WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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BYOB – Bring your own BAG

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The average family accumulates about 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store. The majority of these bags are not bio-degradable and can take 700 to 1,000 years to break down. A plastic bag from your neighborhood store might blow from a trash can into a storm drain before traveling through pipes into the Delaware River or a tributary.

Bringing your own shopping bags to the grocery store is a great way to reduce single-use plastics. But did you know there are alternatives to those plastic produce bags?

At our Rushton Farm we’ve even switched to biodegradable produce bags for our pickup days. Reusable mesh or cotton bags are a small investment and are available from many retailers.

This July, ditch plastic bags and bring your own reusable bags instead. Stash them in places where you’ll remember them like by your front door, in your purse, and trunk. 

Declare your independence from single-use plastic by participating in the Plastic Free July Challenge at https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/ Together we can create a Plastic Free Watershed!

New Trees Breathe New Life into Ailing Streamside Meadow

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In the haze of a steamy May morning, a team of volunteers, students, and Trust staff met in the dewy, northern meadow of Ashbridge Preserve. This meadow is the result of decades of sediment build up behind an old dam.  The lake that existed here since the dam was constructed in the early 1900’s was drained when the dam breached. 

Digging in…

Now, over 20 years since the dam failed, the resulting meadow is overrun with exotic grasses and vines.   These nonnative species have shallow root systems, which do not offer much support for the rapidly eroding stream banks nor do they provide shade for Ridley Creek, which suffers ill effects from sweltering summer sunlight. 

East Goshen Tree Tenders gave time & expertise.

Direct sunlight can cause water temperatures to increase, which can be stressful for an aquatic environment. Further, when the soil from stream banks erodes quickly into the stream, it can smother sensitive stream species.  Stabilizing the bank using tree roots can slow down the erosion to a level that even sensitive species can handle.

Volunteers planted 125 trees.

Ashbridge Preserve is owned and managed by Willistown Conservation Trust, who recently acquired funding through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Tree Pennsylvania to re-plant the streamside forest that historically grew here. Also known as riparian forest buffers, these streamside trees will stabilize Ridley Creek’s banks, shade its water and provide valuable habitat for native pollinating insects. Once mature, the effect of this buffer will be a much healthier stream.

Thank you, volunteers!

Just before the official start of summer, the Trust was joined by the members of the East Goshen Tree Tenders, students and teachers from Harriton High School, and several community members to plant the first 125 trees of what will ultimately become nearly 5 acres of new riparian forest buffer. On the tail of several severe weather patterns, the air was wet and heavy, but spirits were high!

Watershed co-ops from Drexel University got more field experience.

Eager hands and the expertise of the Goshen Tree Tenders made quick work planting, staking, and caging the young trees and shrubs. (By the way, if you missed out on this rewarding and fun event, we’ll be planting more trees in the fall! Watch for details.)

Great work, team!

The planting incorporates a diverse assortment of species that share an affinity for the wet soils of Ashbridge’s lakebed, including sycamore, river birch, swamp white oak, and persimmon. Once established, these new trees will help improve and protect water quality, restore animal habitat, and add new beauty to the surrounding landscape!

Planting trees + protecting watershed = big smiles!

Meet our Watershed Protection Program co-ops!

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Each summer, Willistown Conservation Trust hosts students who are pursuing degrees related to the conservation work we do here. We asked Maddy and Kacy, co-ops in our Watershed Protection Program, each a series of 5 questions. Here are their responses… Stay tuned for posts about other students working at the Trust this summer.

Kacy Reitnauer (l) and Maddy Sabo (r) – Behind them is a trap Maddy is using to study differences in insect habitat.

Kacy Reitnauer – Drexel University (Watershed)

1. What’s your major?

Major: environmental science with a concentration in ecology and conservation Minor: environmental studies

2. What interests you the most about working with Willistown Conservation Trust?

I am super excited to work for WCT and to learn about the inner workings of a non-profit land trust. The main goals of the Trust really resonate with me. I think it will be interesting to see how these goals and various projects are incorporated into education and outreach programs. 

3. What do you hope to learn during your co-op experience?

I am very interested to learn about the various tasks involved with watershed protection. I hope to gain a variety of skills related to freshwater ecology, water quality, and education and outreach.

4. If you could design your ideal job, what would it be?

My dream job would allow me to travel around the world to educate communities about environmental topics to instill environmental stewardship. I would love to work with nonprofits that are working to improve their communities and the environment. 

5. When you’re not doing science stuff, what do you like to do?
I enjoy cooking, camping, kayaking, going to concerts, and reading.

6. How do you hope to make an impact in your chosen career path?

By choosing a career in environmental science, I hope to inspire others to appreciate, respect, and learn about the natural world. I believe educating young people about the environment is key to establishing community based conservation and a sustainable future. 

Kacy and Maddy taking a well-deserved rest after helping plant 125+ trees to restore a riparian buffer zone in Ashbridge Preserve.

Maddy Sabo – Drexel University (Watershed)

1. What’s your major?

Environmental science

2. What interests you the most about working with Willistown Conservation Trust?

The thing that interests me the most about working with Willistown Conservation Trust is using science and preservation to connect with a surrounding community. I think it is so important to connect people with nature, and teach people of all ages about the importance of protecting the Earth. Science is a bridge and should be able to reach everyone, not just scientists. I am particularly interested in water conservation, which is something I will be devoting a lot of time to working with WCT and I’m very excited!

3. What do you hope to learn during your co-op experience?

Getting technical, I hope to learn a lot about macroinvertebrates and how they are used to analyze the quality of water. However, I am also hoping to learn more about how non-profits dedicated to conserving land function and meet the people that WCT impacts.

4. If you could design your ideal job, what would it be?

In the past couple of years I’ve found a passion for entomology. My dream job (although possibly not attainable) would be traveling to under-researched areas in the tropics where there are undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of undiscovered insects, and studying and documenting them. There is so much left to discover and so much more to learn in the field of entomology! 

5. When you’re not doing science stuff, what do you like to do?

When I’m not doing science stuff or anything school related I love to play games with my friends. Over the past four years we’ve come to have a pretty large collection of card and board games. I love the strategy and competition and creativity of them all. I also enjoy cooking and photography. And in any extra free time I walk dogs, where I get exercise, explore the different neighborhoods of Philadelphia, and get lots of puppy love

6. How do you hope to make an impact in your chosen career path?

I’ve chosen to study environmental science for one simple reason: I want to make a difference, even if it’s just a small one. I presume the how and where will grow and evolve with time as I do. That being said, I hope to somehow preserve the green space that remains and protect the incredible plants and animals that live there. There’s so much to learn and so much to do the opportunities are endless!

Refill Your Water Bottle

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Human reliance on commercially bottled water is one of the single largest contributors to plastic pollution. At Willistown Conservation Trust, we collect carelessly discarded plastic bottles from Ashbridge Preserve every week! 

Americans buy more than 29 billion bottles of water each year. And out of every 6 purchased, only 1 is recycled. A single bottle will need 1,000 years to disintegrate, all the while leeching toxins. 

So, pick up a few nice reusable bottles, filter your tap water at home using one of several commercially available water filtration systems and skip the disposable bottle. Take the #PlasticFreeJuly challenge at https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/ and say no to plastic water bottles (and more)!

Willistown Conservation Trust Receives William Penn Foundation Grant to Advance Watershed Protection

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May 8, 2017

Newtown Square, PA – Willistown Conservation Trust, whose founders have overseen the protection of more than 7,200 acres of open space in the Willistown area since 1979, has received a two-year $410,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation to increase its capacity for watershed protection, announced President and Executive Director, Bonnie Van Alen.

The Crum Creek is one of four major tributaries to the Delaware River with headwaters in the Trust’s geographic focal area.

As part of this grant, the Trust’s geographic focal area which encompasses the headwaters of four major tributaries of the Delaware River—the Chester, Crum, Ridley and Darby Creeks, will become an official Field Study Site for the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and other organizations. In collaboration with scientists from the Academy and other institutions with expertise in watershed protection, the grant will enable the Trust to develop and implement best practices for enhancing water quality, and to share its findings with other land trusts throughout the region and the country.  “Since our inception we have cared deeply about water quality and know inherently that all of our land protection and stewardship efforts directly improve it,” said Bonnie Van Alen. “But this grant will enable us to increase our expertise in watershed protection, and to create dedicated research sites where we can collaborate, measure and share the results with others.”

The grant will provide funding to hire a Field Site Coordinator, four Drexel University Co-op students, and several interns over the two year period. Guided by methodology developed by the Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI), the Field Study team will identify watershed protection priorities and improvement projects. Findings from the project will be used to enhance water quality in the four local headwater streams, and will be presented to land trusts and other organizations with a goal of encouraging them to undertake similar watershed initiatives. 

Willistown Conservation Trust is recognized as a national leader in Bird Conservation, Agroecology and Habitat Restoration, and the staff at the Trust is excited to be adding a watershed protection component that will unleash a powerful synergy between programs. The resulting increased watershed protection knowledge will be incorporated into the Trust’s education and outreach curricula, which reaches a broad array of students from elementary to university level and suburban to urban communities.

The William Penn Foundation, founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the Greater Philadelphia region through efforts that increase educational opportunities for children from low-income families, ensure a sustainable environment, foster creativity that enhances civic life, and advance philanthropy in the Philadelphia region. In partnership with others, the Foundation works to advance opportunity, ensure sustainability, and enable effective solutions. Since inception, the Foundation has made nearly 10,000 grants totaling over $1.6 billion

OUR NATURE PRESERVES

Our nature preserves are open to the public 365 days per year from sunrise to sunset, providing natural places that offer peace and respite for all. Willistown Conservation Trust owns and manages three nature preserves in the Willistown area - Ashbridge, Kirkwood and Rushton Woods Preserve. We maintain these lands for the … Learn more about our nature preserves.

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WHERE WE WORK

The work of the Willistown Conservation Trust is concentrated on 28,000 acres of Willistown Township … read more