WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST

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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.

Spotted Lantern Fly Lunch-and-Learn

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What’s red and brown and spotted and seems to be everywhere these days in Chester County? It’s the Spotted Lanternfly, lycorma delicatula, an invasive species wreaking havoc on the grapes, fruit trees, and hardwood trees of Pennsylvania since 2014. To teach us more about what we can expect from and do about these insects, we are pleased to welcome Meagan Hopkins-Doerr, Coordinator for the Master Gardeners of Chester County and Master Watershed Stewards of Chester & Delaware Counties, who will host a community bring-your-own-lunch discussion about how to identify the spotted lanternfly, impacts to local industries and communities, current quarantine areas in Pennsylvania, and things you can do to help stop the spread.

Bring your own lunch (in a reusable, recyclable, or recycled container, of course!) and participate in this important conservation conversation.

This event is FREE, but please pre-register so we know how many seats we will need.

Read our FAQs for important information.

Lunch-and-Learn: Moving Toward Zero Waste

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We continue our bring-your-own-lunch series with a community discussion about moving toward zero waste. Special guest Gwenn Nolan, owner and operator of Mother Compost, will talk with us about home composting and we will discuss how to reduce all home waste, including packaging and personal care waste.  In addition, we would love to hear about your experiences with Plastic-Free July and whether you have implemented (or want to implement) any permanent lifestyle changes in your households based on your month-long experiment in going Plastic-Free.

Bring your own lunch (in a reusable, recyclable, or recycled container, of course!) and participate in this important conservation conversation.

This event is FREE, but please pre-register so we know how many seats we will need.

Lunch-and-Learn: Plastic-Free July

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Join us for a community discussion about how we can all take steps to reduce the amount of plastic we use in our lives and thereby protect our waterways, oceans, and planet. Inspired by https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/, we will share what members of the Willistown Conservation Trust staff are doing — at work and at home — to cut down on plastic consumption. We look forward to hearing from YOU, our community of conservationists, about the things you are doing in your lives to kick the plastic habit.

Bring your own lunch (in a reusable, recyclable, or recycled container, of course!) and participate in this important conservation conversation.

This event is FREE, but please pre-register so we know how many seats we’ll need.

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.