WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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Create Your Own Meadow – Step 2: Plant

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Mid April – Early May: Once your wildflower plugs arrive, it may be tempting to lay out plants in neatly arranged rows, but clustering plants together while still paying attention to plant spacing will echo the more organic patterns found in nature.

Planting wildflower plugs
It’s a great group or family project

In addition, wildflowers planted in clusters with several plants of the same species within a few feet of each other will also help to attract more pollinators. Use a handheld auger (2” +/- in diameter) or shovel to open holes for your wildflower plugs. Then you can easily insert each plug in the hole and tamp the soil around it.

Progress just 3 months after planting. This is in front of the Trust office.

Announcing Weekly Preserve Workdays

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We need your help! Willistown Conservation Trust maintains 3 public preserves, soon to be 4! With so much beautiful habitat, we need some help keeping these conserved lands looking their best for all visitors and ensuring they continue to provide healthy habitat for the many species that depend on them.

The Stewardship Team will begin hosting weekly volunteer work sessions, led by Preserve Manager Mike Cranney, starting on March 5. Each weekly session will run from 9 to noon and tasks will include:

  • Cutting/removing invasive plants
  • Clearing vines from trees and tree cages
  • Planting native trees and shrubs
  • Pruning trees and shrubs
  • Trail clean-up and maintenance
  • Stream clean-up

You can stay for the whole time or for as long as you’re able.

Interested? Visit our Event Calendar. Click “Volunteering” to see the March-April dates and sign up! Thanks! We hope to see you out there.

Explore Nature at Willistown Conservation Trust’s Preserves

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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

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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!

Creating Your Own Meadow – Step 1: Prepare

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Depending on the size you want, it’s not too late to plan a meadow for your property. Native wildflowers and native grasses have deeper root systems than their non-native counterparts. These roots help strengthen soil against erosion, absorb more rainwater, reduce stormwater runoff and even sequester and store carbon.

Select your location; this was the front lawn of the Trust’s office on Providence road.

Select a location for your meadow that is generally sunny and well-drained. Existing lawn areas or fields are ideal. The size of the meadow should be determined by how much space you are willing to dedicate to the project and your budget. As a guide, a quarter-acre meadow would require approximately 2,700 wildflower plugs planted 2 feet on center.

February – Late March: Work with a landscape professional or reputable nursery that specializes in native plants to place an order for wildflowers that can be scheduled to arrive for installation in mid-April – early May.

Late March – Early April: Begin preparing the meadow area by mowing it to a height of 2-3 inches. Continue to mow the project area until you are ready to install the wildflower plugs.

Beautiful and colorful variety at the Trust office meadow

For inspiration, feel free to stop by the Willistown Conservation Trust office and have a look at our meadow. It’s been established for nearly 10 years and shows what you can look forward to.