FALL 2010
TheLeaflet
W i l l ist o wn C o ns e r v ati o n T r u st Jeanne B. Van Alen President/Executive Director
925 Providence Road · Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073 (610) 353-2562 ~ Fax: (610) 325-0869 ~ www.wctrust.org
NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SOUTHEASTERN, PA PERMIT NO. 96
Board of Trustees Douglas C. Walker Chairman
Newsbrief of
W i l l ist o wn C o ns e r v ati o n T r u st
Alice E. Hausmann Vice Chairman Elizabeth C. Hucker Vice President and Assistant Secretary
The New 80-Acre Rushton Woods Preserve… A Community Treasure
Langhorne B. Smith Secretary James L. Van Alen II Treasurer
at Rushton Woods Preserve
A Beautiful Gathering Place
Bryan D. Colket V. Richard Eales W. Anthony Hitschler William T. Howard Mark T. Ledger F. Arthur McMorris, Ph.D. Janice Murdoch Arthur E. Newbold Donna F. Oliver, Esq. Richard A. Shorr Anson W. H. Taylor, III Tana Wall
Staff
Rushton Farm, part of the new Rushton Woods Preserve, hosts many fun events throughout the growing season that are open to the public. These photos from the 2010 season show just a few of the special events that were held at the farm, including a Musicopia student concert, a pot luck supper, the Summer Celebration and Tomato Tasting, and Outdoor Movie Night. Be sure to join our email list to receive news and invitations. Send your email address to land@wctrust.org.
Last Call for 2011 Rushton Farm CSA Membership! If you are interested in picking up fresh produce grown right here in Willistown every week from June to November, now is the time to let the Trust know of your interest. To place your name on the waiting list, fill out the online form at wctrust.org after clicking on “Community Farm.”
Chelsea Allen Rushton Farm Assistant Field Manager Dee Ann Bowman Director of Finance Ashley Brister Rushton Farm Field Manager/ Education Coordinator Sue R. Costello GIS Coordinator Aaron de Long Rushton Farm Field Staff Fred de Long Director of Community Farm Program Elaine Gilmartin Director of Development and Community Outreach William R. Hartman, Jr. Director of Stewardship Lisa Kiziuk Associate Stewardship Manager Jackie Simms Community Outreach Coordinator Joyce D. Spragins Communications and Technology Manager Elizabeth A. Stokes Assistant Director of Development John G. Turgeon Director of Land Protection and Public Grants 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, 1 (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
The Leaflet
The Willistown Conservation Trust is dedicated to preserving the open land, rural character, scenic, historic and ecologically significant resources of the Willistown area and nearby communities, with particular emphasis on the Crum, Ridley and Darby Creek watersheds.
Volunteers Help Protect Crum Creek at Kirkwood Preserve
The setting sun illuminates the mature woodland as early spring crops emerge on Rushton Farm and Rushton Woods Preserve.
As the sun shone through after the epic storm of June 25th,
2010, there was great cause for celebration in our community. The long-awaited acquisition of 50 acres, known as the Rushton Woods Preserve Addition, had become a reality. With this purchase the Trust has created the new 80-acre Rushton Woods Preserve, a treasure for the Willistown area community. The acquisition eliminates the possibility of any residential development on the preserve, as well as assuring the permanent ownership of the six-acre site on which the Trust’s Community Farm Program has operated since 2008. A recent tree planting at Kirkwood Preserve allows Goshen Friends School students and parents to continue building the streamside buffer and learn more about watersheds. Located on Grubbs Mill Road, the preserve is open to the public daily from dawn to dusk. If you’d like to be involved in upcoming preserve events, contact Bill Hartman at 610.353.2562 ext. 14 or wrh@wctrust.org.
Situated at the intersection of Goshen and Delchester Roads, Rushton Woods Preserve is an extraordinary resource for people and wildlife right in the heart of Willistown. In addition to the organic fruit and vegetables grown at Rushton Farm, the preserve contains a rare expanse of interior woodland
identified by Audubon as one of the most critical sites for bird conservation, and it’s here that the Trust’s newly formed Bird Banding Center has been operating since the spring of 2010. It also offers miles of trails and open meadows for public enjoyment, special events and a variety of educational opportunities. We are very excited to share this extraordinary place with you—and hope you will share in our vision for its future. We still need to raise the final amount owed on the purchase and establish an endowment to ensure the continued care and maintenance of the preserve. We will have more information on those plans as we move forward, but with your support and energy we know great things are possible. Please stay tuned for more information on the ways you can get involved in the future of this spectacular place!
T h e L e a fl e t is an interim publication to supplement our annual newsletter, The Sycamore. Through The Leaflet , the WCT staff brings you interesting and timely information about Willistown Conservation Trust activities, stewardship news and upcoming events.