WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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“Just Show Up” Volunteer Wednesdays at Rushton Farm

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This is an opportunity to work in the fields with the farmers. You can just show up at the farm from 9 am-4 pm on any Wednesday during the season and spend the whole day or just an hour. Any amount of time you spend with us on the land contributes to our efforts and is greatly appreciated!

What is the work like? 

Farm tasks vary depending on the season but include planting, transplanting, weeding, trellising, mulching, harvesting, and fall clean up. Farm work can be physically challenging and volunteers should be prepared to get dirty. Volunteer days at Rushton Farm provide opportunities for individuals from multiple generations and backgrounds to interact and have fun while they work together as a team to accomplish a task. 

What do I need to bring? 

Work gloves, a water bottle, sunscreen, sun hat, and rain gear (depending on the weather). If you have a medical condition such as asthma or anaphylaxis (the farm does have honey bees) please bring your inhaler, epi-pen, or other pertinent medical supplies. 

What should I wear? 

Comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Recommended attire includes long pants, a t-shirt, and a hat. All volunteers are required to wear closed toed shoes because you may be working with sharp tools. Bring extra layers and rain gear so you are comfortable working in most weather conditions. 

Do we still work when it rains?

The farm staff works in most weather conditions including rain. If field conditions become unworkable or unsafe due to weather the field managers will tell volunteers and their group leaders to stop work. 

What about lunch and water? 

The farm staff breaks for lunch between 12 pm – 1 pm. Volunteers are welcome to bring their lunch and enjoy it in the farm shed. There are sinks in the farm shed with filtered water which participants can use to fill their water bottles. 

“Just Show Up” Volunteer Wednesdays at Rushton Farm

By

This is an opportunity to work in the fields with the farmers. You can just show up at the farm from 9 am-4 pm on any Wednesday during the season and check-in and fill out a waiver with a member of the farm staff. You can spend the whole day or just an hour. Any amount of time you spend with us on the land contributes to our efforts and is greatly appreciated! 

Please pre-arrange with Fred de Long cfd@wctrust.org). Volunteers should bring a mask.

 

What is the work like? 

Farm tasks vary depending on the season but include planting, transplanting, weeding, trellising, mulching, harvesting, and fall clean up. Farm work can be physically challenging and volunteers should be prepared to get dirty. Volunteer days at Rushton Farm provide opportunities for individuals from multiple generations and backgrounds to interact and have fun while they work together as a team to accomplish a task. 

What do I need to bring? 

Work gloves, a water bottle, sunscreen, sun hat, and rain gear (depending on the weather). If you have a medical condition such as asthma or anaphylaxis (the farm does have honey bees) please bring your inhaler, epi-pen, or other pertinent medical supplies. 

What should I wear? 

Comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Recommended attire includes long pants, a t-shirt, and a hat. All volunteers are required to wear closed toed shoes because you may be working with sharp tools. Bring extra layers and rain gear so you are comfortable working in most weather conditions. 

Do we still work when it rains?

The farm staff works in most weather conditions including rain. If field conditions become unworkable or unsafe due to weather the field managers will tell volunteers and their group leaders to stop work. 

What about lunch and water? 

The farm staff breaks for lunch between 12 pm – 1 pm. Volunteers are welcome to bring their lunch and enjoy it in the farm shed. There are sinks in the farm shed with filtered water which participants can use to fill their water bottles. 

The Hunt for Skunk Cabbage at Ashbridge Preserve

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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.

February 20, 2020

We will keep our eyes  peeled as we look for the first sign of spring – skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)! This native wetland plant has some unusual characteristics and is the first pollinator food source to emerge! Perhaps we’ll be lucky enough to have some snowfall so we can experience another of its traits firsthand. Intrigued? Please join us!

Please note: This walk is being held at Ashbridge Preserve on East Strasburg Rd.

 

See our FAQs for important and helpful information.

Yoga Retreat with Kristin Page and Rachael Hunter – Finding Your Center in a Season of Change

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Change may be the only constant in any of our lives, but we can always find stability through our connection with nature. Join us as we gather in this season of transformation for an extended day of yoga and meditation, a retreat from our busy lives and a way to re-focus on what really matters. Kristin Page and Rachael Hunter, renowned Yoga Instructors and dear friends of Willistown Conservation Trust, will lead us through morning and afternoon yoga practices, balanced by a mindful walk in the Rushton Woods Preserve and a farm-fresh lunch featuring produce from Rushton Farm.
 
Suitable for all levels of practitioner, this day-long retreat will include two yoga practices, a walking meditation through the Rushton Woods Preserve, farm-to-table treats, and teas. Please read our FAQs for important information.
 
 

Ashbridge Preserve Tree Planting

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Become a steward to the land and water by planting trees along Ridley Creek with Willistown Conservation Trust! And have fun, too!

As human development expands, Ridley Creek is increasingly inundated with excessive stormwater runoff and sediment from erosion, reducing stream health and threatening the environmental and recreational value of this waterway.

Streamside trees, also known as riparian forest buffers, can combat these threats by filtering stormwater runoff and stabilizing streambanks, thereby improving water quality and reducing erosion. To this end, Willistown Conservation Trust, a land trust with nearly 40 years of history preserving and managing natural land, has received $55,600 to plant 5 acres of trees along Ridley Creek.

You can help protect Ridley Creek from stormwater pollution and transform our natural landscape for generations to come simply by planting trees with us!

At this fun and rewarding event, you will make a positive impact on your community and stream health, network with like-minded neighbors, and learn about the value of streamside forests. This is an excellent community service and learning opportunity for anyone from individual volunteers, to corporate groups, to faith communities, to schools!

This is just the first of what will be several tree planting and stewardship events organized by Willistown Conservation Trust as we work to plant 5 streamside acres with trees! 

Ashbridge Preserve
E Strasburg Road
Malvern, PA 19355

Parking: Please park at the entrance on E Strasburg Road at the south side of the Preserve. You will likely have to park in the grass – follow the parking signs.

You can sign up for different time slots: either 7:00-9:00, 9:00-11:00, or for the entirety of the event (7:00-11:00). Just select your preference when you register.