Kestrel Hill Preserve Campaign Booklet

KESTREL HILL PRESERVE Campaign for

MAKING HISTORY. LEAVING A LEGACY.

SAVE THE LAND

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arose when over 200 acres of farmland was listed for sale in the heart of Willistown Township in 2022.

Zoning would have allowed construction of 40 houses on this magnificent property, but widespread consensus formed quickly that it was both urgent and imperative to protect the land and preempt development.

SHARE THE LAND

Willistown Conservation Trust proposed a bold and ambitous plan to conserve the land and set aside 90 acres to establish a new public nature preserve.

FOR ALL, FOREVER

We will now establish Kestrel Hill Preserve, restore native habitat and wetlands, and protect wildlife, for the benefit of present and future generations, in perpetuity.

ENVISION THE FUTURE

From high on Kestrel Hill, an expansive vista reaches to the horizon. Hiking and equestrian trails crisscross wildflower meadows, descend steep slopes, step over streams in the valley, and disappear into dense woodlands. Abundant wildlife reflects our foresight and thoughtful stewardship.

PROTECT NATIVE HABITAT

Kestrel Hill Preserve’s woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands host a complex and delicate web of life. Native bees, moths, and caterpillars thrive in the unique Oak-Hickory forest. Songbirds nest among tree branches and shrubs and forage in leaf-litter.

Toads and salamanders hide among rocks, ferns, sedges, and wildflowers. Squirrels and chipmunks feast on nuts, insects, and berries and attract foxes, raccoons, hawks, and owls. This miraculous and critical ecosystem provides refuge and sustains lives.

SUSTAIN WILDLIFE

Kestrel Hill Preserve secures critical habitat for grassland birds such as the American kestrel. American kestrel breeding successfully indicate that land protection and conservation initiatives are succeeding, even as populations of American kestrel decline elsewhere due to habitat loss.

Kestrel Hill Preserve connects wildlife to thousands of acres conserved by Willistown Conservation Trust, including nearby Ashbridge, Rushton Woods, and Kirkwood Preserves.

CONSERVE NATURAL RESOURCES

Sprawling development and climate change significantly stress waterways, whereas undeveloped open spaces mitigate the effects of extreme weather and protect streams, rivers, and ultimately, the water supply. Two valuable headwater streams, Hibberd Run and Yarnall Run, pass through Kestrel Hill Preserve, join nearby Ridley Creek, and connect downstream to the Delaware River, delivering ecological benefits well beyond the borders of Kestrel Hill Preserve.

FOR THOSE FOLLOWING OUR FOOTSTEPS

Kestrel Hill Preserve offers refuge from a surrounding sea of development, escape from the modern world, and perennial reminders of our inextricable connections to nature.

KESTREL HILL PRESERVE | 90 ACRES

Please note: Kestrel Hill Preserve will open to the public at a future date to be announced Until that time, the Preserve is not open or accessible, and the plans above are subject to revision

MAKING

HISTORY. LEAVING A LEGACY.

Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) has served as stewards of Chester County’s prized and picturesque countryside for over 30 years.

WCT has helped to protect over 7,500 acres of open space in three critical watersheds through conservation easements, public wildlife preserves, and a regenerative farm, and has established bird conservation, water research, and education programs.

WCT will now establish Kestrel Hill Preserve and make accessible to all, forever, a secluded and idyllic property that has been privately owned for hundreds of years.

Protecting this land and establishing Kestrel Hill Preserve are truly once-in-forever opportunities. While the cost to acquire the land is significant, greater still are longterm costs associated with development, including negative impacts on quality of life, water quality, wildlife, and the environment.

You can help, too Join with friends, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Chester County, and Willistown Township and pledge your generous financial support for Kestrel Hill Preserve, today.

By contributing generously to WCT, you can help to acquire the land and:

Restore existing farmland and wetland areas to native habitat;

Plant riparian buffer areas adjacent to headwater creeks that flow through the preserve;

Clear and maintain trails for equestrians and hikers;

Provide public access; and,

Provide stewardship for the benefit of future generations.

Willistown Conservation Trust’s plan upholds the aspirations of conservationminded citizens locally and throughout Pennsylvania who wish to conserve undeveloped, open spaces, protect the environment and native wildlife, and make accessible to all the beauty and life-sustaining wonders of the natural world.

Join us at Kestrel Hill Preserve. Make history and establish your enduring legacy.

SPRING WALK AT KIRKWOOD FARM

The rhythm of my footsteps shaping themselves to the changing contour of the greening earth

The softly rattling brook by the winter wrecked willows.

Coal black crows scolding by the white-walled bank barn--empty for decades.

Two evil looking vultures leering from their black walnut perches, Dixie, my ever-present four-legged partner, sensing their menace.

Canada geese gliding across the meadow pond surface, honking warnings of the dog's looming presence.

Sand-colored corn stalks--forlorn, broken, leafless, and silent-so distant in time from Fall's leafy green rustlings.

A red-tail perched high, surveying his domain; V-shaped raptors circling, diving, soaring on gentle spring breezes; The twittering and chattering of birds seen but unknown; The glorious undefinable scent of the rebirthing land.

The land, the land, the land! I want to immerse myself in it, inhale it, Listen to its message, forever.

Author:

Peter S. Strawbridge, Founding Trustee