How WCT is working with a local Homeowners Association to create habitat, improve water quality, and transform open space for an entire community
By: Mike Cranney, Director of Stewardship
In the summer of 2022, WCT’s Stewardship team first met with members of the Inverary community in nearby Villanova. A group of neighbors had reached out to discuss how they could improve some of their open-space areas, which at the time were largely being maintained as mowed turf. They had visions of community-wide access and trails, but walking around vast swaths of lawn was not very appealing, and the environmental and financial detriment of maintaining so much turf grass was glaring. Their HOA Council had decided that a change was needed, and a partnership with WCT presented an excellent opportunity for both organizations.
At the time of the initial meeting, WCT had recently applied for a new grant project through Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) that would provide funding for the cost of converting lawns to native meadow. After offering this approach to Inverary, everyone agreed that it was the perfect solution. For the next ten months, WCT worked with Inverary’s Landscape Committee to convey the plan to the entire community and make sure that everyone was on board. Through collaborative planning meetings, internal discussions by Inverary, public presentations, and plenty of feedback, the Council and the residents agreed to move forward.
Two key areas at Inverary were identified for the lawn to meadow conversion: the first, a roughly 6-acre field on the west end of the property; and the second, a 3.5-acre area to the east around a pond and associated stream. After a year and a half of planning and prep work, the meadow areas were finally seeded in the spring of 2024. The native seed mix comprised almost 30 different species, including asters, goldenrods, milkweed, coneflowers, and grasses. While meadows typically take 2-3 years to establish and flourish, the change was apparent as soon as that summer. The newly sown fields lit up with yellow and green, covered with black-eyed Susan and early germinating rosettes preparing to erupt in the coming years.
While the meadow planting was a success, due to grant restrictions it still left roughly a 50-foot gap between the newly seeded areas and the edge of the nearby waterways. This is where the WCT Watershed team stepped in and began planning for phase two of the project: a tree planting that would surround the pond and stream. Working with yet another grant from DCNR, this one for planting in non-vegetated streamside areas, a proposal was devised to buffer the space with native trees and shrubs. This process was again only made possible through a collaboration with Inverary to make sure that all of the residents understood and supported the project. After a few meetings and discussions with the neighbors on site, phase two was ready to go.
In October 2024, WCT staff returned to Inverary, and with the help of volunteers, students, and residents, planted more than 400 trees and shrubs over the course of four days. Members of the community, as well as their landscaping staff, were able to learn about the value of the project and how to best manage the site while helping to dig holes, install deer protection cages, and water in the new residents. Despite the prolonged drought that followed, the plants have held up well, thanks in large part to the effort of WCT staff and Inverary volunteers who came back twice a week for a month to haul and dump buckets of water. These trees and shrubs now have a happy home where they can grow and thrive. Without the overwhelming support and enthusiasm of the Inverary community, this entire project would not be possible. It is an inspiring effort that not only benefits the environment, but also brings people closer both to the natural world and to one another. This spring, 2 more acres of meadow will be planted at Inverary, creating sites that will provide a beautiful entryway into the community and expand on the initial work to build a more attractive and accessible connection between the other restored areas. It is evident from the number of inquiries that WCT has received since its implementation that the success of this project is already influencing other communities, and undoubtedly will continue to do so for years to come.
