Th e S y c a m o r e Newsletter of
Vol. X, Issue 1
Spring 2009
W i l l i s t ow n C o n s ervat i o n Tru s t
Rushton Woods An Eighty-Acre Preserve in the Making A story of great neighbors, a “love for the land” and proof that “good deeds beget good deeds”
That the Willistown Con-
ley/Crum Important Bird servation Trust is now enjoyArea. Later that year, Janet ing the exciting possibility and John and the Haas of increasing the Rushton Charitable Trusts enabled Woods Preserve to eighty the acquisition of the acres over the next couple of thirty-acre Rushton Woods years is proof of the adage by the National Audubon that “good deeds beget good deeds”. Society. (Love for the land and The story began in 1986 good deed #2) . In 2007, when Elizabeth and William National Audubon transVan Alen took the bold step ferred the woods to the of placing a conservation Willistown Conservation easement on their land Trust with an agreement at Delchester and Goshen to eliminate all building There are only two known nesting pairs of Kentucky Warblers in the Roads when donating ease- area, and one of them can be found in the Rushton Woods Preserve. rights under the original ments was still a new and easement and to ensure that The species has experienced a three-fold decrease in population courageous thing to do. during the last 25 years due to loss of habitat. it be preserved and managed While the easement allowed as primar y woodland for four house sites on the eighty acres, it precluded outright habitat forever. It is now known as the Trust’s “Rushton development of the land in perpetuity. (Love for the land and Woods Preserve”.
good deed #1).
Fast forward to 2003, when Janet and John Haas visited the 30 acre portion of the Rushton Woods fronting on Delchester Road (see map p. 3) and were inspired by its majestic beech, hickory and oak canopy trees (some over 200 years old) and the health of the understory of native shrubs and wildflowers. At about the same time, experts from Audubon Pennsylvania had identified the Rushton Woods as a prime stop-over and nesting habitat for the many migratory songbirds that visit it each year, and one of the most critical sites for bird conservation in Audubon’s newly designated Rid-
The next chapter in this conservation story focuses on the remaining critical fifty-acre tract of land that lies between the thirty-acre Rushton Woods Preserve and Goshen Road (see area labeled “Rushton Woods Preserve Addition” on map p. 3). This land was also part of the original Van Alen conservation easement and is home to a rich array of natural, scenic and recreational resources and habitat types including mature woodland, wetlands, wooded riparian areas, emerging native grasslands, old hedgerows and an extensive network of established riding trails. Additionally, six acres of this parcel has provided the site for the Trust’s Rushton Woods Preserve continued on page 3.
For the preservation of the natural resources, rural character, and cultural heritage of the Willistown area.