WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

Explore Nature at Willistown Conservation Trust’s Preserves

By

Did you know that the Willistown Conservation Trust has three preserves that are open to the public year round? This year we’ll be opening a fourth! If you would like to know more about these gems of Willistown, join us on our new monthly walk series where we will take in depth look at the beauty, history, and future of these community resources! In February, we’ll be on the hunt of the first signs of spring, then as the year warms up, we’ll learn about the ecosystems that support pollinators throughout the summer, and wind up the year looking at how the topography of the landscape impacts the plant communities, habitat, and microclimate at our preserves.

A path through the grasses at Kirkwood Preserve

Our preserve walks are free of charge, however space is limited 25 to ensure the best experience for participants. We ask that you register in advance on the event calendar on our website.

In case you missed it, our first walk took place at Rushton Woods Preserve where our discussion revolved around:

  • Distinguishing invasive vines from native ones and tips for removing unwanted vines.
  • The benefits of dead downed trees or “nurse logs” and their role in forest ecology.
  • Why beech trees hold their leaves in winter and other winter tree id techniques.
  • The danger of barberry (it’s a tick vector) and the importance of its removal.

The glorious weather that day was topped off with two foxes and a pileated woodpecker!

Our 2020 schedule is below and we have signups open for the first 4 on the list. Visit our calendar of events to register.

February 20th – Ashbridge Preserve: The Hunt for Skunk Cabbage
April 9th – Kirkwood Preserve: Meadow Management
May 14th – Rushton Woods Preserve: Welcoming Spring
June 25th – Ashbridge Preserve: Pollinators!
September 17th – Kirkwood Preserve: Meadows in Bloom
October 15th – Ashbridge Preserve: One for the Road
November 12th – New WCT Preserve: Lay of the Land
December 10th – Kirkwood Preserve: Winter of the World

A Farewell and a Welcome

By

Hello,
The recent bittersweet news is that our good friend and colleague, Bill Hartman, has left Willistown Conservation Trust to become the Section Chief for Trails and Open Space at the Montgomery County Planning Commission.


While this is indeed sad news for all of us who have worked side by side with Bill over the last thirteen years, it is a wonderful move and great opportunity for Bill at this moment in his career. He shared with me his excitement as he looks forward to overseeing Montgomery County’s ambitious trail planning and open space programs – an area where he can put his landscape architecture degree to full use as well as his extensive land and easement stewardship experiences with the Trust. He will be making a difference in the lives of many people.


Bill will be deeply missed by everyone with whom he came in contact during his years with the Trust – from fellow staff and professional colleagues to Trustees and the many landowners and community members he touched. Bill has been a pillar of our organization from the beginning, and has made the Trust and all of us better through his high degree of professionalism, integrity, good judgement, commitment to fairness and friendship. Please join me in thanking Bill for his service and wishing him luck in the future!

Andrew & Lily (left) and Bill & Blue

The good news is that last year we hired Andrew Kirkpatrick to serve as Associate Director of Stewardship under Bill’s direction. In his short time with the Trust, Andrew has demonstrated high levels of skill and knowledge and his passion for land conservation is truly infectious! After presenting me with his long-term vision for the future of stewardship at the Trust, the choice was clear and Andrew has now become our new Director of Stewardship.


Mike Cranney has recently joined the Trust’s stewardship team as Preserve Manager and will be reporting to Andrew. Mike’s time will be divided among 3 main areas of responsibility:

  • Preserve management
  • Managing and working with volunteers
  • Easement monitoring

If you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Andrew and Mike, I hope you soon will. They both share a passion for the land and connecting people with nature. I know they will be great assets to our community of conservationists in Willistown and beyond.


Andrew came to us from the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education where he was Land Stewardship Manager. As part of his duties, Andrew managed a 340-acre preserve, led trail projects, coordinated volunteer activities, and managed a retail native plant nursery.


Mike earned his MS in Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, where he gravitated toward work in the field. He interned at Morris Arboretum and worked there for a short time as a gardener. He loves to roll up his sleeves, lead volunteers and get his hands dirty, so this is a perfect role for him.


Please join me in wishing Andrew and Mike well in their new roles!

Behold the Hackberry!

By

The Society of Municipal Arborists recently announced its 2020 Tree of the Year. It’s the Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis). This tree is related to the American Elm and upon the introduction of Dutch Elm Disease, the Hackberry became a very popular substitute.

According to the US Department of Agriculture’s website, the common hackberry varies in size from a shrub to a tree exceeding 100’ in height. So why are we telling you about this? It just so happens that we have a remarkable specimen hackberry at Kirkwood Preserve, right at the corner of Goshen and Grubbs Mill Roads.

Measuring a leader on the Hackberry – this one is 8’9″

It is definitely larger than most hackberries at an estimated 70’ tall. Its girth is equally remarkable, with its trunk measuring roughly 15’ in circumference at the base and with three leaders measuring 6’5”, 8’9” and 6’7”. As for the age, it’s hard to estimate without looking at the rings. Hackberries are a faster-growing tree. This specimen is also out in the open (as opposed to being in a forest), which can further increase its rate of growth.

Hackberries are wonderful shade trees. They are also adaptable to a wide range of soil types and tolerate heat, drought, salt spray, wind, ice and even short-term flooding. All of those characteristics make it a great urban tree. But it’s equally well-suited to living on preserved land! As a bonus, the hackberry provides food for birds and small mammals.

Looking up – you can see the beautiful fissured bark

So, next time you’re out, stop by Kirkwood Preserve and take a look at our specimen hackberry. It’s particularly beautiful in summertime when its deep green foliage is on display. But winter offers you a chance to see its complex structure and deeply textured bark.

With the Spotted Lanternfly it’s Always Squash Season

By

At our most recent free lunch & learn at the Rushton Conservation Center, Meagan Hopkins-Doerr provided a wealth of useful information about the invasive and destructive Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). Meagan is Coordinator for the Master Gardeners of Chester County and Master Watershed Stewards of Chester & Delaware Counties, and she travels the area providing informative sessions like this one on a variety of topics.

Background

SLF is an invasive species that was discovered in Berks County back in 2014. With few natural predators, it has spread and threatens the Pennsylvania economy. It is critical to manage this pest now. SLF was also introduced in South Korea, which is similar in size to Pennsylvania.

So, here are some of the highlights of actions you can take now:

Destroy the Eggs

The SLF adults have now died from the cold, but have left behind their egg masses. Here’s a photo of what they look like.

Photo: Penn State University Extension – Image by Erica Smyers

Females will lay eggs on virtually any outdoor surface. In addition to trees you may find them on:

  • Fence posts
  • Grills
  • Sheds
  • Lawn furniture
  • Outdoor seating cushions
  • Exterior walls (siding, brick, stone)
  • Flower boxes
  • Bird feeders

Careful inspection of your property for the egg masses is an important step in controlling the spread of the SLF. Each egg mass can contain, on average, 37 eggs. Therefore it’s important to destroy any you see. When you see one, here’s what you do:

  • Scrape the egg mass into a jar or similar container
  • Soak the eggs in isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
  • Dispose of the container

You can also smash the egg masses, or burn them if you have a fire pit.

Limit the Spread

Willistown Conservation Trust’s program area is within the quarantine zone. At all stages of growth, SLF are very efficient hitchhikers. There are some things you can do to limit the spread of the SLF:

  • Check your car (wheel wells, grille) and any trailers and remove all SLF before departing. This is important ESPECIALLY before driving out of the quarantine zone.
  • Don’t park under infested trees
  • Do not transport firewood
  • Inspect any material stored outdoors before transporting it elsewhere

Remove Tree of Heaven

If you use landscapers or arborists, ask if they have received an SLF permit from the PA Department of Agriculture. For more information about the permit visit: https://extension.psu.edu/does-your-business-need-a-spotted-lanternfly-permit

Though the SLF will feed on other plants, the Tree of Heaven is one of its preferred hosts. If you have Tree of Heaven, it is important to remove them. You MUST use an appropriate herbicide to treat the tree before cutting it down or it will multiply.

Get Ready for Hatching

Banding. When the SLF eggs hatch in the spring, the nymphs will begin to forage. By banding trees they prefer, you can help to capture them. Bands should be checked regularly and replaced as needed. Excluder cages should be used to  keep other animals away from the bands. Read more about use of traps here: https://extension.psu.edu/using-traps-for-spotted-lanternfly-management

Insecticides. If you have an infestation, it may be necessary to use insecticides. There are a variety of systemic and contact insecticides with varying degrees of efficacy against the SLF. Always read and follow the label before applying any insecticide. Additional information can be found here: https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-and-pesticide-safety

See the Penn State Extension website for instructions on how to band trees and for selection and use of insecticides.

Report. Report. Report.

Researchers need data. By reporting sightings of SLF you will help researchers understand how the SLF are moving. To report SLF you can go online to extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly or call 1-888-4BADFLY.

Learn More

You can download a variety of helpful information at the PSU Extension website. The Trust also has some print materials left over from the lunch & learn. You’re welcome to stop by our office and pick up some while supplies last. We also have a small supply of scraper cards, which also have helpful information on them including the number to call to report SLF.

Watch for more informative lunch & learns coming up.

Welcome Andrew Kirkpatrick

By

We are thrilled to have Andrew Kirkpatrick join the Willistown Conservation Trust staff as Associate Director of Stewardship, working with Director of Stewardship, Bill Hartman. He joins us from the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education where he was Land Stewardship Manager, in charge of its 340-acre preserve. As part of his duties, Andrew led trail projects, coordinated volunteer activities, and managed their retail native plant nursery.

So how does a guy with a bachelor’s degree in politics and government wind up in land conservation and stewardship? Well, it started in Georgia and ended in Maine.

But before that, fresh out of college, Andrew worked for the Department of the Treasury. It was a great fit for his background and interests at the time. But he found the work, in his words, “really boring.”

He decided to take a little time-out and hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Pennsylvania. He walked home, as he put it. Then after a short hiatus, he picked up where he left off and continued on to the northern terminus in Maine.

Along the way, he marveled at how well the small, tightly knit community of hikers communicated. The way he describes it, the flow of information was organic and seamless, which turned it into a literal and figurative voyage of discovery. Through-hikers like Andrew usually have a trail name – his was Leaf Treader, taken from a Robert Frost poem that describes an individual’s awareness of nature and its cycles. And it was his own awareness of nature, being immersed in it day-after-day (even grim periods of non-stop rain), that led Andrew from the trail to a career in conservation.

He learned about a master’s program in Landscape Architecture and Ecological Restoration at Temple University from his wife. Upon graduation from that program, he started on the path of his new career at Morris Arboretum. And the rest is history.

Andrew is most excited to learn more about conservation easements and monitoring. He and Bill have already hit the ground running conducting monitoring visits throughout our program area and with more than 100 easement properties, there will be plenty of opportunity to learn!

Not surprising, in his free time, Andrew enjoys gardening and hiking with his 7-year old daughter, Stella. When you see him out-and-about, please say hello and join us in welcoming him to the Trust!

Connect With Us

Willistown Conservation Trust

925 Providence Road
Newtown Square, PA 19073
(610)353-2562
land@wctrust.org