Sycamore - Fall 2020

Th e S y c a m o r e

FRED DE LONG

N E W S F R O M W I L L I S TO W N C O N S E R VAT I O N T R U S T

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FALL 2020

CONSERVATION TRUST Jeanne B. Van Alen President/Executive Director

JENNIFER MATHES

WILLISTOWN

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Elizabeth C. Hucker Chair Bryan D. Colket Vice Chair Alice E. Hausmann Vice Chair Mark T. Ledger Treasurer Matthew E. Taylor Assistant Treasurer John F. Stoviak Secretary Leanne McMenamin Assistant Secretary Peter S. Strawbridge** James L. Van Alen II Susanna M. Wall** Richard A. Warden Jason Weckstein Alejandro Zozaya

Timothy B. Barnard, Esq. L. Clarke Blynn Anthony J. DiValerio, Jr. V. Richard Eales Meg Tegler Hardesty William T. Howard George F. Krall, Jr.

**Trustee Emeritus

STAFF Todd Alleger New England Motus Project Manager Mary H. Armstrong Executive Assistant Sue R. Costello GIS Coordinator Mike Cranney Preserve Manager Catherine W. Etherington Associate Executive Director Fred de Long Director of Community Farm Program Michelle Eshleman Motus Avian Research Coordinator Alison Fetterman Bird Conservation Associate Blake Goll Education Programs Manager Eliza Gowen Outreach Coordinator Noah Gress Rushton Farm Field Manager Chelsea Heck Associate Director of Development

Erik Hetzel Director of Land Protection and Public Grants Sarah Hutchin Garden and Landscape Coordinator Andrew Kirkpatrick Director of Stewardship Lisa Kiziuk Director of Bird Conservation Program Kelsey Lingle Communications & Marketing Manager Susie MacDonnell Events Coordinator Lindsay Martin Carlson Interim Director of Rushton Conservation Center Lauren McGrath Director of Watershed Program Jodi Spragins Senior Communications Specialist Molly Clark Tracy Rushton Farm Production Manager Tripp Way Director of Development

WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST 925 Providence Rd. | Newtown Square, PA 19073 610.353.2562. | LAND@WCTRUST.ORG Willistown Conservation Trust is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation under Section 501(c)3 of the I.R.S. Code. Donations are tax-deductible. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the PA Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, (800) 732-0999.

Registration does not imply endorsement.

The trails at Kirkwood Preserve provide a nature-immersed escape for a visitor seeking exercise and fresh air.

COVER: Looking north over the fields of sunflowers, buckwheat and okra

in mid-autumn at Rushton Farm at Rushton Woods Preserve.

CONTENTS 4

GAINING GROUND

7

WHEN NATURE HEALS

9

MEET BRIAN STOREY

15 More acres protected forever

Nature preserves offer rejuvenation

The bird-chasing shutterbug chef

12

RUSHTON FARM RESILIENCE

14

CLEAN WATER

16

A RACE AGAINST TIME

19

Rushton Farm volunteers save the day

Caring for our downstream neighbors

Deploying Motus to help declining birds

WILLIAM ANTHONY HITSCHLER The Trust loses a good friend

21

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

22

BITE-SIZED NATURE TOPICS

23

COMING SOON

Staff news

Check out our videos from virtual events

Virtual and in-person event listing

FALL 2020 | 3

GAINING GROUND

The 15-acre Stonehedge Farm enjoys diverse habitat types with open meadow, undisturbed hedgerows, a patch of woodland, a small freshwater pond, and a small tributary to the Ridley Creek.

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MARY HUNT DAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY

Fifteen More Acres

Protected Forever T

he final conservation chapter to the 15-acre Stonehedge Farm at Plumsock and Goshen Roads in Willistown has finally concluded. The land is now protected from additional development forever.

Many a trail rider or foxhunter is familiar with the fieldstone jump at the southeast corner of Plumsock and Goshen Roads that marks the equestrian entrance to Stonehedge Farm. It is a prominent landmark leading to the well-traveled trail that runs along the western border of the farm, parallel to Plumsock Road. Surrounded on all sides by conserved land, Stonehedge has long been considered a critical unprotected property in the Trust’s focal area.

Much remains unchanged since the late 1700s in this particular corner of Willistown. Part of the original Okehocking Indian Land Grant, a 500-acre parcel of land given by William Penn to the Okehocking tribe, the first roads in Willistown were primarily Indian trails. As more people began to expand into Willistown, new cart paths were needed, and Goshen Road was laid out as the main thoroughfare between Philadelphia and Willistown. In 1929 Radnor Hunt moved to Willistown, bringing along Philadelphians desiring country estates. Stonehedge Farm and the surrounding protected land has long been an important route during fox hunts.

Nearly 100 years later, Stonehedge Farm was put on the real estate market, and slated for subdivision and redevelopment. Thanks to key partnering organization Delchester Group and its dedicated investors, the farm was purchased and marketed specifically to conservation buyers. The acquisition of Stonehedge is the the 16th successful collaborative partnership between the Trust and the Delchester Group, adding nearly 2,000 acres of protected land.

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As this south-facing aerial view of Stonehedge Farm illustrates, the farm is surrounded by open conserved land.

BELOW: Foxhunters and trail riders enjoy the farm’s trails, which are now conserved and open to equestrians forever.

In August 2020 new owners donated an official conservation easement to Willistown Conservation Trust, forever protecting the 15 acres from future development.

It was a love of open space and animals that prompted the family to consider moving outside of Philadelphia and into Willistown. When they found Stonehedge Farm, it checked off many items on their wish list - access to nature, proximity to the city, a quiet country road, a body of water, and most importantly, surrounded by conserved open space.

The family is very involved in farm animal rescue, and plan to build a small barn open to rescue “guests” as they wait for permanent homes. Further, the property’s proximity to Rushton Woods Preserve is a perfect place for their son, an avid birder, to spend his time.

The farm enjoys diverse habitat types with open meadow, undisturbed hedgerows, a patch of woodland, a small freshwater pond, and a small tributary to the Ridley Creek known as Hibberd Run. These natural resources will be forever protected, conserving critical habitat for our native wild and plant life. Additionally, the 1.5 miles of equestrian trails, connecting to a larger network of neighboring trails, will continue to allow access to both recreational riders as well as foxhunters. We extend our deepest gratitude to Stonehedge Farm’s new owners, and welcome them to our community of conservationists!

JENNIFER MATHES

when Nature Heals I

n many ways, 2020 feels like a runaway train. Wildfires, hurricanes, social unrest, pandemics. Every day it seems we face a new obstacle to overcome. It helps to take a deep breath and to remember that the world is constantly changing. And with that change comes opportunity.

In the early days of the pandemic, the Trust faced new challenges with an incredible influx of visitors to our preserves—Ashbridge, Kirkwood and Rushton Woods Preserves. Parking lots were regularly overflowing, trails were full, and plants were being trampled, to say the least. We responded by increasing our presence at the preserves, installing new signs, and engaging visitors. Staff and trustees volunteered to assist our stewardship staff to monitor the situation and greet visitors. We took the opportunity to educate visitors about the Trust’s mission and the importance of our conserved land.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. Visitors were grateful that we had this natural resource to share. For many, it was their first time coming to our nature preserves. Since those frantic days in spring, traffic at our preserves has settled down as the stay-at-home order was lifted and other opportunities once again became available. What we have learned first-hand and from other land managers in the recreational region, is that people have embraced nature as a place for healing, stress relief, and decompression from everyday life during a difficult time. And that is a good thing. Our community has a renewed sense of appreciation for the environment.

Kirkwood Preserve

FALL 2020 | 7

Visit wctrust.org for more information about our nature preserves and how you can help us take care of them.

JENNIFER MATHES JENNIFER MATHES

Visitors explore the meadow at Rushton Woods Preserve.

Now that we have the public’s attention and they have a deeper appreciation of the healing power of nature, we can go further. We can educate our visitors about the amount of effort it takes to keep our nature preserves healthy, accessible and safe for everyone’s enjoyment.

Our conserved land serves many purposes. It provides a refuge for wildlife, habitat for migrating birds, and a place for the community to come to walk, ride horses, and watch birds. Taking care of it requires time, materials, and boots on the ground help. Our wonderful volunteers do so much for our preserves, Rushton Farm, the bird program, and our watershed initiatives. But we always need more help. We have over eight miles of trails on our three preserves and a new one in the works. The more people who come out and volunteer with us, the better we can make these natural places for even more visitors.

This challenging year has reminded us that conserving land is critical, but caring for the land and stewarding it is just as important and sometimes overlooked. We at the Trust are committed to the health of our preserves so that they can continue to offer their healing ways to our community.

This fall we are restoring trails, clearing invasive species, and planning the road forward to ensure that our land will always be available for the community, come what may. We look forward to seeing you out in nature, and hope you’ll consider lending us a hand.

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An artist works to capture the beauty of Rushton Farm and Rushton Woods Preserve.

from CHEF TO BIRDWATCHING

Shutterbug “

At a time like this, when the pandemic has slowed the world down, it’s been fun to get outside in Willistown’s open spaces to look for that needle in a haystack. Birding is like one big scavenger hunt— whether you’re keeping records of what birds you’re seeing, tracking different birds, or keeping up on daily reports about who’s seeing which birds.

—Brian Storey

“

AN INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN STOREY, PROFESSIONAL CHEF, WILLISTOWN NEIGHBOR, AND AVID BIRD LOVER. CONDUCTED IN MAY 2020 BY BLAKE GOLL, WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST EDUCATION PROGRAMS MANAGER. PHOTOS BY BRIAN STOREY

BLAKE GOLL: Hi, Brian. Could you introduce yourself for those who may not know you?

BRIAN STOREY: I have lived in Willistown since 2012.

I started birding in 2012. I’ve really enjoyed living in this community and utilizing all of the nature preserves that we have and in my free time, when I’m not cooking, I’m trying to capture some local nature photography and a lot of birds and some animals. So that’s me in a nutshell.

BLAKE: And can you briefly explain how you got involved with Willistown Conservation Trust?

BRIAN: I guess the first time that I got involved with Willistown Conservation Trust was actually as a chef. They had contacted me to cook for Barns & BBQ , which I did for two years, probably - 2014, 2015. I did that and a couple of other dinner parties and fundraising events, and that’s how I first got introduced. I’ve participated in different events here and there, and recently I’ve cooked for events at the new Rushton Conservation Center.

BLAKE: I think a lot of people will find it fascinating that your main job is a professional chef. You don’t see many headlines: Chef Goes Birding. Could you describe your typical day, and how the pandemic changed that?

BRIAN: My typical day is to go outside with my dog between seven and nine in the morning and then head to work in Haverford. I’m typically there at least five days a week, if not six or seven, between 10:00 AM and probably 9:00 PM. And then in the summer, I commute to Long Island. I’m up there four or five days a week and I come home usually late Sunday night. I have Monday and Tuesday off, when typically I’m out and about birding and hanging out in the preserves. And then I’m back on the road and back up to Long Island Wednesday morning.

I had a big birding spring because I’ve been working from home during the quarantine and had the ability to get my work done and have half a day or a whole morning to skip out early and do an entire afternoon of birding almost every day. So it’s been kind of great. Yeah, well, awesome.

FALL 2020 | 9

BLAKE: Do you think birding is a bit overwhelming as a hobby for most people?

BRIAN: It’s hard to get started because you need equipment and you don’t know where to go to see the birds. And if you’re not tuned into their songs, it’s hard to find them.

BRIAN STOREY

Common Yellowthroat at Ashbridge Preserve, a tiny migrant often found in the shrub layer.

BLAKE: Who did you have as a mentor who started you with birding? Or what initially fueled this passion? Was there something that helped you get interested?

BRIAN: Two things. I started because of my passion for photography. There are only so many images of trees or skylines and old barns that you can do, but shooting wildlife, especially birds, is really challenging. You have multiple layers of foliage or branches and sticks that you have to manually focus through. These birds are fast and they’re skittish. They don’t want you to be close to them.

And so they’re constantly moving and you’re constantly

BRIAN STOREY

When the pandemic shutdown first happened, most parks were closed, like Ridley Creek and Valley Forge. I am an avid runner and my usual places were closed so I started running in our backyard in Willistown, which links up to some large conserved properties. I’d go out with the camera almost every day. And so just staying at home and not having the distractions of getting out in the car and going to different places, just staying local and staying home certainly gave me the opportunity to make the most of the time. Kirkwood Preserve and all of the Trust’s other nature preserves in Willistown were open. And what a gift that the pandemic, as terrible as it is and as much of a disruption as it has been, first impacted us during spring migration. I think a lot of people started getting outside more and enjoying birds during that time.

Prairie Warbler at Serpentine Preserve. Brian says “It makes one of the coolest songs—like the Jetsons’ rocket ship taking off”. trying to focus. And that really helps the muscle memory of just being in tune with yourself, with the camera and the lens. And so for me, I started doing it as an exercise just to be a better photographer. But it really all started when I moved to Willistown in 2012.

My lovely girlfriend’s family are all birders. Her grandfather was a serious, serious ornithologist, and that kind of trickled down to her father, who is a great birder. They had a fantastic property here in Willistown that was really magical when it came to birds. So when I moved here in 2012, they opened my eyes to things.

We moved into a great little house on Goshen Road and it was walking distance to Kirkwood Preserve, and that year I put out a feeder trying to get Purple Finches, and we never got Purple Finches. But that year, we got a ton of incredible birds. One of which was the Dickcissel. And I thought it was wild because when we reported it online, suddenly we had 15, 20, sometimes 30 birders showing up in our driveway. I thought it was ridiculous, but now I completely understand the excitement it caused.

And then over the course of that year, we had a nesting pair of Red Shouldered Hawks that were right outside of our bedroom window. We had Northern Harrier going across the fields. We had Common Nighthawks every night. We just had all these cool, memorable experiences through birds.

And, I think that’s what kind of propelled and hooked me. I remember running through Kirkwood Preserve on an evening jog and startling Eastern Meadowlarks. I didn’t realize how special Eastern Meadowlarks were at the time.

And I took that for granted. But all those kind of life

BRIAN STOREY

experiences in 2012 really propelled my interest in not only birds, but the special conserved land in Willistown.

BLAKE: Do you participate in E-bird? How do you keep track of the treasures that you found besides your photos?

BRIAN: I’m an avid E-birder and I belong to a few social media clubs and pages, and I’m a member of the Delaware Valley Ornithology Club. Through E-bird I get daily emails of rare birds in Chester County and Delaware County. I also keep track of what I’ve seen and what I need for my year list and I shoot from there. During the first couple weeks of the quarantine, I really didn’t want to use the car to travel, so I just focused on birding in Willistown. As things have opened up I’ve started venturing off and traveling more and doing more parks of Chester County just to try to get this bird or that bird, like shorebirds and waterfowl that we don’t necessarily get in Willistown. E-bird has been a great asset and a great tool.

BLAKE: What are your favorite apps that are most useful for birding in the field?

BLAKE: I always say that when you start tuning into birds it adds this other dimension to your life and allows different ways of seeing joy, experiencing joy every day, especially if you have any loneliness or sadness—many of the feelings that people may be experiencing now. I think birding can really, really be transformational.

BRIAN: Absolutely. Even if you are not interested in nature, especially in the world that we live in now, having all of these nature preserves in the Willistown area—this preserved open space that will never go to mass housing developments and shopping centers— is not only great habitat for so many of these birds that are in decline, but it’s great habitat for us. It’s great to get outside. If you’re walking around and you see a bird, you might see one that gets you generally excited, which makes you want to go see more birds. So I hope people get out there and enjoy our natural space, because it’s an asset that we’re lucky enough to have in our own backyard.

BRIAN STOREY

BRIAN: Aside from E-bird itself, I really utilize iBird Pro, which is kind of just one big reference guide. You type in whatever bird that you’re looking for and up comes images, photographs, verbal descriptions, maps, migration maps, all kinds of useful tools and audio calls, chirps, things like that, that will also help you to identify what bird that is. Also, Merlin Bird ID is a really useful tool. Basically, it works two ways. There’s a photo way that you could upload an image or take an image of a bird and it will give you a good reference guide as to what it thinks it is. That will help you whittle down what you think you have. Or the second option is it determines a GPS location and given your location, the time of day, the time of year that it is, it then asks you a series of questions. What were the colors of the bird? What were the general sizes of the bird? Did you see the bird in the air or on the ground on a fence? And all of those tools help the app whittle down what it thinks that it should probably be. So I think those are my two favorite apps. They make birding come alive.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher near Brian’s yard in Willistown. About the size of a golf ball, easiest to spot in early spring before foliage is on the trees.

Cedar Waxwing at Kirkwood Preserve, a migrant that spends the summer in Willistown.

See more of Brian’s beautiful photographs of Willistown birds, watch or read the full interview at http://bit.ly/BirdChef.

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JENNIFER MATHES

Rushton Farm Resilience

W

hen the Rushton Farm staff started the 2020 season in February we had no idea what would be facing us come March. Starting up a greenhouse in winter brings a sense of renewal to a farmer in the early days of a season. Turning on the heat and planting seeds in the late winter sun gives a farmer energy for what we always hope will be “the best season ever”.

It was March when we realized what COVID-19 would mean to the farm. The circulating fans in the greenhouse meant significant social distancing. It meant no interns, for our safety and theirs. It meant three farmers, Noah Gress, Molly Clark and Fred de Long, would have to view the greenhouse as a cautious space. It brought up many questions about how we would approach the 2020 season.

While there were some fears going into the season, as farmers we knew there was a need to grow food—food for the Rushton Farm CSA members, for the local food banks, and for our community. With that in mind, we began

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developing an approach to the farm that would depend heavily upon community members. This came in the form of a core group of volunteers that have always been the heart of what makes Rushton Farm a success.

Early on, volunteer coordinators Sarah Hutchin, Eliza Gowen and Meg Hardesty worked to recruit volunteers and establish proper protocols for how they could help us in the upcoming season. The first to enter the fields and work alongside our “farmer pod” was Trustee Tim Barnard and the Trust’s Bird Conservation Director Lisa Kiziuk. They helped with early plantings and their energy in the field fueled the farmer’s motivation to make the 2020 season a success. Bird bander extraordinaire and Rushton Farm intern “emeritus” Caitlin Welsh soon joined the crew and we knew we were going to make it through spring plantings.

In mid-June, more volunteers were brought into our “Rushton Pod” and we were able to plant our gardens.

Volunteer “Just Show Up Wednesdays” began again and on one June Wednesday two seventeen-year-old rising high school seniors arrived to lend a hand. Abby Oswald and

JENNIFER MATHES

High school seniors Abby Oswald (above and below right) and Anna McNaull were extraordinarily dedicated volunteers at Rushton Farm who played a huge role in a successful and challenging season

FRED DE LONG

Anna McNaull came to Rushton and stayed for the season.

With summer plans cancelled and looking for an outlet for their energy, these two high school students worked in the fields of Rushton day after day through the summer. They were our “wonder twins” and took on every bit of work we could throw at them. And they kept coming back for more.

Without them the season would have been far more difficult.

The 2020 season started with three farmers in a warm, comforting greenhouse with a lot of hope for a great season.

It is ending with the knowledge that farmers Noah Gress, Molly Clark, and a group of resilient, dedicated volunteers came to our rescue in uncertain times.

As we close out the 2020 season, Fred de Long shares, “I have never been more proud of a community. I will remember 2020 as a time when our volunteers became a Rushton Farm Family.”

We are already looking forward to firing up the greenhouse in 2021 for what will certainly be, with the help of our Rushton Farm Family, “the best season ever”.

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CLEANWater Caring for our Downstream Neighbors

O

ver the last several months, the Trust has been fortunate to be able to continue to care for our natural spaces, preserves and waterways. For the Watershed Protection team, our typical summer research work routine has drastically changed due to social distancing requirements. Despite the setbacks and the challenges, this year has been very productive. Staff planted 200 more trees this spring along Ridley Creek at Ashbridge Preserve; we embarked on ambitious projects to maintain established riparian buffers at each of our nature preserves; and the team has held weekly team virtual meetings to discuss ways to incorporate the values of equity and inclusiveness into water conservation.

We know that many people are feeling the strain of 2020, and this further inspires us to work hard to maintain and protect these natural places which can offer mental and emotional rejuvenation. And by working to protect the land around the headwaters of the Ridley, Crum, and Darby Creeks, we are doing our best to protect the water quality for all of our downstream neighbors.

We take the responsibility of stewarding water very seriously as we, as an organization, have the capacity and the privilege that many individuals lack right now. The commitment that we have made towards protecting water means that we have also made the promise to look out for our downstream neighbors as best we can.

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The water which originates in our focal area in and around Willistown travels through conserved countryside as it heads towards the Delaware River, where it is faced with challenges associated with increased development. In areas with more dense development, streamside vegetation decreases as surfaces like paved roadways, parking lots, and roofs increase, which means higher rates of erosion, warmer water and more pollution entering the waterways with storm events. Actions like this spring’s tree planting at Ashbridge Preserve help improve water quality for our neighbors, even though they may be miles downstream.

In a year with countless challenges, everyone at the Trust is thankful to be able to continue being stewards of our lands and to provide a refuge of natural space for any and every person who needs the calm of nature. We promise to continue to work on integrating the values of equity and inclusion into every aspect of the work we do. We encourage you to consider ways to help all of the downstream communities in your watershed.

No matter where we go in this world, we are always upstream of someone else, and if we have learned nothing else over the course of 2020, we need to do the work to help our neighbors as much as we can. If you feel that means organizing a litter pick up in your neighborhood, planting a tree in your yard, or just sharing kind words to the essential workers in your life, know that every action makes a difference.

JENNIFER MATHES

Ridley Creek at Ashbridge Preserve.

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A Common Yellowthroat is gently released after banding at the Rushton Woodsseniors PreserveAbby Bird Banding Station.

High school Oswald (above and below

right) and Anna McNaull were extraordinarily dedicated A Commonat Yellowthroat is gently released afterrole banding volunteers Rushton Farm who played a huge in a at the Rushton Woods Preserve banding station. successful and challenging season

A

ccording to recent reports by the United Nations and the World Wildlife Fund, nature is deteriorating globally and more rapidly than ever before.

The 2020 Living Planet Index shows an average 68 per cent decline in global vertebrate species populations — mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish — in less than half a century (from 1970 to 2016). We’re losing the race to conserve what’s left.

Willistown Conservation Trust has been banding birds at Rushton Woods Preserve since 2009. In 2017 we took steps to increase our pace of bird data collection together with partners from Project Owlnet, Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, and Powdermill Avian Research Center, using new advances in wildlife tracking technology called

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Motus. The Motus program was developed by Birds Canada who manages the data and leads the project globally.

Through this collaborative effort, we are drastically accelerating the speed and quality of the data needed to better understand the complex lives of birds and the interconnected habitats they depend on. With backing from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as well as private foundations and donors, we have provided a model for other regions to follow to expand the Motus network exponentially.

Our team installed the first state-wide Motus array of receiver stations in 2017, literally putting us on the map, and to date we’ve installed 100 stations throughout the midAtlantic. The stations can detect a transmitter on a flying bird up to 15 kilometers away. Our team is in the process of

JENNIFER MATHES

Deploying Motus in a Race Against Time

JENNIFER MATHES

installing 50 more stations in New England by 2023, bringing our total installation to 150 stations. That’s a big number, considering there are over 900 receiver stations world-wide in four continents.

This technology arrived at a critical time since recent studies have shown we’ve lost 3 billion birds (1/3 of all birds) within the past four decades and scientists don’t have critically needed life cycle information for hundreds of species.

By greatly expanding the Motus network, scientists are rapidly acquiring a treasure-trove of information needed in order to learn how to save birds from extinction. From at-risk songbirds like Bicknell’s thrush and rusty blackbirds to shorebirds like Sanderlings, about whose movements we know little or nothing, Motus is revealing where they go and which habitat they need for survival. The data is being used by many researchers to learn

SCOTT WEIDENSAUL

LEFT: A bander measures the wing of a Northern Parula banded in September at the Rushton Woods Preserve bird banding station.

Data collected from 60 Motus receiving stations within Pennsylvania shows that since 2017, 1,525 individual organisms across 75 species generated 11 million detections. This array is contributing valuable data to research projects throughout the Motus network’s full range in the western hemisphere.

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The Trust has been banding birds, like this Black and White Warbler, at the Rushton Woods Preserve banding station since 2009. Motus collects data faster and tracks birds’ movements, something that is extremely difficult to do with banding data.

JENNIFER MATHES

more information for conservation efforts such as guiding smart decisions about wind farms, analyzing the impacts of agricultural pesticides on wildlife, and prioritizing land conservation for habitat.

Data collected from 60 stations within Pennsylvania shows that since 2017, 1,525 individual organisms across 75 species generated 11 million detections. Among those species detected were 70 Common Nighthawks tagged in Canada, and commonly seen migrating during the evenings over Rushton Woods Preserve. Nighthawks are aerial insectivores and represent a family of species in steep decline of which we know little about their migration.

Scientists agree that protecting land and restoring habitat makes the greatest impact on saving biodiversity.

The combination of the Motus network and an expanding team of collaborating scientists offers our best hope to rapidly locate and prioritize habitat for conservation. It is a race against time for our rapidly declining birds and broken natural world.

SCOTT WEIDENSAUL

This Common Nighthawk was tracked by the Motus network flying from Ontario, Canada through the Pennsylvania array, to northern Florida, and then to Northern Columbia.

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William Anthony Hitschler KELSEY LINGLE

1938-2020

T

he Trust lost a great friend on June 28, 2020, when long time Trustee and supporter William Anthony Hitschler passed away. “Tony” was born in Chestnut Hill and graduated from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy and Princeton University. He completed training to become a certified financial analyst at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and went on to a long and successful entrepreneurial career.

Land conservation was just one of Tony’s many philanthropic interests. He was a devoted supporter of the Willistown Conservation Trust since its founding, and he and his wife Lynn were passionate advocates for land conservation even before that—beginning with the purchase and protection of Okehocking Farm on Garrett Mill Road in Willistown in the early nineties. His interest in local food and sustainable agriculture, which he practiced at Okehocking Farm, helped plant the seeds for the Trust’s farming initiative.

Tony was a dedicated Trustee for many years, during which time the Trust was fortunate to benefit from his wisdom and leadership in all areas of our work. From his commitment on the Finance and Development Committees to his deep interest and support of our Farm, Habitat and Watershed initiatives, Tony was always there for us. He will be deeply missed by many.

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KATE ETHERINGTON

Local Conservation Leaders Convene at Rushton Conservation Center U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan visited the Rushton Conservation Center in August to speak with community conservation leaders. The topics discussed included the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act and permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund; conservation as a form of national service and the need for people from diverse backgrounds; the importance of conserved land for recreation during these uncertain times; and the educational importance of conserved spaces.

THE TRUST RECEIVES REACCREDITATION FROM LAND TRUST ACCREDITATION COMMISSION Willistown Conservation Trust is in the business of conserving land in perpetuity—we’re in it forever. That’s why we’re committed to excellence, transparency, and best practices when we work with landowners on conservation easements. We’re proud to announce that we have received re-accreditation from the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. The accreditation seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation and signals that the Trust meets the highest national standards.

Over the last year the Trust has completed a rigorous review process of our policies, procedures, finances, leadership, documentation and stewardship practices.

The accreditation seal represents our commitment to excellence and permanence as we work to protect the open lands that define our landscape. 422 land trusts across 46 states have received accreditation. The Trust was first accredited in 2008, and was one of the first land trusts nationwide to be awarded accreditation by the Commission.

For more information on what it means to be accredited, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.

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LEFT Conservation leaders who attended a discussion at

JENNIFER MATHES

Rushton Conservation Center in August included (l to r): Kimberly Witt, Appalachian Mountain Club, Policy Manager; Todd Pride, The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County, Managing Director; Jim Wylie, Sierra Club, Chairman Southeastern PA Group; Grant DeCosta, Brandywine Conservancy, Assistant Director for Community Services; Kelly Herrenkohl, Natural Lands, Vice President of Communications and Engagement; Bill Gladden, French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, Executive Director; Chrissy Houlahan, U.S. Representative, PA 6th Congressional District; Peter Hausmann, Natural Lands, Chairperson; Erik Hetzel, Willisown Conservation Trust, Director of Land Protection.

STAFF NEWS

Movers and Shakers Michelle Eshleman Shelly Eshleman joined the Trust as a Motus Avian Research Coordinator in July. In this position she will be building and maintaining Motus receiving stations to track the movement of small species, banding songbirds, and utilizing data to promote bird conservation. Shelly recently graduated with her M.S. degree in biology from North Dakota State University where she worked with the USDA to study red-winged blackbird migration patterns and their relationship with reproduction. Prior to that, she studied neotropical birds with a research group from Cornell University. As a Pennsylvania native, she has a great appreciation for our natural resources and is excited to join the Trust where she will work to combine conservation, migration ecology, and public outreach.

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Bite-sized Nature Topics

Check Out Our Videos!

Just like everyone else, this spring’s pandemic shutdown forced us to shift gears and cancel a very full calendar of events and activities designed to inspire and educate about the importance of land conservation. Conferences, workshops, classes, films, nature walks, bird banding and more were all cancelled. While our nature preserves stayed open, we scrambled to find new ways to share our passion with you. What resulted was the creation of a series of live virtual experiences—Lunch & Learn and Nature at Night from Home—on different conservation topics designed to inspire and educate safely.

Did you miss out on the fun? Recorded videos of all of our virtual events can be enjoyed on our YouTube channel at bit.ly/WCTvideos Land Conservation Legacy of the Land, History of Land Conservation in Willistown Birds Seven Ways to Give Traveling Birds a Boost Meet Brian Storey—The Bird Chasing Shutterbug Chef Backyard Nesting Birds Unraveling the Mysteries of Migration with Motus Land Stewardship Native Plants for Your Landscape Trails Workshop, Part One and Part Two Insects Marvelous Macroinvertebrates Fireflies, Moths and Your Yard in the Dark Regenerative Farming Rejuvenation at Rushton Farm Green Living Let’s Go Plastic Free July Benefits of Composting and Living a Low Waste Lifestyle Children Secret Life of the Skunk, a Wildlife Art Workshop

22 | W I L L I S TO W N C O N S E R VAT I O N T R U S T

Nature Experiences

Coming Up To register and see the latest event details, check out our online calendar at wctrust.org/calendar Using Motus To Track The Flight Path Of An Avian Biologist, October 8, 7pm Nature at Night from Home Flappy Hour Preserve Walk at Ashbridge Preserve, October 15, 9am Art on Trails, October 17-24, sunrise to dusk Explore the Trust’s preserves through a plein air artist’s eye enjoying artwork displayed along the trails of Kirkwood, Ashbridge and Rushton Woods Preserves. Wander the trails and collect a canvas for your own home. LandArts donates 15% of all sales to the Trust.

Halloween Hike at Kirkwood Preserve, October 30, 4pm - 6pm Explore the activities of lurking nocturnal animals with the whole family. Costumes encouraged!

Meet the Northern Saw-whet Owl, November 12, 6pm, Nature at Night from Home. Learn about this tiny owl’s late fall migration, ecology and conservation. Family friendly online event.

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The Sycamore WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST 925 Providence Road Newtown Square, PA 19073

“Morning Walk” by Susan Stefanski beautifully captures the light at Kirkwood Preserve. Susan is one of the many artists participating in Land Art Events’ Stakeout Plein Air event. Juried, invited and open artists are producing plein air work over a ten month period on private lands permanently conserved by Willistown Conservation Trust. The event will culminate October 17-24 at “Art on Trails”, where paintings will be displayed along the trails of our nature preserves, exactly where the artists’ easel was placed. Land Art will donate 15% of painting sales to the Trust. See wctrust.org/calendar for more information.

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SOUTHEASTERN, PA PERMIT NO. 96