In October 2023 longtime resident and Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) supporter Beverly Hattersley generously granted a conservation easement on her 20-acre property in Easttown Township. Mrs. Hattersley worked with Land Protection staff over the course of the past year to refine her vision for conservation. The property is part of the historic Leopard Tract, a 316-acre area of land bound by Grubbs Mill and Buttonwood Roads, bisected by Twinbrook Road. The tract, established in the 1920s, consists of properties 10-acres and larger. Originally under deed restriction, this oasis of open space in a rapidly suburbanized area includes woodlands, creeks, ponds, and open meadows. Several residents of the tract have elected to strengthen those original deed restrictions by placing conservation easements, to be upheld in perpetuity by WCT, on their land. Mrs. Hatterley’s property is adjacent to another 10-acre property under easement, creating 30 contiguous acres of permanently protected open space.

The Hattersley property contains two 10-acre parcels. Significant natural features include Grubb Mill Run, a tributary of Crum Creek; two small ponds associated with the creek; floodplain and sensitive riparian areas adjacent to the creek and ponds; mature woodland; and scenic views into the property from Twinbrook Road and nearby conserved lands. Under the easement, the residential building site on the undeveloped lot will be eliminated, ensuring that those woodlands remain intact, and further limitations on building size and impervious coverage have been established on the existing residential site.

“WCT is eternally grateful for landowners like Mrs. Hattersley who elect to restrict development on their property for the benefit of nature and the surrounding community.”, says Kate Etherington, Executive Director, “Thanks to her foresight, this special piece of woodland, home to owls, song birds, foxes, and other species, will remain intact forever.”

WCT works with landowners and properties of all sizes to create conservation plans. From 1-acre suburban landscapes to many hundred acre farms, WCT can customize conservation plans that meet the needs of the landowner while preserving land and habitat for generations to come. To learn more about our conservation efforts, reach out to Erik Hetzel, Director of Land Protection at ewh@wctrust.org.

Willistown Conservation Trust’s (WCT) Kirkwood Preserve boasts a rich tapestry of wide-open meadows, a meandering creek, wooded slopes, and riparian wetlands. Kestrels and meadowlarks nest and breed there in the late spring, monarchs feed on milkweed in the hot summer months, and our community members can be found wandering the trails. In the last year, Kirkwood Preserve has grown in size from 86 acres to over 100 acres. With the addition of the 12-acre property across Crum Creek along White Horse Road, which features a shrub scrub habitat and rocky wooded slopes, and the 6-acre field across Grubbs Mill Road at the corner of Goshen Road, we are permanently protecting even more habitat for the community to explore.

These additions were made possible through the generous financial support of Willistown Township, Chester County, and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In anticipation of the additions to the Preserve, we expanded the parking lot last year to accommodate more visitors. In October we installed a stepping stone crossing over Crum Creek so visitors can safely and dryly cross to the north side of the Preserve. Previously, this area was inaccessible without suffering wet feet, the use of waders, or riding on the back of a horse! If you have visited our Ashbridge Preserve, you are well familiar with our two sets of stone step crossings over Ridley Creek. This new crossing at Kirkwood will be the same style and just as much fun to use! Land Concepts and JK Paving have been great partners and without their hard work and dedication, this project would not have been possible. As many of our neighbors know, this project has been in the works for some time and we are so pleased that it will be completed this month.

In preparation for the new stone step crossing, the Stewardship team has created new trails that make a loop through the addition. The trail passes through a wet meadow, the rocky slopes over Crum Creek, and back through the shrub scrub habitat. Leashed dogs will be permitted on the trail to the stream crossing and on the new section of the Preserve. However, this access will be limited to before and after ground nesting bird season, which is May through July. So from August to April, you will be able to bring your furry friend with you to enjoy this section of the Preserve. If you do plan to bring your dog to Kirkwood, we ask that you respect the leash requirements as dogs off-leash can be problematic for other visitors, equestrians, and birds who call Kirkwood home year-round. Please remember to leave no trace and remove all waste.

On the new 6-acre expansion field across from Kirkwood Preserve, at the corner of Goshen and Grubbs Mill Roads, we plan to install a demonstration of our lawn conversion program with a new wildflower meadow and a loop trail for visitors to enjoy.

As we look back on the summer, we are so proud of the independent projects that Sarah and Sally have completed. They support the ongoing work of the Watershed Program while also creating an independent project that is tailored to their interests. This year’s co-ops, Sally Ehlers and Sarah Barker, have done an incredible job designing, implementing, and summarizing their independent projects!

Sally Ehlers’ Independent Project Summary:

WCT’s Watershed Team has been sampling benthic macroinvertebrates (bottom-dwelling visible animals with no backbone) at ten sites annually since 2018, except for 2020. These critters are informative indicators of stream health because of their varying abilities to tolerate environmental changes and stress. With Stroud Water Research Center’s help, we calculated the Macroinvertebrate Aggregated Index for Streams (MAIS) for each sample site. This index combines several types of data into a single score that classifies stream health as “Good,” “Fair,” or “Poor.” On average, most sample sites are moderately impacted, with “Fair” health. However, there are changes in MAIS scores over time that may be linked to intense rainfall patterns, as recorded by USGS gauges and our EnviroDIY sensors. Heavy rain abruptly increases streamflow which changes the stream habitats where benthic macroinvertebrates live. For a more detailed look into this project, check out our upcoming blog.

Sarah Barker’s Independent Project Summary:

Diatoms are microscopic algae that photosynthesize. Globally, they produce 20 – 40% of Earth’s available oxygen and form the foundation of the food chain in most freshwater ecosystems, especially streams. 

The purpose of my project was to survey the diatom communities living on rocks and aquatic plants from five different sites along Ridley Creek and create a “baseline” to track changes to the aquatic diatom communities. In addition to collecting and analyzing samples, I analyzed historic Ridley Creek samples from the Academy of Natural Sciences. Comparing current and historic samples provides insight into the influence of human activity on these communities and how changes in land use can influence the health of diatoms and our waterways as a whole.

I found current samples were significantly more diverse than historic samples. In addition, the species present in the current samples were almost completely different from the historic samples. These findings indicate a dramatic change in water quality, most likely for the better! Restoration and conservation efforts in the Ridley Creek watershed have resulted in healthier and more robust diatom communities ready to power local aquatic ecosystems.

Earlier this year, the Trust received the exciting news that we had received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for their Lawn Conversion Program. This exciting funding opportunity allows the Trust to subsidize the cost of converting mowed lawns into meadows in our program area comprising Darby, Ridley, and Crum Creek watersheds in Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. Our goal is to convert 50 acres of lawn to meadow over the next three years. We are working with local government, homeowners associations, schools, churches, and private homeowners to achieve this ambitious goal.

Typical costs to convert one acre of lawn to a meadow can run $4-5,000. The grant will cover the majority of this cost for the landowner. The landowner will then be responsible for the follow up annual maintenance, which includes mowing once in the early spring and removing any invasive plant species that might pop up. The Trust will be a partner in the long run providing monitoring for the health and success of the conversion project. Funds will be available for reseeding installations as needed.

The benefits of losing the lawn and adopting a meadow strategy are innumerable. Benefits include reducing air and noise pollution from gas mowers, improving storm water infiltration of the property (mowed lawn is as about as permeable as pavement!), increased habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, cost savings from using less gasoline, water, and chemical fertilizers, and of course, knowing that you are contributing to combatting the effects of climate change.

RESOURCES | Article & Video

• Land trusts can play a larger role in re-naturalizing fragmented landscapes
  By Tom Chase and Tripti Thomas-Travers
• Lose The Lawn Video Presentation (Below)

During the last couple of years, and especially during the heights of the pandemic, we have witnessed a drastic increase in single-use plastic; our coveted hand sanitizer comes in plastic bottles of all sizes, plastic containers of disposable wipes are common-place, we have been ordering more takeout meals that arrive on our doorsteps in plastic bowls and bags, and some of our food at the grocery store has sprouted protective plastic coverings.

Some of these plastic habits are dissipating as we return to a state that resembles something closer to “normal,” but the reality is that plastics, and most notably single-use plastics, are still entrenched in our daily lives. As the name suggests, single-use plastics are only used once before they are discarded and examples include straws, plastic sandwich bags, plastic cutlery and Styrofoam to name a few. To make matters worse, our recycling systems are broken; according to the EPA, less than 10% of plastics are recycled, so even if you do the right thing by cleaning and tossing that plastic cup into a recycling bin, it is unlikely that it actually gets processed. Additionally, microplastics continue to end up in our waterways, affecting local watersheds, land, and birds around the world, and as recent research suggests, even making their way into our bodies.

Feeling overwhelmed yet? You are not alone! Our society is dependent on plastic, but you don’t have to be. This month, consider joining the hundreds of millions of participants — including Willistown Conservation Trust — across the world who will be taking the challenge to live a plastic-free lifestyle for all 31 days in July! Plastic Free July is “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.”

The Plastic Free Foundation has put forth this challenge over the last 12 years, and they’ll walk you through all sorts of tips and resources to aid you on your plastic-free journey, whether you’re looking to eradicate single-use plastic waste at home, work, school, your local café or all of the above. You can start small by bringing your reusable grocery bags and favorite water bottle everywhere you go, or go big by engaging with local businesses and your community to commit to doing better together. You may even surprise yourself as you continue the challenge into August and beyond.

Be sure to sign up for the challenge at plasticfreejuly.org, and join WCT here and on social media (@wctrust) to learn how you can commit yourself to Plastic Free July! We’ll walk you through the basics of discerning what can and cannot be recycled, we’ll cover the the latest research on microplastics, and we’ll share tips and tricks about reducing plastic use from other members of our community.