T he Leaflet N E W S B R I E F 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 | FA L L 2 0 1 4
BUILDING PARTNERSHI URBAN YOUTH PROGRA
FOSTERING A LOVE OF LAND AND A CONNECTION TO
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ecognizing the urgent need to bridge the growing divide between children and the outdoors, the Trust is seeking to build an ongoing relationship with urban programs that embrace the importance of reconnecting kids with nature, particularly those without access to natural areas. A recent visit by Philadelphia’s Mighty Writers to Rushton Woods Preserve encapsulated much of the Trust’s objectives for its budding urban youth initiative: use the Trust’s preserves and conservation programs to provide a safe environment where children from the Philadelphia area’s inner-city neighborhoods can experience the wonder of the outdoors, enhance their classroom learning, and develop a love of the land. The visit included a series of learning modules led by farm and bird conservation staff that touched on specific aspects of the Trust’s conservation programs. With Rushton Woods Preserve serving as the outdoor classroom, the visit served to enrich and inspire the budding writers’ perspectives and the resulting poetry and prose provided testimony to the success of the day. We look forward to repeat visits from Mighty Writers and to nurturing their development of a love of the land.
MID-MORNING EARLY MORNING Introduction to the farm and nature journaling Discover what makes this farm different ON THE COVER: Villanova poetry professor Catherine Staples helps students search
for the perfect word to describe their experience at Rushton Woods Preserve.
Woodland, meadow, and stream ecology and exploration Describing birds Using field guides to identify insects The art and science of birdsong
IPS WITH AMS
NOON Lunch in the crop fields Dessert and honey tasting
O NATURE
LATE MORNING Tour crop fields, greenhouses and honey bee hives Learn how sustainable farming benefits the surrounding ecosystem Create poetry with Villanova professor Catherine Staples
EARLY AFTERNOON Nature journaling and reflection Sharing of poetry and writing
...what they talked about most...was what they discovered on their own: the butterfly that landed on their finger, the rabbits that chased each other...through the field, the sounds the birds made talking to each other...and so much more.
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Until next time!
-Tim Whitaker, Mighty Writers Executive Director
HOM E SW E E T HOM E
White Farmhouse Acquisition Strengthens Internship and Farmer Training Programs
BELOW: The lucky interns and staff members who call the farmhouse home are (L to R) Chelsea Allen, Assistant Field Manager of Rushton Farm; Larken Wright Kennedy, Rushton Farm Intern; Jessie Kemper, Rushton Farm Intern; and Denise Ecker, Bird Conservation Program Intern.
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he Trust’s Internship and Master Farmer Training programs have always attracted high-caliber candidates, but now that we can offer these developing conservationists a place to hang their hats, our programs are attracting candidates nationally. Early in 2014, the Trust completed the acquisition of the five-acre White Farmhouse parcel at Rushton Woods Preserve, expanding the preserve to 86 acres and giving us ownership of the iconic farmhouse. A thoughtful renovation of the farmhouse followed, preserving its historic integrity and providing much needed housing for interns and farm staff. The White Farmhouse is now home to a dynamic group of young staff and interns with impressive backgrounds. Chelsea Allen, graduate of Penn State and Assistant Field Manager of Rushton Farm, was the first graduate of our Master Farmer Training Program. In addition to her training at Rushton Farm, she has orchard and organic produce retail management experience in the Philadelphia region. Larken Wright Kennedy, Bryn Mawr College graduate and Rushton Farm Intern, has experience with children’s outdoor and farm education in Vermont and Oregon, as well as local food initatives in Philadelphia. Jessie Kemper, Ursinus College Graduate and Rushton Farm Intern, has a background in wildlife rehabilitation in Virginia and marine mammal conservation in Massachussets. Denise Ecker, Penn State graduate and Bird Conservation Program Intern, has worked and studied in a variety of bird banding, bird conservation and field biology positions in South Carolina, Mississippi, California, Oregon, Florida, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. We have high hopes for these talented and aspiring conservationists, and welcome them to the White Farmhouse as they advance their careers and the Trust’s mission. 6 | W I L L I S TO W N C O N S E R VAT I O N T R U S T
FALL 2014
WILLISTOWN
CONSERVATION TRUST BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jeanne B. Van Alen President/Executive Director Mark T. Ledger Chairman V. Richard Eales Vice Chairman Alice E. Hausmann Vice Chairman Elizabeth C. Hucker Treasurer Janice Murdoch Secretary W. Anthony Hitschler Assistant Secretary James L. Van Alen II Assistant Secretary Timothy B. Barnard, Esq. Bryan D. Colket Gary A. Cox William T. Howard Leanne M. McMenamin Collin F. McNeil Arthur E. Newbold IV, Esq. Christine S. Seving John F. Stoviak, Esq. Peter S. Strawbridge Anson W. H. Taylor, III Matthew E. Taylor Carolyn W. Turner Tana Wall HONORARY TRUSTEE Elizabeth R. Moran STAFF Chelsea Allen Rushton Farm Assistant Field Manager Sue R. Costello GIS Coordinator Fred de Long Director of Community Farm Program Laura de Ramel Director of Development and Community Outreach Laura Dormans Development Associate Elaine C. Gilmartin Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Blake Goll Nature Education Coordinator Noah Gress Rushton Farm Field Manager William R. Hartman, Jr. Director of Stewardship Eric Hetzel Director of Land Protection and Public Grants Lisa Kiziuk Director of Bird Conservation Program Kelsey Lingle Communications Associate Susie MacDonnell Events and PR Coordinator Nancy K. Rosin Director of Annual Fund and Planned Giving Joyce D. Spragins Communications and Technology Manager 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.
FOR THE LOVE OF BIRDS Alan Crawford, Jr. Leaves a Legacy Of Land and Bird Conser vation
In July of 2014 the beautiful 27-acre Little Brook Farm on White Horse Road in Easttown Township was protected from development forever. The story of its protection centers on Alan Crawford, Jr., Little Brook’s owner, who died at the age of 88 after spending his entire life on the farm. Alan was one of our true heroes of the countryside. He moved to the farm’s 19th century farm house with his parents as an infant, and grew up with a love of nature fueled by the farm’s diverse habitat, including mature woodland, meadows, a pond, floodplains and stream. As his son Alan recently shared, “He traveled all over the Alan Crawford, Jr. (1926 - 2014) world, but never really wanted to be anywhere else.” Birds were an important part of Alan’s life from an early age, and they became a passion by the time he was a teenager. He actively birded the farm for over 80 years and recorded over 220 species there. His detailed journals of birds he sighted or banded on the property dating from 1931 became the primary document for the Trust’s application in 2003 to National Audubon Society which resulted in the designation of our 28,000-acre focal area as an Important Bird Area (IBA), extending the Upper Ridley/Crum Creek IBA. The IBA designation recognizes the Trust’s focal area nationally as a place of outstanding value to bird conservation, and has been influential in motivating many other land owners and funding partners to participate in the permanent protection of land in the Willistown area. Alan freely shared his wisdom, his humor, and his time with many. He understood that habitat loss was having a negative impact on many species, especially birds, and so became an early supporter of Willistown Conservation Trust. His love of Little Brook Farm and its avian inhabitants has left a legacy that will benefit people and wildlife forever. To read an article written by Alan about birding at Little Brook Farm, including his amazing list of 220 bird species recorded there, visit http://ow.ly/C3Z2Q.
ABOVE: Alan
Crawford, Jr.’s 27-acre Little Brook Farm on White Horse Road has been permanently protected by conservation easement donation to the Trust.
The Leaflet
NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SOUTHEASTERN, PA PERMIT NO. 96
WILLISTOWN CONSERVATION TRUST 925 Providence Road Newtown Square, PA 19073
Many thanks to our BUSINESS SPONSORS
Aqua America Barnard, Mezzanotte, Pinnie & Seelaus Bartlett Tree Experts Benner & Sons, Inc. Brushwood Stable Bryn Mawr Landscaping Co. Bryn Mawr Trust Company CertaPro Painters of the Main Line Conlin’s Digital Print & Copy Center Country Properties Countryside Consulting Credit Suisse Elite Group Gardner/Fox Associates GreenRoots Landscaping GreenWeaver Landscapes James Brown Plumbing Heating & AC Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects Kreischer Miller Mark D. S louf Building & Design McCausland Keen & Buckman Missy Schwartz - BHHS Fox & Roach Oliver Heating, Cooling & Plumbing Ranieri & Kerns Reed Smith
ABOVE:
Coming Home from the Run-a-Muck Trail
Sila Heating & Air Conditioning Sycamore Racing, LLC Veterinary Referral Center/ Rebound Animal Wellness Warren Claytor Architects Weeds, Inc. White Horse Village
GIFTS IN-KIND AJ Blosenski, Inc. Amerasport Arader Tree Service Blue Sky Band Brandywine Catering Braxton’s Animal Works Carly Abbott Photography Bryan & Jayme Colket Gary & Catharine Cox Amos Esh Hay Sales Fernwood Summer Camp for Girls Karen’s K9 Care Kari & Tony Keane Susan Kokat Old Oak Tree Landscaping & Sawmill Out There Outfitters Taylor Rental of Malvern Victory Brewing Company Wooters Dog Training
Over 500 people came out to experience the beautiful Willistown countryside and the Run-a-Muck trail on Saturday, September 20th. Proceeds benefit the Trust’s ongoing work to preserve the Willistown area’s countryside and to instill in people a lifelong love of the land.
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