Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) is committed to inspiring the next generation of conservationists through its immersive, experiential education initiatives. Throughout the year we are fortunate to work with some talented and motivated young people, from middle schoolers to graduate students and everyone in between, who are passionate about saving land and wildlife. Featured here are some of those young voices and the projects they accomplished alongside WCT’s program staff.
MEET THE AUTHORS
Sid Ghatta, 6th Grade, “My Amazing Monarch Butterfly Experience”
Sid is a young naturalist in 6th grade at Great Valley School District who has been involved with the Willistown Conservation Trust since he was 9 years old. He participated in Rushton Nature Keepers for two years, has contributed an article about bluebirds to a previous WCT publication, and is the winner of this year’s John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest!
Julia Griffin, 10th Grade, “Classrooms Without Walls”
Julia Griffin was a volunteer in the WCT Communications Department this summer, shadowing various educational activities to capture the exciting impact our programs have on the community. She is a sophomore at Episcopal Academy who enjoys horseback riding, nature, and the conserved spaces of Willistown. Her involvement with WCT began when she was just a little girl participating in our
Jr. Birding Club (now known as Rushton Nature Keepers).
Catherine Oblack, 12th Grade, “The Bluebird Project”
Catherine Oblack is a senior at Radnor High School who has been involved with Willistown Conservation Trust since she first visited the bird banding station when she was 8 years old. She has since participated in Rushton Nature Keepers both as a student and now as a mentor to the younger children in the club. She has contributed her writing to our blog in recent years. This summer she volunteered to monitor the bluebird boxes on five of our preserves to contribute data to our Bluebird Project (wctrust.org/programs/birds/bird-box-program).
My Amazing Monarch Butterfly Experience | Sid Ghatta
When I learned that the scientific name for the Monarch Butterfly, Danaus plexippus, means “sleepy transformation” in Greek, I became really curious. These big orange, black, and white insects have a 4-inch wingspan and depend completely on milkweed, it’s the only plant their larvae can eat. Monarchs travel up to 3,000 miles from the Eastern U.S. to Mexico (a little less for the Western ones heading to California). Their migration is one of the most amazing in the insect world! Sadly, climate change and land development are reducing milkweed, making it harder for monarchs to survive.
The Monarch Larvae Monitoring Project (MLMP) collects data about monarch eggs, larvae, and milkweed across North America. This helps scientists understand how to protect them, because without monarchs to pollinate plants, our meadows would lose much of their beauty.
Rushton Woods Preserve has lots of Common Milkweed right next to farm fields, a perfect habitat for monarchs. I first learned about them from Ms. Blake in Willistown Conservation Trust’s Rushton Nature Keepers program. When my mom saw how interested I was, she asked Ms. Blake if I could help with the MLMP, and she said yes! Thanks to Ms. Blake for deciding to give me a shot and helping with my interest in nature conservation.
My dad and I started monitoring every weekend. At first, we had no idea what we were doing, but Ms. Blake taught us how to identify eggs, larvae, and instars (and not to mistake latex drops for eggs!). Each visit, we chose milkweed plants, flipped the leaves, and recorded what we found. Between May 30 and August 4, we monitored nine times and found 21 adults, 10 caterpillars, and 94 eggs!!!
One time my dad got too close to take a butterfly photo and, bam!, he got a shock from the electric fence. This project was a super fun experience for me (and my dad despite the shock!), and I hope we made an effort to help save this endangered species for future generations to see.
“Nature is life’s greatest form of happiness. Of course, my MLMP partner, my Dad, agrees with me too! Hope you do, too” -Sid
Classrooms Without Walls | Julia Griffin
At Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm, learning begins not from books but from the sound of wind whispering through tall grasses, the sight of a purple martin soaring across the meadow above, and the feel of footsteps on a woodland trail. In an era when children are easily drawn indoors by screens, environments such as Rushton remind us that nature itself is the most valuable teacher.
This summer, WCT hosted a group of girls, ages 8-11, from Girls Inc. The nonprofit focuses on evidence-based programs, pro-girl environments, and mentorship. Girls Inc. equips young girls, especially those from underserved communities, with the tools to achieve their full potential. After two visits the once-reluctant girls gained comfort in Rushton’s natural spaces. From their first forest walk to confidently harvesting and identifying crops, their creativity and imagination seemed to thrive with the gardens and meadows that grew around them.
The girls practiced “forest bathing”, essentially a walk in the woods surrounded by the visual, auditory, and olfactory components of the outdoors. At first, the prospect of insects and mud created discomfort, but within a few minutes hesitation had given way to curiosity as they saw bugs and overturned logs in search of worms. They stopped repeatedly to examine fallen leaves, follow the movement of woodland animals, and listen to birdsong overhead. Next, the girls observed the banding of some of Rushton’s breeding birds like Gray Catbirds and Purple Martin chicks. Watching these delicate birds up close, the girls experienced firsthand the fragility and complexity of life, learning that patience and careful observation can reveal the beauty of the natural world. The girls continued to the farm fields, harvesting vegetables, tasting honey from Rushton Farm’s hives, and making tea with herbs from Rushton’s gardens. Through these activities, the girls were encouraged to use all five senses and to notice the connections between themselves, the land, and the life it sustains.
Introducing children to a greener world involves more than reading about it in books. They need to be able to feel it with their own hands and hearts, see it, and listen to it. The forest, farm, and trail spaces of Rushton are classrooms in which wonder is kindled, imagination is developed, and confidence is gained.
“Nature is a living teacher, a lifelong sanctuary, and an endless source of inspiration” -Julia
Nestbox Monitoring in Action! | Catherine Oblack
As a long-time Rushton Nature Keeper, I treasure each moment outside surrounded by Willistown’s beautiful landscapes. After exposure to nest boxes at WCT’s nature preserves, I was inspired to track how birds are using our preserved lands. This season I tracked nesting activity on the WCT preserves, an amazing experience that led me to realize how important conserved habitat is for the continued survival of bird species.
At the beginning of the nesting season, Education Programs Manager, Blake Goll, showed me how to make sure that each nest box had the optimal conditions for the birds, such as clearing long grass around the pole to prevent snakes or mice from entering the boxes. I also learned how to make sure that I minimized disruption to the birds, such as knocking before I opened boxes and keeping my visits quick. I set up a Cornell Lab of Ornithology NestWatch account, an easy tool to input and track data while in the field. There were over 100 chicks in 50 nesting boxes this season including 47 bluebirds, 37 tree swallows, and 24 other native birds including house wrens and chickadees.
During the spring and early summer, the preserves were full of emerging life. It was exciting to see birds building up their nests or raising their first brood of chicks. These months were very productive, with many of the nesting attempts resulting in successful fledging. It was an amazing experience watching a bird box from the construction of the nest to adorable, vocal feathered fledglings. In the heart of midsummer, there was still plenty of activity to observe. It was fascinating to see the landscape shift around me while the birds persisted in their nesting attempts. Later in the season, my focus shifted to bird box “housekeeping”. When appropriate, clearing out old and dirty nesting material after birds fledged allows the box to be used for another nesting attempt and prevented pests that could potentially harm future nesting success.
Monitoring nest boxes is an amazing opportunity to learn how birds use their surrounding habitats as well as adapt to the many challenges that they face today. It provides not only interesting data, but a deeper connection with nature through the season. If you have bird boxes on your lands, consider checking in on your feathered friends through the spring and summer months!
“I got to learn from the bird boxes, but also from all nature around me as I walked along the beautiful trails” -Catherine
