WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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Celebrating Preservation Month

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TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF LAND CONSERVATION IN THE WILLISTOWN COUNTRYSIDE

The Biden administration recently declared a national goal to conserve at least 30% of U.S. lands and freshwater, and another 30% of U.S. ocean areas by 2030. This initiative, referred to as 30×30, proposes an America the Beautiful campaign, described by the administration as a “ten-year, locally led campaign to conserve and restore the lands and waters upon which we all depend, and that bind us together as Americans.” It is through this lens that we reflect on the history of land conservation in the Willistown countryside.

The history of conservation under the auspices of Willistown Conservation Trust spans the past 40 years, but really, it’s based in a conservation ethic that goes back many years prior. It is a story of generations of people caring deeply for the land, with a passion for protecting it, not just to save open space, but to preserve the rich natural resources of our woodlands, rolling fields and stream valleys to benefit wildlife – and to share a deep connection to nature with people of all ages and backgrounds. It is a story that could not have happened without the loyal support – both moral and financial, of so many – for which all of us at the Trust are immensely grateful.

  • Willistown Program Area
  • The Willistown Countryside

Our program area consists of an oasis of interconnected open spaces, once referred to as Radnor Hunt country. Today it is defined by the headwaters of the Ridley, Crum and Darby creeks. It encompasses all of Willistown Township and parts of East Goshen, and Eastown Townships in Chester County, and portions of Newtown and Edgemont Townships in Delaware County. In its entirety, it comprises an area totaling approximately 28,000 acres, or almost 44 square miles.

Our 40-year history can be viewed in four important segments: the first being the early years under the umbrella of the Brandywine Conservancy in the 1980s; second, the establishment of Willistown Conservation Trust as its own independent organization; third, a period of growth that saw the expansion of land protection efforts resulting in hundreds of acres of preserved lands; and fourth, the emergence of our outreach and research programs.

In the beginning, it was the vision of our current executive director Bonnie Van Alen, along with her colleague and friend Kathe McCoy, to apply the principles of land conservation that were being used at the Brandywine Conservancy to lands in the Willistown countryside that were under threat of development. At that time, Brandywine Conservancy was being led by iconic conservationist Frolic Weymouth, whose legacy of land protection has inspired legions of conservationists to preserve the natural and cultural resources that make our area unique.

  • Kathe McCoy, Frolic Weymouth and Bonnie Van Alen
  • The Inaugural Board Meeting
  • Alice Hausmann and Bonnie Van Alen

Alice Hausmann joined the effort in 1985 and has been integral to the success of our organization ever since. It was in these early years that the Willistown Area Conservation Program was established, introducing the conservation projects that would eventually result in the creation of the Willistown Conservation Trust as we know it today.

The second segment of our organization’s history is marked by the “official” formation of the Willistown Conservation Trust as its own independent entity in 1996, with the blessing and encouragement of the Brandywine Conservancy.

In the early years, WCT occupied the “Blacksmith Shop” at White Horse Corner. We then moved across the street to the “Saddle Shop” before moving to our current office location in the farmhouse at 925 Providence Road, just south of White Horse Corner.

  • White Horse Corner Painting
  • Early Land Protection Staff Added
  • 925 Providence Road

This brings us to the third segment of our history, which was a period of vigorous growth in our land protection efforts through the early 2000s. We added land protection and stewardship staff, along with other positions to support our growing organization.

At this time, we were still primarily focused on land protection, i.e., getting private properties under easement. It was also during this time that we were acquiring lands that would eventually become our preserves at Ashbridge, Rushton Woods and Kirkwood.

This solid foundation of protected lands set the stage for the fourth and current era in the history of the Trust. During this time, we saw the emergence and evolution of our robust outreach and research programs, starting with the creation of Rushton Farm in 2008.

Rushton Farm

  • Rushton Farm
  • Bird Program
  • Watershed Program

Under the direction of Fred DeLong, the farm occupies six acres of tillable land at the Rushton Woods Preserve. Rushton Farm is a community magnet, with a Community Supported Agricultural (CSA) operation at its core. The food grown at Rushton is enjoyed by CSA members who support the operation financially. Many also volunteer at the farm.

In addition, every week, in season, Fred takes a truckload of food to the West Chester Food Cupboard. Underpinning all of this, the farm is an agroecology laboratory and a demonstration platform for innovating and testing sustainable agricultural practices.

Bird Program

Lisa Kiziuk leads our Bird Program, which began as a banding station that has evolved into a full-blown research operation. The program is recognized internationally for sharing its valuable data about bird health, migration patterns and the importance of habitat preservation.

Watershed Program

Watershed Program Director Lauren McGrath studies the health of the watersheds in our program area (Ridley, Crum and Darby Creeks). Information gathered on the flora, fauna and hydrologic conditions of the creeks is sent to shared regional databases to help paint a bigger picture about the health of our waterways, which are an important source of drinking water for our region.

Education Programs

  • Education Programs
  • Rushton Conservation Center

Willistown’s protected lands are unique experiential learning places that make the study of science, ecology and agriculture come alive for students of all ages. Under the leadership of Education Programs Manager Blake Goll, these conserved open spaces are used to explore the connections among land, farm, birds, habitat and water. People come here to study our practices and model solutions for healthy food systems, bird conservation, habitat restoration and improved water quality. They are drawn to this special place to learn, become inspired and leave with a deeper commitment to save land and serve as stewards of our natural world. Over 1,000 children and adults participate in the Trust’s education programs annually.

Rushton Conservation Center

Our newest program is the Rushton Conservation Center, which extends our community reach even further. This building is a new addition to the Rushton Woods Preserve. It was finished in 2018 and is designed to host educational events, seminars, community gatherings and farm-to-table dinners, centered on themes connected to our mission. Lindsay Carlson is the program director at the RCC.

Where Do We Go From Here?

  • Conserved Lands in Willistown in 1979
  • Conserved Lands in Willistown Today, 2021

The growth of our organization and expansion of our special programs has not changed our core mission of Land Protection and Stewardship, currently under the direction of Erik Hetzel and Andrew Kirkpatrick, respectively. As committed as we have been to conservation over the last 40 years, we remain ever vigilant in our land preservation efforts and are inspired and energized by the “30×30” goal. While conservation happens locally, it has far reaching national and global impacts that we are only now beginning to understand. We look forward to the next chapter in our history as we strive to help achieve the ambitious vision of 30×30, and continue to devote ourselves to conservation for many years to come.

The Power of Trees in a Watershed

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Trees that grow along waterways play a critical role in maintaining a healthy stream or river. Trees provide a huge list of benefits: from providing habitat and food to stabilizing banks and cleaning the water – trees do it all.

The Riparian Zone is the area of land that borders a waterway. This zone is very important for maintaining the health of the stream, and the trees and plants that grow in this area play a critical role in the function of a stream. Riparian trees provide a huge list of benefits: they shade the water to keep it cool, provide food and habitat, stabilize the banks of the stream and filter water to remove pollutants.

A mature leafed out canopy of a tree provides shade from the direct sunlight and keeps the water cooler. Many of the streams in this area are fed by ground water, which means that in a healthy system the water should be very cold. Cold water holds higher levels of oxygen than warm water, and as the stream water begins to warm up, oxygen levels can quickly decrease to the point that many kinds of stream life can no longer thrive. In many cases, streams can warm to the point that some stream life cannot survive. While many different things can cause a stream to warm up, one of the most obvious is a lack of riparian trees. Direct sunlight on a slow moving stream in the heat of August can rapidly warm the water, but by planting riparian trees this can be avoided.

A healthy riparian zone full of trees also provides food and habitat in the stream. In healthy headwaters or the start of a stream or river, the most important source of food is the leaves and branches that enter the waterway. This is called detritus, and is the foundation of the food pyramid. Major inputs, like the falling leaves in autumn, will feed the ecosystem through the entire winter. The leaves that fall into a stream get caught on rocks and sticks and form leaf packs, which are nutrient rich bonanzas for the stream ecosystem! For this reason, it is important that when replanting riparian areas that native plants are used, as many non-native plants do not have the same nutritional value, and will not be consumed when they enter a waterway. Trees and branches that fall into waterways also provide important cover and hiding places for many stream species. The fry, or baby fish, needs a cover to avoid being eaten by larger animals. In a natural undisturbed stream system, there would be log jams, snags, and loads of leaf packs in a waterway to provide this cover.

The canopy is not the only important part of the tree for our streams – the roots of a plant in a riparian area serve the important purpose of stabilizing the banks and slowing the rate of erosion. Erosion is a natural part of a stream’s life, but the rate of erosion can become a problem. When plants are removed from the banks, there is little to secure the soil and rocks along the edge of the waterway, and as rainfall causes water levels to rise and speed up, the force of the water begins to carry the loose bank downstream. This results in stream banks becoming steep, undercut and unstable, and large deposits occur downstream, which can smother existing stream life. Organisms like mussels can become buried underneath sediment that arrives rapidly from upstream erosion.

This May, the Watershed Protection Team is planting 250 trees at Ashbridge Preserve, and we need your help! Join us from May 23 through May 29 in populating the meadow at Ashbridge Lake with a diverse set of native trees and shrubs. This year, the tree planting is designed to take place over an entire week to allow for multiple small groups to come out and make a difference while staying safe and following COVID safety guidelines. We are doing our best to keep all volunteers safe while improving the habitat along Ridley Creek!

 

To access this year’s planting, we will need to cross Ridley Creek, so please come prepared in shoes that can get wet and muddy! Please bring your gloves and water bottles to stay hydrated during the planting.



This planting has been made possible by generous funding from the DCNR.

Nature at Night: Native Plants for Your Landscape

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What if you treated your backyard as a piece of the larger mosaic of a habitat and added native plants to your landscape? The Trust’s Preserve Manager, Mike Cranney, for an overview of native plants and why they’re important to birds and other wildlife.  Mike will be joined by Julie Snell and Lisa McDonald Hanes of Redbud Native Plant Nursery, located in Media, PA. Julie and Lisa will share their growing and sourcing practices, selecting the right plants for your space, and how to develop a thriving native plant landscape!

REDBUD NATIVE PLANT NURSERY

The mission of Redbud Native Plant Nursery is to be the primary source of sustainably raised native plants for retail buyers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Building on the base established over the past seventeen years, the nursery will continue to provide unique stock at a location where customers can see, touch and smell native plants in person and interact with knowledgeable staff. 

To learn more about Julie and Lisa’s nursery, please visit Redbud Native Plant Nursery’s website: www.redbudnative.com

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: Joan Swirsky

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Since the Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) stewardship team began our weekly volunteer days last year, Joan has been our most dedicated participant. Week in and week out, she is ready and willing to come out to the preserves and lend a hand in any way she can. “WCT has greatly enhanced my life, especially during COVID isolation, providing outdoor distanced activities virtually year round,” Joan says.

Joan moved to the Willistown area with her husband in 2017. She became involved with the Trust soon after when she started attending bird banding at Rushton. Upon learning about the various preserves and their need for maintenance, Joan jumped at the chance to help. “I am so impressed with how much property you maintain, with such a small staff, so I am glad to help.” Joan has assisted us with trail repairs, cleared invasive plants alongside Crum and Ridley creeks, and helped blaze paths at our new preserve. Recently, she has begun lending her time to Rushton farm as well. “Whenever I visit, I’m learning about birds, land preservation, or organic farming – besides meeting nice people, enjoying the outdoors, and being active. The WCT properties are a gem in my backyard.”

If you want to get involved, email our Preserve Manager, Mike Cranney (mjc@wctrust.org)

Winter Solstice

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Solar system planets set. The Sun and planets in a row on the universe stars background. Elements of this image furnished by NASA. 3d illustration from Envato Elements.

As the clock winds down on 2020 come the hopes of a brighter future. The occasion of the winter solstice feels more relevant this year than any other in recent memory. The solstice is the longest night of the year and happens twice annually, once in the Northern Hemisphere in December and then in the Southern Hemisphere in June (when we’re all celebrating the longest day of the year). Nordic traditions bring the burning of a Yule log to observe the occasion, in China, they share rice balls called tang yuan with family at gatherings, Persian tradition celebrates Shab-e Yalda with fires burning all night, poetry readings, and eating summer fruits to protect against winter illness. Around the world, there are many rich traditions of celebration going on.

This winter solstice will be especially unique because of the planetary ‘Great Conjunction’ of Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planetary bodies. The last time the planets were this close to view was July 1623, almost four hundred years ago and this rare celestial occurrence won’t happen again until 2080. Some are calling it the Christmas Star because of the proximity to Christmas this year. Regardless of what you call it, it will be a sight to see and should not be missed. The coincidence of this event occurring on the longest night of the year feels more meaningful. Just after sunset will be the best time to observe the splendor in the western sky.

The solstice and the conjunction bring to mind the Yin and Yang of the universe. The constant push and pull of tides and seasons. Everyone has been through so much this year; it’s easy to forget that we live in a very dynamic universe. A place where everything changes constantly and rainy days yield to sunny ones. Summer gives way to autumn, autumn to winter, and winter to spring. This winter of 2020 feels especially significant as we look to close the book on the troubles of the past year and focus on what’s ahead. In the darkness, there is light one cannot exist without the other.

We are excited for the year ahead of us at Willistown Conservation Trust and in the Stewardship Department. We’ll be finishing our Master Plan at Rushton Woods and Farm Preserve. We’ll be applying for grants to improve our other preserves. We’ll continue to work with our dedicated volunteers to repair trails and make the land more enjoyable for visitors. Our connection to the outdoors and the land in Willistown is one of our greatest treasures, and rest assured the Trust will continue to protect the land, improve the health of it, and connect our community to nature.