy got to work drawing a map by hand to identify their focus area within the headwaters of the Crum, Ridley, and Darby Creeks: about 28,000 acres. After systematically identifying strategic properties and their owners, the duo began approaching landowners with this new concept of conservation, and they found that many were thrilled to contribute to this greater cause. As Bonnie explains, “These first landowners who donated easements took a risk and a leap of faith. And as the years went on, this land ethic grew and developed to build a true community of conservation.”

  • The Inaugural Board Meeting
  • Top Row, Left to Right Alice Hausmann, Peter Hausmann, Bill Howard, Jim Van Alen, Bonnie Van Alen. Bottom Row, Left to Right: Tana Wall, Peter Strawbridge and Jane MacElree. Not Appearing in the “Now” Photo: Doug Walker who is no longer with us, and Tim Barnard.
    Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Of course, not every neighbor was moved to permanently protect their land. In 1995, a 200-acre, centrally located farm went on the market, and the owner submitted a plan to the township to construct 80 houses on it, along with the necessary infrastructure to support these homes. Gathering their neighbors, Bonnie and Kathe, guided by local attorney, Peter Somers, formed a community partnership of investors to acquire the property for resale to conservation minded buyers. This became the model for the nonprofit Delchester Group, Inc., which, under the leadership of Bonnie, Peter and Alice Hausmann, and others has since been used to create community partnerships to acquire and save 17 properties comprising over 2,000 acres that would have otherwise been bulldozed and developed within Willistown.

After completing 90 conservation easements with the Brandywine Conservancy, in 1996 Bonnie and Alice took the next steps to turn their satellite organization into its own independent 501(c)(3) charity with the support of the community and the blessing of friend and Brandywine Conservancy President, Frolic Weymouth. Called Willistown Conservation Trust, the organization soon began preserving public trail easements and three public nature preserves — Ashbridge Preserve, Kirkwood Preserve, and Rushton Woods Preserve — in addition to completing many more conservation easements with local landowners. Under Bonnie’s leadership, the Trust expanded to over 25 employees, 22 Trustees and hundreds of volunteers, and today it offers six nationally renowned programs for public engagement and research, including the Bird Conservation, Community Farm, Education and Outreach, Land Protection, Stewardship, and Watershed Programs.

  • Alice Hausmann and Bonnie Van Alen in 1996
  • Alice & Bonnie Today!
    Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Looking back on her many accomplishments, Bonnie declares, “I think the thing that I love the most about this organization is interacting with our remarkable staff, our wonderful board of trustees and our many volunteers and supporters. Our staff is above and beyond incredible. They are experts in their field and completely devoted to what they do, and I’m regularly inspired by their passion.”

Kate Etherington is one of the newer staff members at the Trust, though she has been engaged with the organization for many years, first as a volunteer getting her hands dirty at Rushton Farm, and later serving on the Board of Trustees. In 2020 Bonnie, inspired by Kate’s dedication and skills, invited her to join the staff as Associate Executive Director. Kate brought to the role a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and a breadth of management experience within the nonprofit sector. Like Bonnie, Kate grew up in the Chester County area where she spent her time as an avid horseback rider and member of the Radnor Hunt Pony Club. Her parents instilled in her a love of nature and appreciation for open space, where she spent many hours exploring the local woods, trails, streams, and fields. Today, Kate lives on a small farm in Easttown Township with her husband Ben and their three daughters, Lucy, Maggie, and Alice.

  • Meet the Etheringtons: Ben, Kate, Alice, Maggie, Lucy

“The landscape of Willistown would look completely different had it not been for Bonnie’s foresight, hard work and determination,” says Kate. “Her capacity to grow a small land trust into the organization it is today, with thriving programs and community events, is amazing. It is inspiring to see and learn from another woman’s leadership in our community.”

As Executive Director, Kate plans to continue focusing on land conservation and the critical properties in the Willistown area, as well as the smaller parcels that contribute to larger greenways. She hopes to further the Trust’s many robust environmental programs and to grow education and outreach efforts at the Rushton Conservation Center to reach a broader and more diverse group of people in the region and beyond.

In her transition, Bonnie will remain dedicated to the organization as President Emerita and by serving on the Trust’s Board of Trustees, assisting Kate with critical land conservation acquisition projects and fundraising endeavors to help the Trust reach its goal of conserving 4,000 more acres. She will also continue her work with The Delchester Group Inc., saving plenty of time for Jim and their beloved extended family, including six wonderful grandchildren.

  • Kate and Bonnie at Rushton Woods Preserve
    Photo by Jennifer Mathes

Plastic Free July: Tips from the Trust

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Planning Plastic Free Events

This year, in honor of Plastic Free July, consider throwing a Plastic Free 4th of July Party! We tried out some of these ideas for our Barns & BBQ Tailgate, and while some of them were more expensive than the cheaper plastic alternatives, they were well worth it to help save the environment. You may find it’s easier than you thought to incorporate some of these changes. Plus these plastic free alternatives can add some sweet charm to your big event:

  • 🍽️ Trade plastic utensils and plates for bamboo or compostable options, or use the real deal!
  • 🟥 Swap plastic tablecloths for fabric or ditch the tablecloths altogether!
  • 🍹 Switch your plastic cups for glassware – mason jars are an easy alternative
  • 🥤 Instead of red solo cups for games, try aluminum solo cups – you can find them at your local grocery store
  • 💧 Avoid bottled water by putting out pitchers of water
  • ♻️ Put out marked trashcans, recycling and composting bins
  • 🍉 Ditch the plastic wrap for beeswax food coverings

What to do with Plastic Pots

Plastic garden pots! What can we do with them after we use them? This always bothers me about buying plants. There is no easy answer as they are the industry standard. But we need to be more creative.

  • Ask your local nursery if they will take back clean and disinfected pots.
  • Return them to Lowes!
  • Save them and use them for starting vegetables the following season, or for dividing your plants.
  • Place your houseplants in them to go inside a decorative pot – this makes for easy-to-remove plants when it’s time to replant in a larger pot.
  • Clean and paint them to use as decorative containers.
  • Reuse them to hold gravel or mulch for your garden.
  • Convert larger ones into weed canisters as you weed your garden, which you can then dump in a larger container, compost or wheelbarrow.

What ideas do you have?

Say No to Plastic Bags!

According to @plasticfreejuly, “By choosing to refuse plastic bags, you can save around 500 plastic bags per year from entering our oceans and landfill.” 

  • Keep reusable bags in your car at all times for visits to the grocery store.
  • Place a convenient small foldable bag in your purse, so you always have a reusable bag on your person when running errands.
  • Opt for mesh produce bags to avoid using plastic when you bag your produce.
  • Consider bringing jars to stock up on bulk items like grains and coffee.
  • Urge your local legislation to tax plastic bags. Philly recently did this to much success!
  • Pro Tip: Our Rushton Farm canvas bags can be folded and put into a purse or pocket for easy convenience.

Buy a Reusable Water Bottle and Bring it with you Everywhere!

Heading out to one of our preserves for a hike? Be sure to cool off with water from a reusable bottle and #ditchtheplastic for #plasticfreejuly ! The Stewardship staff always keep their bottles handy for refills. This July stay healthy, stay cool, and stay plastic free!

Plastic Free Farming

Plastic Free July is a good chance to explain something we rely on at Rushton Farm, and something visitors may notice when they come to the farm. We use Biodegradable mulch film to cover our raised beds which greatly reduces our weed pressure. All of our transplants are planted into this mulch film so we only have to weed the planting holes. The picture of our tomatoes shows how effective it is, and the best part is, the mulch film is gone by the end of the season!! This product has been perfected over the last decade. Previously, farms could fill entire dumpsters with the plastic mulch film that had to be pulled out of the field at the end of the season. There could also be quite a bit of residual plastic left in the soil. We love our BIODEGRADABLE mulch film!!

Biodegradable mulch film also helps regulate soil temperature and soil moisture. We use black for most of our crops but switch to white for our potatoes and fall brassicas because it helps keep the soil temp cooler!

Plastic-Free Kitchen

Going plastic free starts in the home – and most importantly, in the kitchen! Often,

  • Wash or using reusable Ziploc bags whenever possible.
  • Invest in metal, wooden or silicone to-go utensils that you can include in lunchboxes.
  • Buy multi-use cups and thermoses to help reduce waste out and about.

Plastic-Free Toiletries

There are many affordable plastic-free toiletries on the market! Check them out below and see what you can find locally.

  • Bamboo Toothbrushes
  • Bar soaps
  • Toothpaste & mouthwash tablets
  • Biodegradable cotton swabs
  • Bar shampoos and conditioners

Personal Care Plastic Pollution

Beauty products are one of the top sources of single use plastic. About 120 billion units of single use plastic are created for beauty and personal care products a year. 18 million acres of Forest are lost annually for personal care product packaging. Secondary outer packaging boxes contribute to more than half of the total resources used. The EPA states that about 2 billion disposable razors are produced each year. About 6 tubes of mascara are sold every minute in the United States: almost 600,000 a year. By cutting deodorant plastic packaging by 10%, 120 million pounds of waste can be eliminated from landfills each year. In the U.S. 550 million shampoo bottles are thrown away annually.

By making small changes in our lives, we can lessen the impact we have on the environment and plastic production.

  • To minimize your contribution to the number of razors that can go in landfills, you can use re-usable razors safely.
  • Try reusable or plastic free options – there are many brands out there!
  • If you do not use a plastic tube, clean and donate the wand to local animal shelters.
  • Many deodorant companies have pledged to go less than 10% non-recycled plastic by 2025, so look out for plastic-free options.
  • A new alternative for plastic bottles are shampoo and conditioner bars. they can last the equivalent of 5 plastic bottles!

We’ll be adding more tips from our staff members as we try out different Plastic Free July ideas and come up with our own eco-friendly alternatives.

WCT Goes Plastic Free!

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This month of July, the entire staff of Willistown Conservation Trust is taking the challenge to go plastic free for all 31 days! In committing ourselves to a plastic-free lifestyle, we are joining “a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities,” according to the Plastic Free July® website and Plastic Free Foundation, the group that’s been putting forth this challenge for the past 11 years.

During the pandemic, we witnessed a drastic increase in single-use plastic; our coveted hand sanitizer came in plastic bottles of all sizes, containers of disposable wipes were common-place in every home and office, disposable masks became the norm, rubber gloves were used more than ever before, and some of our food at the grocery store suddenly sprouted protective plastic coverings. For a time, even our reusable grocery bags weren’t allowed at some stores, making plastic alternatives the only option. And for many of us, our favorite farmers markets – where we could easily go plastic free – suddenly closed down. We also enjoyed more takeout meals, and then of course, those meals came in more plastic containers.

Fortunately, many of these plastic habits are dissipating as we return to a state that resembles something closer to “normal.” However, plastic still comes with almost everything we buy, and on a larger scale, the economic crisis of this past year has resulted in businesses choosing cheap plastics over more expensive and environmentally-friendly alternatives, while recycling systems have begun breaking down due to budget constraints. Additionally, microplastics continue to overwhelm our waterways, affecting watersheds, land, birds and humans around the world and right here in Willistown.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? You are not alone! You can be part of the solution, and now is the perfect time to start. Plastic Free July offers plenty of resources to help you reduce single-use plastics, from starting small by bringing your reusable grocery bags and favorite water bottle everywhere you go, to engaging businesses and your community to commit to doing better together. Along the way, Trust staff will share their own plastic-free journey, in addition to teaching you about the harms of plastics in our immediate environment.

Be sure to tune in to our Instagram and Facebook pages throughout the month to learn more, and don’t forget to visit our Plastic Free July webpage as we update it with our own stories, tips and tricks. We’ll be sharing all month long, and we hope you’ll share too, as you commit to this challenge with us!