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 Hartman Meadow, Ashbridge, Kirkwood, Kestrel Hill and Rushton Woods Preserves. We maintain these lands to preserve and enhance … Learn more about our nature preserves.
Preserving Quiet Moments Photography Show (Online Purchase)
Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) works to preserve land that not only protects habitat for wildlife but also provides visitors with opportunities to experience and appreciate nature. One of the most powerful impacts of our Preserves to the community has been that cathartic provision of natural places where people can go to discover and enjoy quiet moments. Local photographers including friends and staff of WCT have collaborated to bring a you a few of these peaceful moments in nature
Framed prints and mats will be on display for purchase in the Rushton Conservation Center for the month of February. All profits from the sales go to supporting the Willistown Conservation Trust’s Core Programs including Bird Conservation, Community Farm, Habitat Stewardship, Land Protection, and Watershed.
*The Rushton Conservation Center is not open to the public on a daily basis. Please contact Blake Goll, bhg@wctrust.org if you would like to come see the show during business hours.
Featured Artists:
David Hucker was born in Berwyn and has always enjoyed walking the local countryside with a camera. While he spent his career caring for trees, he has always had a passion for capturing the beauty of nature. In retirement, he has taken his passion for photography to a professional level with his work now seen at regional and national juried art shows. David has enjoyed demonstrating to his friends and followers that you need not travel to the Rockies, the coast of Maine, or the Everglades to find art in nature. You can find beauty and peace, just by walking our neighborhood meadows. www.huckerphoto.com
Jennifer Mathes is a photography enthusiast with a special love for nature and landscape photography. She tries to capture images that encourage people to get outside and explore the beautiful world around us. She has been a volunteer photographer for the Trust since 2020 and can often be found wandering the Preserves with her camera in hand. If you see her, please stop and say “hello!”
IG: @jennifermathes87.
Aaron Coolman has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Ohio State University with unique experience in residential garden design, former work as a USFWS Biotechnician, and a history as a volunteer for the Maryland DNR Natural Heritage Program. Aaron has been working with WCT since 2021 as our Motus Technician and Avian Migration Ecologist. In his spare time, you can find him looking for grassland birds, shorebirds, or at a sea-watch. Basically anywhere that involves birds and requires a spotting scope or camera!
IG: @calidris_ac.
Blake Gollis the Education Programs Manager at the Trust since 2010. She has developed the Trust’s Rushton Nature Keepers program and curriculum for children, and provides other nature education programs for all ages. She also assists with the daily operations of the songbird banding and owl banding stations throughout banding season. Blake is a North American Banding Council (NABC) certified bird bander, and some of her favorite activities include doing yoga, gardening, hiking, reading, writing, and photography! IG: @vervainandwren.
Brian Storey is affectionately known to locals as The Birdwatching Chef after WCT highlighted him in an article during the pandemic about the healing power of birding. To him, birding is like one big thrilling scavenger hunt, and he enjoys getting out in Willistown’s open spaces to see what he can find. As a professional chef, his schedule can get hectic, but when he’s not cooking he makes time for bringing birds and nature to people through photography. IG: @brian_storey.
