Th e S y c a m o r e Newsletter of
Vol. VIII, Issue 1 W i l l i s tow n
Spring 2007
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Campaign for the Countryside Goes Over the Top!
W hen the Willistown Conser vation Tr ust
Mary Hunt Davis
with confidence that their gifts would be used to produce excellent and launched the “quiet enduring conservation phase� of the Campaign results. for the Countryside more In the final than three years ago, analysis, a remarkable the challenge of raising seventy-seven members $7 million seemed a of the community made daunting task. It was gifts to the campaign, with both enthusiasm ranging from $10,000 and belief in the comto $500,000. Throughmunity that our Board out the campaign, it of Trustees undertook was clear that many the commitment, recthoughtful donors ognizing that now is the Campaign funds will help protect more of the rural character and rich habitat stretched to give as time to act to preserve that define the Willistown countryside. much as they possibly many more acres of our countryside and to promote good stewardship of our lands could. Several donors even told us that their gift to the before it is too late. We all knew that in order to keep ahead Campaign for the Countryside exceeded any charitable gift of the development pressures that continually threaten that they had ever made. This represents true generosity the rolling hills, mature woodlands, clean stream valleys by people who clearly care deeply, and it reminds us how and rich natural diversity of the Willistown area, we must fortunate we are to live in a community of individuals greatly accelerate the pace of our conservation efforts. who share such a remarkable love of the land and the This would require 1) ongoing support for our profes- commitment to see it preserved in perpetuity. With spring in the air and the campaign now over, sional staff, 2) a functional work space, and 3) a sustainable financial base for the Trust. Thus, the goals were set and, all of us at the Trust are energized and eager to take on the under the leadership of co-chairs Jennifer Moller and Doug many conservation challenges ahead. We are forever grateful to the Willistown community for coming together, once Walker, the campaign began. You can imagine our sense of elation when, in again, to support the critical Campaign for the Countryside. Above all, we thank every one of you as you support January 2007, thanks to the amazing response of so many friends and neighbors, the campaign topped off at $7.25 the Trust in your own individual way, whether it be as a million. What we learned as we visited with numerous friends, campaign donor, Sycamore Society member, supporter of neighbors and potential donors was both gratifying and our annual fund, conservation minded landowner or one of humbling. We were gratified to learn how many truly our many dedicated volunteers. You are all part of the fabric kindred spirits there are in our community and beyond of this amazing Willistown conservation community. How who passionately share the Willistown Conservation Trust lucky we are! vision for the future of the countryside. We were also humbled by the willingness of so many to invest in our work Bonnie Van Alen, President
For the preservation of the natural resources, rural character, and cultural heritage of the Willistown area.
The Sycamore
Message from the Chairman The Trust, now entering
of 1,660 land trusts in the country to become part of a pilot program which could lead to our being officially recognized as an organization which manages its affairs according to the highest ethical and legal standards and adheres to a long list of prescribed operating practices.
its eleventh year as an independent land conservation organization, ended 2006 on a high note with the successful conclusion of its capital Campaign for the Countryside. Over $7 million was raised giving the Trust a solid financial base, funding the move into new and Peter and new pup, Dixie. enlarged headquarters at 925 Providence Road and enabling the Trust to purchase 23 acres to add to the already 60 acres at the Kirkwood Preserve.
Although preserving and stewarding land is at the heart of the Trust’s mission, it is becoming increasingly clear to us that our work goes far beyond merely preserving open space. What we do draws us and our friends and neighbors closer to the land, connects us with our natural heritage and in so doing adds to the quality of our lives. Helping the land retain its natural characteristics and educating our fellow citizens about the things that we all can do to make that happen is an important focus of the Trust’s activities.
2007 has gotten off to a good start. We were recently To each of you who through your interest and support inspire informed that we have been selected by the Land Trust and stimulate us to carry on with the work that we believe is Accreditation Commission, to be one of only 22 out so vitally important, we extend our heartfelt thanks. Peter Strawbridge
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Willistown Conservation Trust Selected to Participate in National Accreditation Pilot Program
The Willistown Conservation Trust was recently selected
The Commission was created in 2006 and is an independent as one of 22 land conservation organizations from 19 states program of the Land Trust Alliance. “In an era when the public to test a new national accreditation program for land trusts. is demanding accountability from government and nonprofit The program will recognize land conservation organizations organizations, independent land trust accreditation will help that meet national quality standards for protecting important provide the assurance of quality and permanence of land natural places and working lands forever. Across the country, conservation the public is looking for,” explained Executive more than 1,660 land trusts have conserved over 11.9 mil- Director of the Commission, Tammara Van Ryn. lion acres of land – an area twice the size of New Hampshire – and the accreditation process is intended to ensure that this The accreditation program will be tested in 2007 and will important work is sustained for the long-term. be available to interested organizations starting in 2008. At that time, land trusts can join the ranks of other nonprofit The Land Trust Accreditation Commission selected partici- organizations that gain professional recognition through pants that reflected the diversity of land trust sizes, geographic accreditation, such as museums, zoos, aquariums, colleges and locations and types of land protected. “We know it will be a hospitals. Accredited land trusts will be able to display a seal substantial commitment of time,” Bonnie Van Alen stated in indicating to the public that they meet national standards for the pilot program application, “but serving as a participant excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation in the pilot test program would enable us to give back to the efforts are permanent. land trust community and help ensure the credibility of our collective work.” Spring
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2007
The Sycamore
Land Protection Report Seven New Easements and an Easement Assignment Add to Protected Lands Piroeff Estate – Purchased by a Conservation Buyer and Preserved in Perpetuity The recent purchase and subsequent donation of a conservation easement by Robert G. Roskamp capped off a two year project to protect the beautiful 33 acre Piroeff estate located on the north side of Goshen Road just east of Bartram’s Bridge. In April 2006, the Delchester Group, Inc, a not for profit corporation formed to preserve open space in the area, entered into an agreement to acquire the property from the estate of S. Soski Piroeff and began the search for investors who would help hold the property until a conservation buyer could be located. When the adjacent landowner, Robert Roskamp, was approached he not only agreed to be an investor, but to acquire the property and protect it by donating a conservation easement to the Willistown Conservation Trust. The property straddles a particularly gorgeous stretch of the Crum Creek and is located partially in Willistown and partially in Newtown township. The conservation easement protects the property’s scenic views and the mature woodlands bordering the creek. It provides a trail corridor along the stream and limits residential structures to the primary and secondary residences already located on the property. Many thanks to Bob Roskamp for coming to the rescue and preserving one of the Trust’s highest priority properties on the Crum Creek!
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A spectacular stretch of the Crum Creek is preserved in perpetuity by the Roskamp easement donation.
Tim and Lisa Rubin Donate an Easement on their 14 Acre Farm In December, 2006 Tim and Lisa Rubin donated a conservation easement on their 14 acre property located on Providence Road in Willistown Township. Their land includes a small farm complex with a stone farmhouse, barn and outbuildings, pastures, woodlands, steep slopes and frontage along Indian Run, a tributary of the Ridley Creek. The easement includes pedestrian and equestrian trail corridors and limits structures on the site to the existing primary residence and accessory structures. The Rubin farm is located adjacent to several hundred acres of critical
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protected lands in the heart of the Radnor Hunt countryside. Tim and Lisa are veteran easement donors, having placed an easement on their former property in Edgmont Township. We are grateful that they have taken steps to protect the special features of their new property in perpetuity.
Jim and Sarah Hutchin Preserve a Special Habitat Many thanks to Jim and Sarah Hutchin, who have preserved their unique property for future generations. Their 9.4 acre property in Edgmont Township is located in the southwest portion of the Trust program area, off Farmers Lane Land Protection Report continued on page 4.
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The Sycamore Land Protection Report continued from page 3.
which originates from the east side of Route 352. The easement restricts residential structures on the Hutchin property to the existing primary and secondary residences. It also protects the property’s very special environmental resources including the headwaters of a Ridley Creek tributary and woodlands and meadows important for bird habitat. The 80 acre Arasapha Farm, which is protected in perpetuity by an agricultural easement with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is adjacent to the Hutchin property. In addition to expanding the area of protected open space in this neighborhood of Edgmont, the Hutchins’ easement will hopefully lead other landowners in the area to consider protecting their lands. We welcome Jim and Sarah to the community of easement landowners.
The Levi Garrett Tenant House, c.1845, is located on the M.J. Hooven and Shirley Lair property on Dutton Mill Road, now permanently protected by conservation easement.
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Mother and Daughter Protect Property along Hunters Run
A Third Parcel is Added to Willistown Township’s Okehocking Preserve
M.J. Hooven and her mother, Shirley Lear, have permanently protected their 14 acre property located off Dutton Mill Road in the southwest portion of Willistown Township. The property includes an historic 18th century stone farmhouse, a barn and outbuildings with frontage along Hunters Run, a scenic tributary of Ridley Creek, as well as woodland and steep slopes. The conservation easement donation includes a protected trail corridor and limits further development on the site to the existing residence and accessory structures. The Lear property is immediately adjacent to two tracts also protected by conservation easements, the Pitt and Schwartz properties. We are grateful to M.J. and Shirley for protecting their important property in this uniquely r ural cor ner of Willistown.
In the spring of 2006, Willistown Township acquired the 10 acre parcel known as the Phase III addition to the township’s Okehocking Preserve. Phase III is the highly visible property located at the northwest corner of Route 3 and Delchester Road. As part of the acquisition, the easement held by the Trust on the original Okehocking Preserve was extended to cover the new addition. The Phase III property is characterized by open fields and high ground overlooking both West Chester Pike and Delchester Road. Extending the conservation easement to cover this addition preserves the rolling grassland and mature woodland on the tract and also protects the sweeping views of the property from the major roads which serve as a gateway to Willistown and Chester County. The Township purchased the property using open space funds, as well as grants from Chester County and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The acquisition completes the preservation of open space extending along the north side of Route 3 from Dutton Mill Road to Delchester Road and along the west side of Delchester Road from Route 3 to Goshen Road. The conservation easement extension on Okehocking Phase III restricts the use of the property to recreation and open space uses and limits structures and impervious coverage.
M.J. Hooven and Shirley Lear are all smiles after signing the conservation easement that protects their property on Dutton Mill Road. (Left to right) Bonnie Van Alen (President and Executive Director of Willistown Conservation Trust), M.J. Hooven, Shirley Lear and Chris Thompson (Director of Land Protection).
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Okehocking Phase IV The Final addition to the Okehocking Preserve In 2006, the Trust and the Township began working to acquire Okehocking
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The Sycamore Land Protection Report continued from page 4.
Phase IV, the final addition that will complete the township’s Okehocking Preserve. Phase IV is located directly across Delchester Road from Phase III on the north side of Route 3. This new addition contains almost 13 acres and, like the Phase III site, is comprised of gently rolling terrain with high visibility from Delchester Road and Route 3. It is located in close proximity to the Indian Run tributary to Ridley Creek and is important as a potential trail link in both the proposed eight-mile Ridley Creek Greenway Trail, and the proposed five-mile Willistown Loop Trail. The Township has entered into an agreement to purchase the property at a bargain sale price by the end of June 2007. Acquisition funds will be provided in part by the township through its open space fund and a grant from Chester County, and in part by the Willistown Conservation Trust through grants from Chester County and the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The conservation easement held by the Trust on the Okehocking Preserve will once more be extended to cover the Phase IV parcel. Once Phase IV is completed, the Okehocking Preserve will comprise a grand total of 183 acres, the natural, scenic and recreational resources of which will be preserved in perpetuity. Okehocking is truly a special gem of a township preserve to be cared for, treasured and enjoyed by many future generations of Willistown residents.
George and Lorraine Rubin’s property as seen from Providence Road - a special view preserved forever.
a very generous conservation easement, their wonderful 51 acre property located in the heart of the Trust’s program area is now protected forever. Located across the road from the Radnor Hunt race course and adjacent to the White Manor golf course, protecting this property was long considered one of the Trust’s highest priorities. The easement limits residential structures on the property to the existing primary residence with attached apartment, and one additional primary residence with an attached apartment. Environmental features protected by the easement include the headwaters of a Crum Creek tributary and associated riparian area, woodland, steep slopes, and pasture. The easement also prohibits development in the pasture along the property’s Providence Road frontage, critical for maintaining the scenic rural views of the Rubin property and its surGeorge and Lorraine roundings. An equestrian trail preserved Rubin Protect 51 Acres by the easement provides an important Riders, walkers and passers-by have link between Hillview Road, the Radnor long appreciated the trails and pastoral Hunt grounds and adjacent eased lands. views of the George and Lorraine Rubin Two-legged, four-legged and feathered property on Providence Road. Thanks to Spring
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residents all have George and Lorraine to thank for this wonderful gift to the community.
Featherfield Farm Easement Assigned to the Trust At the request of Ellen Paul Simmons and Tom Paul, the Brandywine Conservancy has assigned to the Trust the easements it held on Featherfield Farm, the property formerly owned by their mother, Frances Ellen Paul. The farm is comprised of two parcels, comprising 22 and 30 acres respectively, and is located on the south side of Marlborough Road in the heart of our program area. Mrs. Paul, a great friend and conservationist, was one of the first landowners in the area to protect her land by donating a conservation easement back in 1977. Under the auspices of the Willistown Area Conservation Program (predecessor to the Trust), the original easement was expanded and updated with the Brandywine Conservancy in 1995. Land Protection Report continued on page 6.
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The Sycamore Land Protection Report continued from page 5.
Highlights of the property are the lovely fieldstone farmhouse and historic bank barn, and the open fields and riparian woodlands along a tributary to the Crum Creek. The existing primary and secondary residences are situated on the 22 acre parcel, and the easement limits additional development to accessory structures only. Residential development on the 30 acre parcel is limited to one primary residence and one secondary residence, and the easement includes a preserved trail corridor. It is a great tribute to their mother, Frances Ellen, that Ellen and Tom and their families share her passion for Featherfield Farm. We are greatly indebted to them for continuing her wonderful tradition of caring stewardship. Thank you, Ellen and Tom!
Ellen Simmons, Jim Simmons, Susie Paul and Tom Paul enjoying a fine spring day at Featherfield Farm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tax Incentive for Conservation Easements
Help Nurture the Trust’s Native Plant Garden
In August 2006, the President signed into law an expansion of the Last fall a dedicated team of volunteers diligently tax incentives for conservation easement donations. This is a great victory for conservation!
The New Law:
• Raises the deduction a landowner can take for donating a conservation easement from 30% of their income in any year to 50%; • Allows qualifying farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100% of their income; and • Extends the carry-forward period for a donor to take tax deductions from 5 to 15 years. It is important to note that this only applies to easements donated in 2006 and 2007. Donations of conservation easements to the Trust have been the most important conservation tool for protecting land in the Willistown area. These additional tax incentives provide landowners with an even more powerful economic incentive to protect their land in perpetuity. For more information, contact Chris Thompson, Director of Land Protection at cat@wctrust.org or (610) 353-2562 ext. 21. Spring
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worked at the Trust’s office to design and plant a new garden comprised of plants native to the MidAtlantic. The garden is designed to be a showcase for homeowners who wish to incorporate more native plants into their landscape. This year we need your help maintaining the native plant garden. If you enjoy being outside and working in the garden, please join the volunteer team. To get involved in this project or other volunteer opportunities, please contact Trisha Lambert at 610-353-2562 ext. 12 or tld@wctrust.org.
Regretfully, in our last issue of the Leaflet, we failed to give proper credit to Mary Hunt Davis for several of her wonderful photographs. We regret the omission. Babby has been very generous to the Trust by sharing her photographic talents with us, and we are deeply grateful.
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Apologies…
2007
The Sycamore
Stewardship Report “But in every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” John Muir, Steep Trails from development is the Trust’s highest priority, we recognize that land preservation is just the beginning of the work we call “conservation.” Once land is protected, the focus of our work on that land shifts to a long-term effort to preserve, restore, and maintain habitat for the benefit of plants, animals, and generations to come. This stewardship is one of the most important aspects of conservation.
New Land Management Guide is “Hot off the Press”
In order to extend our stewardship reach, we have just produced a new resource for landowners titled Your Land, Your Legacy, A Management Guide for Landowners. The guide is designed to help landowners take care of their land in a way that makes a positive impact on wildlife, native plant species, grasslands, woodlands and watersheds, creating both physical beauty and healthy ecosystems. Topics such as managing invasive species, ponds and riparian buffers are just a few of those featured in this guide. A single landowner practicing good land stewardship can make a big difference, but the benefits clearly multiply with each neighbor who follows similar management methods. We hope this guide will encourage many neighboring landowners to consider best management practices. Yo u r L a n d , Yo u r L e g a c y w i l l b e distributed to conservation easement holders and critical property owners in the Willistown area. They can also be purchased from the Trust for a small donation, or can be viewed on our newly renovated website at www.wctrust.org. Spring
completed for the winter bird season. The important step of being identified as an Audubon Important Bird Area (IBA) is behind us, but we have a lot more work to do to have an impact on larger bird conservation initiatives. Audubon Pennsylvania has recently brought Brian Byrnes on board to serve as their southeastern regional IBA coordinator. Brian has been instrumental in getting our bird monitoring program started with a group of volunteers from Audubon led by Edie Parnum and Kevin Fryberger. These volunteer scientists have agreed to lead the Bird Nest Box Program groups who will monitor selected properEstablished ties in our program area four times per Our bird nest box program, funded year and enter their data into the larger by a grant from the William Penn Foun- IBA inventory housed at Audubon. dation, will begin this spring on selected properties. Mike Allard, a local scout Collecting this data is an essential first working towards his Eagle Scout badge, step in our stewardship projects for the will be helping us with box installation. IBA. This research will tell us where to These boxes are of various sizes and work, what plants and animals are most will be installed in habitats that are well in need of conservation protection, suited for the species they were built to what strategies we should use, and how entice. Boxes have been made for Kestrels, effective we have been. Wood Ducks, Bluebirds, Barn Owls, Our ultimate goal of conducting a bird Red-headed Woodpeckers and Pileated census in our IBA is to develop conWoodpeckers. Numerous landowners servation guidelines for high-priority have volunteered to place the nest boxes species such as Eastern Meadowlarks on their properties. In addition to annual and Bobolinks and will depend on two cleaning, participating landowners will kinds of results. First, by mapping the be monitoring the boxes, documenting exact locations of the largest populations, which species are using the box, when we will be able to determine patterns of they are nesting, and reporting their land ownership and use so that we can findings to the Trust. We hope this will assess threats to the habitat and make serve as a fun way for landowners to recommendations for land acquisition learn about the species that call their and management. Second, by developproperties “home.” ing a clearer picture of how these vital habitats are used, we hope to be able to Bird Monitoring provide suggestions for landowners to Underway enable them to take steps that will benefit We are pleased to announce that the Stewardship Report continued on page 8. first bird monitoring session has been
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Laura Erickson
Although protecting additional land
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The Sycamore Stewardship Report continued from page 7.
these species throughout the program area--steps perhaps as simple as not cutting grasslands during the nesting and fledgling season (mid April to mid August). The collection of our IBA data serves a larger benefit reaching beyond the Willistown area. The data will be shared with The North America Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI) which is a program designed to coordinate bird conservation efforts throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Deer Management Program Underway
The Trust’s ambitious deer management program is in its final stages of development. Understanding the impact of deer on humans and the natural processes in our program area is the necessary first step, and quantifying and monitoring the deer population and its effects over time will be critical to our ultimate success. In order to best assure the effectiveness of the program we are researching the various management methods appropriate for our area before implementing the action phase of the program which is scheduled to begin next fall. The most vital component of the program will be
promoting collaboration between landowners, hunters, government agencies, scientists, and the Trust staff. Because of the strong commonality of interest in restoring woodland habitat damaged by deer, many aspects of the Trust’s deer management program will be done in close partnership with our colleagues at Audubon PA.
Preserve Updates
Come explore. Ashbridge will be “hopping” this spring with young frogs and water-loving species.
Kirkwood Preserve. Plans are underway
to restore 20 acres of the Kirkwood Preserve to native grassland. The area chosen for restoration is located adjacent to a small wetland area near the intersection of Grubb Mill and Goshen Road. It is currently inundated with invasive plants including an extensive patch of stubborn Canada thistle. When the native grasses are established they will provide vital habitat for a variety of grassland bird and butterfly species and, hopefully, will serve as highly visible model for other landowners. Bring your binoculars out to Kirkwood this spring to see Eastern Meadowlarks and Bobolinks!
Ashbridge Preserve. We are currently researching plans for a bridge that will cross a wide section of the Ridley Creek at our Ashbridge Preserve to improve
Lisa Rubin, Associate Stewardship Manager, and Roger Latham, an ecologist and conservation biologist, at the recent dinner, “Our Native Grasslands.”
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visitor access to the trail systems. In addition, we will be undertaking a riparian tree planting and deer exclosure project in conjunction with the Stroud Water Research Center. This is an experimental project utilizing a new design to minimize deer damage in riparian areas.
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We need you!
Once or twice a year we hold work days at our preserves. Successful workdays involve volunteers of all ages. From four year old children to retired couples, from corporate leaders to students looking for community service, we embrace all who come out to help us take care of these special places. The common thread is the chance to get involved in the community and to help preserve our natural areas for generations to come. Join us in the fall for our next work day at Kirkwood Preserve. The goal of stewardship is to sustain the existing diversity of species and natural processes that shape a landscape, or to restore them where they have been removed or damaged. Just as the land is ever changing, stewardship is not static, but always evolving. We realize that to continue to further our mission, we need to strive to connect people with the land. Whether it is using best management practices in your own back yard or attending one of our work days, land stewardship benefits our community as a whole. If you haven’t done so already, please join us and get involved!
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The Sycamore
Land Stewardship Survey Respondents Rank Deer Management as Most Important - Other Initiatives Follow
The results from our sur-
vey have been tabulated, and readers resoundingly agree that deer management is the Trust’s most important land stewardship initiative. The survey was included in our Leaflet newsletter last fall, and 108 responses were received. Roger Dwyer
Deer management is the clear priority for most, with 94% of the respondents ranking it as either “extremely important” or “very important.” Bird habitat protection and invasive species management were the second and third highest priorities, but were ranked considerably below deer management with 72% and 67% of respondents saying they were either “extremely important” or “very important.”
T hir ty-nine of the survey respondents took the time to hand write some very thoughtful comments. Many of the comments underscored the impor tance of doing something about the deer problem and the interdependence between the initiatives.
The survey results are consistent with the direction that the Trust is taking and it is good to know that so many of us agree. We know we have some challenging work ahead of us. Check the Stewardship Report on pages 7 and 8 to find out what is happening with these initiatives.
Fall 2006 Survey Responses “Which of the Following Initiatives Are Most Important To You?” Percentage of Responses
Not Important
Slightly Important
Moderately Important
0%
0%
6%
16%
78%
Bird Habitat Protection
1%
6%
21%
34%
38%
Invasive Species Managment
1%
5%
27%
39%
28%
5-Mile Trail Loop Development
9%
15%
27%
28%
21%
11%
20%
31%
24%
14%
Children’s Education Programs 6%
19%
37%
28%
10%
Adult Education Programs
18%
48%
21%
8%
Deer Management
106 Responses
104 Responses 106 Responses
105 Responses
106 Responses
Community-Supported Agriculture 105 Responses 104 Responses
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5%
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Very Extremely Important Important
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The Sycamore
Activities and Events Join Us For a Bird Walk and Meet a Live Falcon!
Trust Sponsors Stream Clean-up
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Okehocking Preserve
Pitch in and have some fun at the 10th Annual Chester-Ridley-
Kirkwood Preserve
Join Art McMorris, PhD, Trust board member and expert
Crum Streams Clean-up, held throughout the Chester, Ridley and Crum watersheds on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Last year’s event involved over 400 residents in the removal of 40 tons of trash from thirty different sites. Join us at this year’s local stream cleanup site – Willistown Township’s Okehocking Preserve.
birder with the Audubon Society, along with botanists Janet Ebert and Jack Holt for a guided bird walk along Massey Run, a beautiful stretch of Crum Creek at Kirkwood Preserve. In early May we will see year-round resident bird species, migrants that are just passing through, and breeders that have just returned from the tropics and are defending their territories with abundant song. Following the walk, meet a live Peregrine Falcon! Get a bird’s eye view of rapture research and explore the Peregrine’s natural wonder. Fun for Kids!
The clean up team will meet at Okehocking Preserve’s Route 3 entrance and will focus on the riparian buffer restoration area along the main stem of the Ridley Creek. Volunteers are encouraged to bring pruning tools, shovels, and rakes.
• 7:00 a.m. Coffee and Danish • 7:30 a.m. Bird Walk • 9:30 a.m. Up Close with a Peregrine Falcon
All volunteers are invited to a “thank you” picnic afterwards at Rose Tree Park, Media and will receive the ever popular CRC Cleanup T-shirt. To volunteer at Okehocking Preserve, please contact township representative Mary McLoughlin at 610-640-1669 or mhm@willistown.pa.us.
Peregrine Falcon courtesy of Great Valley Nature Center. Waterproof boots, binoculars and field guides are recommended. Kirkwood Preserve is located on Grubbs Mill Road, ¼ mile north of Goshen Road, Willistown Township
These two activities are part of Creek Weeks, an event established by our friends at the Chester-Ridley-Crum Watersheds Association to raise awareness and encourage stewardship of these three local creeks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Preserving Family Lands
Day and Evening Presentations for Professionals and Landowners May 22, 2007
Come learn more about conservation
easements,an important legal instrument that can be used to preserve and protect important family lands, and the significant new tax incentives available to landowners who donate easements in 2007.
The daytime session will be geared toward financial and conservation professionals, and the evening session, including cocktails and dinner, will be designed particularly for landowners, their families and advisors.
On May 22, Stephen J. Small, one of the nation’s leading authorities on conservation easements, will conduct two informative sessions on easements and the newly expanded tax incentives.
This program is sponsored by Willistown Conservation Trust, Radnor Conservancy and Lower Merion Conservancy. If you would like to attend, contact Chris Thompson at 610-353-2562, ext. 21.
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Please Note:
The Countryside Bash will return, but not until June 2008! If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Betsy Block 610-353-2562 ext. 13 or bhb@wctrust.org
2007
The Sycamore
Activities and Events Pond Workshop
Summer Camp Program
Saturday, June 16, 2007
July 23 – August 3, 2007 Help Your Children Learn to Love the Land
9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m
For the first time in our history, the Trust is offering two
Rushton Farm Pond 975 Delchester Road, Newtown Square - Willistown Township
exciting weeks of nature camp for the summer of 2007. The programs will be held at both the Trust offices and the 83-acre Kirkwood Preserve, and will be taught by educators from Riverbend Environmental Education Center. The camp program is designed for five to eight year olds, and will be limited to twenty children per week. Each week will be full of hands-on nature exploration, hiking, games, arts and crafts, and fun educational activities. The response has been strong, so please give us a call soon if you know of any budding young naturalists who would like to sign up.
Willistown Conservation Trust and Chester-Ridley-Crum
Watersheds Association have partnered together to offer a pond workshop led by Dr. Winfield Fairchild, Professor of Biology at West Chester University. The workshop will feature a presentation, followed by an on-site analysis of Rushton Farm Pond. The workshop will be a great introduction for landowners interested in the ecology and management of small ponds. Free Admission. To register, please contact Lisa Rubin at 610-353-2562 ext. 25 or lkr@wctrust.org
“Golf and Good Nature” to Benefit the Trust Mary Hunt Davis
The 5th Annual “Golf and
Monday, September 24, 2007
Good Nature” outing promises to be the best event yet. This year’s outing will be held on Monday, September 24 at Waynesbrough Country Club. Registration at 10:30 a.m. is followed by barbeque lunch and a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. After a day on the course, there will be a putting contest, cocktails, dinner, a silent auction and prizes.
Kempf Supply Co., Inc., Morgan Stanley; Oliver Sprinkler Co., Inc.,The Simkiss Companies, TL Ventures, and Al & Loralee West. Many Thanks!
“Golf and Good Nature” is a major source of revenue for the Trust. Since its inception in 2002, the outings Diane Campbell (2007 co-chair), Donna Oliver (2006 have collectively raised co-chair), Donna Beers (2007 co-chair) and over $125,000 for the Edie Gitlin show off their prize at the 2006 outing. Trust’s ongoing Once again this year, we have a committee comprised of land protection and land stewardship efforts. many dedicated volunteers, ably led by co-chairs Donna Beers and Diane Campbell, who are working hard to or- If you are interested in participating in ganize a memorable day of golf. Sponsors to date include the 2007 “Golf and Good Nature” Barnard Mezzanotte Pinnie & Seelaus, Brushwood Stable, outing, contact Trisha Lambert Walter J. Cook Jeweler, Creative Financial Group, Donatucci at 610-353-2562 ext. 12 Kitchens of Philadelphia, JetDirect Aviation, George F. or tld@wctrust.org.
Please Visit Our New Web Site!
We have recently redesigned www.wctrust.org to make it easier to learn about the work of the Willistown Conservation Trust. It will always be a work in progress, so please take a look and send us your suggestions. Spring
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Activities and Events (Continued) Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance Benefits The Trust September 7th, 8th and 9th, 2007 beautiful country home for a delightful picnic lunch. Saturday evening sparkles with an elegant black tie gala dinner, and Sunday the show begins! The 100 Cars of Radnor Hunt is presented, highlighting carefully selected classic and vintage automobiles and motorcycles. For the eighth consecutive year, the Willistown Conservation Trust is fortunate to be named as a beneficiary of this world class automobile event. We are grateful to the Concours d’Elegance Committee for their continuing generosity and support of our mission. Save the date and we’ll see you at the event — you will be greeted by Trust volunteers at registration!
The 11th Annual Concours d’Elegance, a nation-
ally-recognized motor car event at Radnor Hunt, will feature Pierce-Arrow, Classic Coupes, the cars of the Mille Miglia, and Velocette Motorcycles. The weekend event begins Friday evening with a welcome barbecue on the back porch of Radnor Hunt. Saturday morning starts off with an inviting road rally through the majestic countryside of Willistown and Chester County, finishing at a
For more information about the Concours d’Elegance or to purchase tickets for the weekend’s events, please visit their website at www.radnorconcours.org. Telephone inquiries should be made to 610-353-3536.
Environmental Stewardship Festival Saving the Earth Starts at Home September 15, 2007
Willistown Friends Meeting will host its Third Annual
including Willistown Conservation Trust. In addition to formal presentations, the Friends will have nature walks on their 42 acre property, including a planted 15 acre warm season native grass meadow. Other fun activities include pumpkin painting, bird and bat box construction, music and a display of nature-inspired art. The first 50 families to arrive at the Environmental Stewardship Festival will receive a free tree sapling!
Environmental Stewardship Festival on Saturday, September 15, 2007, from 11:00 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event promotes practical actions which individuals can take in their daily lives to protect and restore the environment, with the theme “Saving the Earth Starts at Home.” The family-friendly day of activities include talks on topics such as practical land stewardship and alternative energy sources. Last year’s event attracted 300 to 400 attendees and participants from 33 local environmental organizations, Spring
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For event information, please contact Susan Cooker at 610-644-9084 or Derek Stedman at dcsahs@verizon.net
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Trustee and Staff News TRUSTEE NEWS
the African Wildlife Foundation, the Academy of Natural SciIn January 2007 we welcomed two new members to our Board ences, and the Nature Conservancy’s Pennsylvania Chapter. of Trustees, and welcomed one returning member. Each brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will help us move the STAFF NEWS Trust’s mission forward. After seven years of dedicated service as Director of Land Beth Hucker brings extensive Protection and Stewardship, Alex Van Alen has left the administrative and development expe- Trust to pursue other conservation related opportunities. rience to the Trust. She is President of From drafting and monitoring conservation easements and Superior Family Office, Inc. and is the reviewing building plans to helping landowners with good former Chief Financial Officer of the land management practices, Al’s contribution to the Trust and Ware Family Office. Beth is Chair of to the Willistown community is immeasurable. We wish him the Board of Trustees of The Shipley well in his new pursuits. After Alex’s departure, a rigorous search began for a new Director of Stewardship. Several extremely well-qualified candidates emerged, and at the time of this printing we are narrowing down a field of very talented applicants.
School and treasurer of The Radnor Hunt. She is also a Director of the Friends of Sunset Hill, a newly-formed organization helping The Nature Conservancy raise $10 million to permanently protect 88,000 acres in the Blackfoot River Valley in Montana. A graduate of The Shipley School and Princeton University, Beth and her husband David reside in Berwyn.
Elizabeth Stokes joins us on a part-time basis as Development Assistant. Elizabeth’s initial focus will be assisting with our application Mark Ledger and his wife, for accreditation with the Land Trust Ann, moved with their family to Alliance. Elizabeth is a graduate of Barr Road in Willistown in 1994. Westtown School and Brown University Mark is the co-founder of a Phila- and has a strong interest in visual arts, delphia-based real estate investment open space and farmland preservation. firm and, now retired, devotes his Interns time and talents to a number of Jarrett Gansky is a graduating senior at The Shipley non-profits in the areas of urban School, and will be completing a three week community homelessness, inner-city micro service project in May by helping out at the Trust. Jarrett finance, environmental protection will be rotating throughout the organization assisting with and sustainability. He is an avid outdoorsman and flyfisherman, a variety of projects, from filing in the office to pulling and serves on the board of the Corporation for the Northern invasive weeds at the Kirkwood Preserve. Jarrett enjoys Rockies. At the Trust, Mark is on our Environmental Committennis, deep sea fishing and target shooting and plans to study tee and is a member of the Core Advisory Group established business in college this fall. to consider a Community Farm Program initiative. Maddie Stolper, a senior at Conestoga High School, Doug Walker rejoins the Board of Trustees after a brief will be volunteering at the Trust during the month of hiatus. Doug is a General Partner of Brown Brothers Harriman May as part of her graduation project. Maddie spent last Company, responsible for its commercial banking, investment summer volunteering for the Squam Lakes Association in New advisory and corporate finance in Philadelphia. He lives on Hampshire. She assisted in managing and monitoring invasive an easement-protected farm on Delchester Road, and a camel milfoil, a nuisance aquatic plant that grows up to 22 feet tall in ranch in the Laikipia district of Kenya. Doug serves on the infested lakes. Maddie will continue to expand her knowledge boards of the Brandywine Conservancy, Natural Lands Trust of environmental issues when she attends the University of and the Smithsonian National Board and has been a trustee of Pennsylvania in September. Spring
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Testimony of a Landowner We are Part of Something Unique and Special
David Campli
by Tim Rubin
George and Katerina Rubin enjoy the Willistown countryside along with Oscar the pony, who lives at Thorncroft.
Although I didn’t know it at the time, my personal connection
invested in a beautiful parcel of land located directly across the street from the Hunt. Just a few years later I met Lisa, my wife to be at Lafayette College. When I later learned that she was a diehard Flyers fan and resided in Wallingford, Pa. the relationship was cemented! With my parents in Willistown and my in-laws just twenty minutes south, Lisa and I set our sites on Hunt Country to raise a family.
with the Trust’s mission began nearly twenty five years ago. I was in my teens and I was about as familiar with the idea of conservation easements and deed restrictions as I was with advanced quantum physics! All I knew at the time was when my brother Dan and I used to make the ‘drive to the country’ on weekends to watch my sister Kelly ride at Thorncroft, I would look forward to getting far enough down Goshen Road to see the land open up.
We spent nearly ten years at Runnymeade Farms, during which time we set our roots down in the area and started our family with the arrival of George and then Katerina. It was around this time that Lisa and I had our first involvement with the Trust, when we participated in the Open Connection’s transaction. We became the proud owners of an eight acre parcel of land on Delchester Road, part of the spectacular hundred acre, former Hare estate, with ponds, creeks and woodlands all insulated by Ridley Creek State Park. I used to spend hours on weekends just hiking with Georgie or getting helpful landscaping tips from Warren Graham, who lived on the neighboring parcel of land.
Spending most of my life either in the city or just outside it, I would always be enamored by the beautiful vistas, big skies and pastoral scenes of Hunt Country. To me, gazing at the open space was hypnotizing, like looking out at an ocean of green rolling waves. It felt as if I was so far from everything, almost like being on vacation for a few hours. Amazingly, decades later, I still get that same feeling as I drive home from the city. I know when I reach Providence Road just past West Chester Pike, where the land opens up into rolling hillsides; I have made it to the southernmost gateway to ‘Trust country’!
I never really imagined that I would actually live minutes from I used to tell friends, when they would come to walk the Radnor Hunt. That chain of events was set in place approxi- property, there will only ever be four homes on all of this land. mately twenty years ago when my parents, George and Lorraine Continued on page 15 Spring
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The Sycamore Once again, we worked with Bonnie and the folks at the Trust to execute yet another conservation easement! Once again, it was a pleasure to work with everyone at the Trust to this end. Once again, we ended up with a spectacular piece of land that is part of the growing green patchwork of open space that is a direct result of the Trust’s hard work and dedication. Those of us that reside within these loosely delineated boundaries of the Trust’s footprint find ourselves truly blessed. As the world around us continues to be developed at an accelerating pace, Before Lisa and I even had a chance to complete drawings for we are part of something unique and special, a place where our Delchester Road ‘dream house’ the stars aligned and we people and animals can enjoy the natural beauty of the land; purchased our current home on Providence Road. As much an experiment gone right. as we loved our Delchester property, this opportunity just felt right; a beautiful stone house, a little barn, a pool and There are very few times in life that you ‘get your cake and eat most importantly the fact that our good friend Sallie Dixon it too’, as they say! The fact that our family could participate was born here! We couldn’t pass this one up. Interestingly, the in some small way to this larger preservation effort is personthing that truly tipped the scales in our favor with Joyce Lewis, ally rewarding. The fact that as part of that contribution our the former owner, was our promise to preserve this beautiful family and families in the future can enjoy this land in all its beauty is an added bonus. parcel of land forever. Most of them, like me, were from the city or its immediate outskirts and they were not familiar with conservation easements. They did however love the idea of preserving the open space in perpetuity. It was an amazing concept and they would pepper me with all kinds of questions about how it worked. They quickly figured out that in addition to the huge tax incentive it was also a great way to create or enhance the value of land over time by keeping it open.
Letter from a Former Neighbor One day last summer the following letter arrived with a check in the Trust’s mailbox. I had decided that the kids needed to run around just a bit more, and honestly, it was such a beautiful day. I was the one who really wanted to stay outside. But where to take them? I did not want to go to a playground. I wanted to take them someplace natural, like I remembered from my own childhood. I don’t get back to Chester County very often, and when I grew up there, I had free range, so to speak, of just about anywhere I wanted to go — on foot, on my pony. I traveled through fields and woods and creeks. But that was then. Could I sneak the kids through the field to the sheep hole? I would take a chance. I can’t explain the happiness I felt. I drove quickly, accelerating over the tops of the hills so the kids would feel the butterflies in their stomachs. A right on to Garrett Mill Road and then I would park. I had it figured out. We would sneak across the field, as I always had, and climb through the fence and be safe among the rocks and the trees along the creek. And yet, here was a parking area and a sign, indicating that the property was now preserved in perpetuity. Not only did I not have to sneak to the sheep hole, but I could come back. Again and again. And my daughter would be able to come with her children, and so on and so on. The sense of place that I had known from my own childhood would remain natural and undeveloped.
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Kate Hastings Patton Berlin, Maryland
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Acknowledgements
The Board of Trustees and staff of the Willistown Conservation Trust extend a warm and gracious thank
you to those individuals, families, businesses and foundations who support our work. Land is precious and the window of opportunity for its preservation is brief. Thank you for partnering with the Trust as we move forward with our urgent charge to preserve the countryside. The following contributors have generously supported the conservation effort from January 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007. Thank you! Campaign for the Countryside We are deeply grateful to the following individuals who made pledges and gifts to the Campaign for the Countryside. Tucker C. Gresh Otto Haas Charitable Trust #2 Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust A Mr. and Mrs. Peter O. Hausmann Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey P. Heft Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Helm Mr. and Mrs. W. Anthony Hitschler Mr. and Mrs. William T. Howard Mr. and Mrs. J. David Hucker Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Keith, Jr. George and Lois Krall Mark and Ann Ledger Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Leisenring Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Leisenring, Jr. The Emmeline McIlvain Family
The McLean Foundation Drs. F. Arthur and Johanna Balcerak McMorris Peter and Valerie McNeely Mr. and Mrs. Robert John Marsh, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Moller Mrs. J. Maxwell Moran Mr. and Mrs. Peter C. Morse Mr. and Mrs. Britton H. Murdoch The E. Murdoch Family Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Newbold IV Tara and George Off Donna and Bill Oliver The Philadelphia Foundation/ Darling Fund
Mary Hunt Davis
Anonymous (4) Carol Ann Atterbury in memory of Anson Taylor and Jocelyn Howe Mr. and Mrs. Timothy B. Barnard Mr. and Mrs. Clyde D. Beers Caroline and Olin Belsinger Mrs. Sigrid Berwind Mr. and Mrs. Douglas S. Briggs Frank and Terry Buzan Mrs. Lilian S. L. Chance Mr. and Mrs. W. Morgan Churchman Mr. and Mrs. Tristram C. Colket, Jr. Mrs. Walter J. Cowan, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Alan Crawford, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James M. Davidson Dr. and Mrs. Sanford H. Davne Carol and J.R. Delich Mr. and Mrs. Francis L. Doyle III Dick and Nancy Eales Eric and Susan Eichler Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gansky Brook Gardner and Jodi Spragins Mr. and Mrs. James E. Gerry Lori and Gary Gorton Steven C. Graham Family Charitable Fund Leslie Green and Ethel Ziselman
A few of the “kindred spirits” who share the Trust’s vision for the future of the countryside: Doug Walker, Ruth and Tris Colket, Betty Moran, Bonnie Van Alen and Peter Strawbridge.
Mr. and Mrs. Seymour S. Preston III Lisa and Tim Rubin in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Richard I. Rubin Mr. and Mrs. George F. Rubin Tim and Kristin Schaeffer Deacon and Sheila Shorr Lang and Marilyn Smith Mr. H. Peter Somers in memory of Claudia Somers Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Sordoni Julie and Robert Spahr Michael and Jane Stolper Mr. and Mrs. Peter S. Strawbridge Mrs. George Strawbridge Mr. and Mrs. Anson W. H. Taylor, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Thompson III Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Thompson Mr. and Mrs. James L. Van Alen II Mrs. William L. Van Alen, Sr. Mr. Douglas C. Walker Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Wall Mr. and Mrs. William G. Warden III The Honorable and Mrs. Thomas D. Watkins Mr. and Mrs. Alfred P. West, Jr. Peter C. Williams, Laura O. Williams and Anne P. Williams Penelope P. Wilson
ANNUAL GIVING Gifts to the 2006 Annual Fund totaled $281,074 and provided 37% of our operating budget. Many heartfelt thanks to each and every supporter of our Annual Fund ~ you are the lifeblood of the Trust. The Sycamore Society The Sycamore Society was established in 2005 to recognize the most generous donors to our Annual Fund. 121 supporters joined the ranks in 2006 by making gifts of $1,000 or more. Platinum Sycamores ($10,000 or more)
Anonymous (2) Mrs. Sigrid Berwind Mrs. W. Perry Gresh Mr. and Mrs. W. Anthony Hitschler Mrs. J. Maxwell Moran Mr. Douglas C. Walker
Gold Sycamores
($5,000 to $9,999)
Elizabeth G. Atterbury GBH Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Dale D. Goodman
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Beverly S. Hattersley Mr. and Mrs. Peter O. Hausmann Kent-Lucas Foundation, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Mark Lynch Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Moller Mr. and Mrs. James M. Moran, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Stolper Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Thompson Mr. and Mrs. Ralph H. Thurman
Mr. and Mrs. Gary A. Cox Mr. Brook Gardner and Ms. Jodi Spragins John and Chara Haas Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust B Margot and Bob Keith Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Leisenring Jean and Tim Lewis Mr. and Mrs. Robert McClements, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Newbold IV Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Red Lang and Marilyn Smith Mr. Stephen Sordoni Mr. and Mrs. Rodman E. Thompson, Jr.
Silver Sycamores
($2,500 to $4,999)
Mr. and Mrs. Warren I. Claytor Mr. and Mrs. Bryan D. Colket
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Mr. and Mrs. James L. Van Alen II Mrs. William L. Van Alen, Sr.
Sycamores
($1,000 to $2,499)
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy B. Barnard Mr. Donald W. Barshinger and Ms. Linda M. Gordon Mrs. Robert L. Bartholomew Mr. and Mrs. Henry S. Belber II Caroline and Olin Belsinger Mr. Roger A. Bennett and Dr. Stephanie B. Bennett Mr. and Mrs. Frederick L. Bissinger, Jr.
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The Sycamore
Acknowledgements (Continued)
Betsy and Luke Block Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Borgh, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Edward E. Brennan Ms. Mary Ann Butcher Frank and Terry Buzan Diane and Greg Campbell Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Campbell, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. George Cauffman III Mr. and Mrs. Tristram C. Colket, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Alan Crawford, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Craig W. Cullen, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. James M. Davidson Mr. and Mrs. Emery W. Davis Mr. and Mrs. Harold M. Davis Dr. and Mrs. Sanford H. Davne Carol and J.R. Delich Dr. Ronald E. DiSimone and Dr. Patricia Ann Torna Mr. and Mrs. Michael E. Drummond Dick and Nancy Eales Mr. and Mrs. Patrick C. Egan Mr. and Mrs. Eric Y. Eichler Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Ewing Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth C. Ferber
Sally and Tom Fernley Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gansky Ms. Carol Y. Gerry The Hamilton Family Foundation Mr. John G. Harkins, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel G. Hartshorn Mr. and Mrs. Philip J. Harvey Mr. and Mrs. Thomas B. Helm Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Hofmann Mr. and Mrs. Gary M. Holloway Mr. and Mrs. J. David Hucker Mr. and Mrs. Harry J. Hurley III Mr. and Mrs. James W. Hutchin Dr. and Mrs. Henry A. Jordan Mr. and Mrs. Jerome R. Keough Dick and Nancy Klavans The Larson Family Charitable Fund Mr. and Mrs. William D. Lenker Mrs. Lawrence E. MacElree Mr. and Mrs. Thompson A. Maher Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Marsh, Sr. John and Melissa McGlinn Mr. and Mrs. John B. McGowan, Jr. Dr. F. Arthur McMorris and Dr. Joanna Balcarek McMorris
Mr. and Mrs. Peter J. McNeely Mrs. Henry H. Meigs John Milner Architects, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. John D. Milner Mrs. Margaret R. Nagy Naturescapes Tara and George Off Donna and Bill Oliver Mr. and Mrs. Tak Papariello Mr. and Mrs. William J. Petrauskas Mr. and Mrs. Seymour S. Preston III Mr. and Mrs. David W. Rawson Mr. John H. Richards III and The Reverend Susan M. Richards Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Scanlon, Jr. Mrs. Anne Faulkner Schoemaker Mr. Charles F. Seabrook II Mr. and Mrs. Donald R. Sheehy Deacon and Sheila Shorr Mr. and Mrs. John A. Simkiss, Jr. Jim and Ellen Simmons Julie and Robert Spahr Mrs. Tatnall Starr Mr. H. Edward M. Stick
Mrs. George Strawbridge Mr. and Mrs. Peter S. Strawbridge Mr. and Mrs. Joseph C. Swift Dr. and Mrs. Robert B. Taggart Mrs. Anson W. H. Taylor, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Anson W. H. Taylor III Mr. and Mrs. Christopher A. Thompson Mr. and Mrs. Cary W. Toner Mr. and Mrs. James Unger Mr. Hans P. Utsch Mr. and Mrs. Alexander S. Van Alen Mr. James L. Van Alen, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Chase Warden Mr. and Mrs. William G. Warden III The Honorable Thomas D. Watkins and Mrs. Thomas D. Watkins The Robert G. Wilder Foundation Mrs. Ethel Benson Wister Ms. Sabina Wister Mr. and Mrs. Paul H. Woodruff Ms. Sherley Young Alejandro and Janine Zozaya
Conservationists
Mr. and Mrs. Frederic R. Jackson Dr. and Mrs. Marshall L. Jacobs Mr. and Mrs. William H. Niblock, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Franco M. Nichini Mr. and Mrs. Anthony A. Nichols, Sr. Mr. and Mrs. C. Warren Ormerod Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Parrish Dr. and Mrs. Isaac S. Pike III Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Stopford Mr. and Mrs. Steven L. Strawbridge Mr. and Mrs. Stuart A. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. James Tornetta Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Van Alen Mr. George A. Weymouth Mr. and Mrs. Peter H. Zimmerman
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar E. Andrews III Ardrossan Beagles, Inc. Ms. Hazel E. Arnold Mr. P. Theodore Babiy and Ms. Anne Marie Quinn Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey E. Baena Mr. and Mrs. Norman A. Baglini Mr. and Mrs. R. Gregory Barton Dr. and Mrs. Dennis Berman Dr. and Mrs. Michael P. Bibbo Ms. Barbara L. Bird Dr. Eric J. Bloom and Dr. Barbara Browne Bloom Mr. and Mrs. David M. Boucher Mr. and Mrs. G. Nagle Bridwell Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence M. Brotzge Mr. and Mrs. George A. Buckland Mr. and Mrs. James T. Carson Mr. and Mrs. Robert Chagares Mr. and Mrs. Joseph L. Costello Mr. and Mrs. Alan Crawford III Mr. and Mrs. Douglas K. Davis
Mrs. Ruthellen Pyle Davis Daylesford Abbey Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. DiLoreto Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Dougherty Ms. Madaleen J. Ellis Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Erdman Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Fastuca Mr. and Mrs. Corey Field Mr. and Mrs. Stephen E. Flynn II Mr. and Mrs. John W. Frazier IV Dr. Robert M. Friedman and Ms. Deborah K. Oswald Dr. and Mrs. Brent S. Gartner Genuardi’s Family Markets Ms. Marjorie T. Goulding Mr. and Mrs. Charles B. Grace, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John M. Groff Mrs. K. Deane Groves Mr. and Mrs. M. John Ham Mr. and Mrs. J. Marshall Hamilton Andrea Hanaway, MD Mr. and Mrs. David Harshaw III
($500 to $999)
Mr. and Mrs. L. Clark Blynn Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Cooker Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Davis Dr. James DeMarco and Ms. Wendy Garthwaite-DeMarco Mr. and Mrs. Robert V. Duprey Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Griffin III Mr. and Mrs. William J. Grim Mr. and Mrs. Henry C. Gulbrandsen, Jr. Anne and Matt Hamilton Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert S. Hanse Mr. and Mrs. Atwater Kent III Ms. Victoria B. Mars and Mr. David R. Spina Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas J. Mecca Mr. and Mrs. John J. Nesbitt III Mr. and Mrs. Peter D. Quinn Mr. and Mrs. Charles G. Roach, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Timothy R. Rubin Mr. and Mrs. Nathan G. Schwartz Mr. and Mrs. Frederick T. Seving III Mrs. Anne F. Thorington Mr. and Mrs. Donald W. Weaver Mr. Joseph C. Zoll, Jr. and Dr. Kathy S. Zoll
Protectors ($100 to $249)
Anonymous (2) Ms. Ruth E. Abbott Mr. and Mrs. Christopher R. Aceto Mr. Jonathan C. Alderson and Ms. Ann Hausmann
Ellen Mary Meigs 1925-2006
Stewards ($250 to $499)
On December 15, 2006 the Trust lost a loyal friend, Ellen Mary Meigs. Ellen Mary was a long time supporter of the Trust and was driven by a deep sense of stewardship for the land. After she inherited Crumdale Farm at Grubbs Mill and White Horse Roads, Ellen Mary and her husband Henry donated additional conservation easements on the land, expanding the protection of the farm by preserving the farm’s extensive trails and further limiting the number of allowable residential structures. Here Ellen Mary is seen with a grand old tree located on her property adjacent to Kirkwood Preserve, one of the largest red oaks in Pennsylvania.
Mr. and Mrs. E. Page Allinson Dr. and Mrs. Steven W. Breecker Mr. and Mrs. W. Thatcher Brown Jim and Stephanie Buysse Mr. and Mrs. D. Hughes Cauffman Mrs. Lilian S. L. Chance Mr. Richard A. Check and Ms. Christine M. Karnes Mr. and Mrs. James A. D’Antonio Ms. Joanne R. Denworth Dr. and Mrs. Thomas A. Diliberto Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm E. Flint Dr. and Mrs. Thomas G. Frazier Mr. and Mrs. James E. Gowen II
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Acknowledgements (Continued) Mrs. Joseph C. Hastings Mr. Frank E. Hurley Mr. and Mrs. L. Stockton Illoway Mr. and Mrs. Francis B. Jacobs II Mr. and Mrs. David C. Jelinek Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Jones Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Kenworthy III Mr. Maurice G. Koningstein and Ms. Anne Satterthwaite Mr. and Mrs. Ronald T. Kuehn Mrs. Joan Coxe Lange Mr. and Mrs. W. Mifflin Large, Jr. Dr. George L. Lasota and Dr. Jeanne A. Hanache Mr. and Mrs. David P. Lavins Dr. and Mrs. N. Blair LeRoy Mrs. Joyce C. Lewis Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Lownes, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas S. Ludington Mr. Stephen A. Macaleer Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Mailey Mrs. Paul Maloney Malvern Realty Group Mr. Ralph W. Marsh Mr. and Mrs. James E. McErlane Mr. and Mrs. John Day Mohr Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Moser, Jr. Anne and Gary Murphy Mr. and Mrs. Christopher M. O’Shea Ms. Barbara Paca, Ph.D. Ms. Edith G. Parnum Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Peck Mr. George R. Peel Mr. and Mrs. Ronald D. J. Ploeg Ms. Margaret A. Reese Debbie Reeser Mr. and Mrs. H. Clifford Reves Mr. Richard L. Saltz and Dr. Patricia M. Saltz Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Schlosberg Mrs. Dorothy F. Sellers Drs. Joseph and Suzanne Seltzer Ms. Sarah B. Stokes Mr. and Mrs. David Strange Mrs. Elizabeth B. Stull The Taylor Made Group, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Tegler Mr. David B. Thayer Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Thayer, Jr. Mr. Frank L. Tobin and Ms. Ilene M. Chester Mr. and Mrs. RobertToland, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Jack T. Tomarchio Mr. and Mrs. Dale Vandegrift Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey S. Vincent Mr. and Mrs. Theodore M. Volz Mr. and Mrs. Peter F. Waitneight Dr. and Mrs. Michael J. A. Ward Mrs. Louis C. Washburn Mr. and Mrs. William Y. Webb Lisa M. Whitcomb and John H. Krick Mrs. Marjorie H. Willits Mr. and Mrs. David R. Wilmerding, Jr. Mr. William S. Wood II Mr. and Mrs. Minturn T. Wright III Dr. Richard M. Yelovich and Dr. Maureen L. Yelovich Mr. and Mrs. George O. Zimmermann
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Anson Taylor Fund for the Countryside
Friends (up to $100)
Anonymous Mr. Timothy M. Beadle Mr. Peter A. Bergson Mr. and Mrs. William Bowman Mr. and Mrs. Scott Boyance Mr. and Mrs. William T. Burns Mr. and Mrs. Mark F. Capozzoli Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Cobb Mrs. Wiley F. Corl III Mr. James Crane Mr. and Mrs. John S. Custer, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Daly IV Dr. and Mrs. Francis X. DeLone, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. W. Kerk Farrell Mr. and Mrs. Thomas F. Foerster Ms. Pamela Gougeon Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence J. Graff Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Howard Mr. and Mrs. Lester T. Hundt, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Clay Johnson, Jr. Mr. Arthur E. Jones, Jr. Ms. Gabriella Kecskes Mr. Wm. M. Keyser Mr. and Mrs. Gennaro J. Maffia Mr. and Mrs. Edward F. McCarthy Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. McHugh Ms. Ellen F. Millick Mr. and Mrs. Michael V. Morgan Mr. and Mrs. George A. Mossman III Mr. and Mrs. Robert T. Murphy Mr. and Mrs. James R. Nolan Ms. Catherine Patton Mr. and Mrs. J. Permar Richards III Mr. and Mrs. Norman Rubin Dr. Robert A. Ruggiero, Jr. and Dr. Mary C. Penrod Ruggiero Dr. and Mrs. Keith L. Sharkan Mr. and Mrs. Ted Stokes Mr. and Mrs. Eric Swanson Mr. and Mrs. Philip C. Taylor Mr. and Mrs. Aaron R. Thurlow Mr. and Mrs. Howard D. Venzie, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Steven E. Welch Mrs. J. Peter Williams III Mrs. Lindley M. Winston Mr. and Mrs. James E. Wolfington
On March 31, 2006 Anson W. H. Taylor, Jr., a devoted trustee and close friend of the Trust, passed away suddenly following an afternoon ride in the countryside. To honor Anson’s memory, the Willistown Conservation Trust established the Anson Taylor Fund for the Countryside. Income from the Taylor Fund will be used to further the Trust’s mission to protect and steward the Willistown countryside. Anonymous Ms. Carol Ann Atterbury Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Baker III Ms. Barbara Y. Benner Mr. and Mrs. Frederick L. Bissinger, Jr. Ms. Marlene Blaskevitch Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence S. Block Mr. John C. Bogle Mr. and Mrs. Andrew P. Boulden Mr. and Mrs. William Bowman Mr. and Mrs. Melvin C. Boyd Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence R. Brown, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William M. Bungeroth Ms. Mary Ann Butcher Mr. Charles A. Chapin Chester County Visitors Bureau Ms. Lee McIlvaine Churchman and Mr. Simon Manonian Mr. Sydney P. Clark, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Warren I. Claytor Ms. Midori N. Cleaver Mr. and Mrs. David W. Conver Ms. Amy Coral Mr. and Mrs. Woodward W. Corkran, Jr. Mrs. Wiley F. Corl III Ms. Diane. V. DiFulvio Mr. and Mrs. Saunders Dixon Mr. and Mrs. James H. Duff Mr. and Mrs. Robert V. Duprey Mr. and Mrs. John Eichman IV Mr. Henry R. C. Elser Mr. and Mrs. Corey Field Ms. Lilli C. Filichia Frost and Reed Limited Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gansky Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Gilpin, Jr. Mrs. Joannah Hall Glass Lori and Gary Gorton Grape Expectations Mrs. W. Perry Gresh Anne and Matt Hamilton Hana Restaurant Mr. John G. Harkins, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel G. Hartshorn The Haverford Trust Company Mr. and Mrs. George G. Hawke Mr. and Mrs. David W. Herr Ms. Caroline Hicks Mrs. Robert A. Hicks Mr. and Mrs. W. Anthony Hitschler Mr. and Mrs. Clifford J. Holgren Mr. and Mrs. A. Dunham Hollister, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. William T. Howard Mr. and Mrs. John B. Huffaker The Hundt Family
Matching Gifts
GlaxoSmithKline Plc. W.W. Grainger, Inc. Lyondell Chemical Company Microsoft Corporation Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation The Vanguard Group Foundation
Memorial Gifts
In Memory of Jocelyn G. Howe
Ms. Priscilla C. Harper Mr. and Mrs. David L. Pollack Mr. and Mrs. David S. J. Smith
In Memory of Edgar Andrews II Mr. and Mrs. David V. Prevost
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C o n s e rvat i o n T ru s t 18
Mr. and Mrs. Lester T. Hundt, Jr. Mrs. Phelps S. Hunter Mr. and Mrs. G. James Jarratt III Mr. David S. Kelso Mr. Wm. M. Keyser Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Kilgore Kohli and Associates, Inc. Mr. and Mrs. Ronald T. Kuehn Mr. and Mrs. W. Mifflin Large, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Latyak Mr. and Mrs. Martin Levin Mr. and Mrs. Earl Sams Lightner Mr. James K. Ligon Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Lo Mr. and Mrs. Norman S. MacQueen III Mr. and Mrs. Gifford D. Malone Ms. Jacqueline Badger Mars Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mason Ms. Deborah A. Mathes Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Matje Mrs. Gwynne G. McDevitt Mr. and Mrs. John B. McGowan, Jr. Ms. Deborah S. McKechnie Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. McLoughlin Mr. and Mrs. Collin F. McNeil Mrs. Henry H. Meigs Mrs. E. Townsend Moore Mrs. Margaret R. Nagy Mr. and Mrs. Arthur E. Newbold IV Mr. and Mrs. Adrian G. Nussdorfer Mrs. David Dallas Odell Donna and Bill Oliver Mr. and Mrs. C. Warren Ormerod Mr. Kevin Pantry Pepper Hamilton LLP Peter Lumber Company Mr. and Mrs. Allyn Plambeck Radnor Card Sharks Ms. Tammy M. Razzano Dr. and Mrs. Donald E. Red Ms. Margaret A. Reese Mr. and Mrs. William E. Reimer Mr. and Mrs. Laurent J. Remillard Mr. and Mrs. Mark L. Richards Mr. and Mrs. Harry G. Rieger, Jr. Ms. Patricia Saia Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Schwab Mr. and Mrs. Donald A. Scott Mr. Joseph J. Serritella Seven Eighths LLC Mr. Walter Shapero Mr. and Mrs. John W. Sheble Mr. and Mrs. Mitch Shiles Ms. Patricia Slawecki Lang and Marilyn Smith Mr. William T. Spane Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey M. Stopford Ms. Kathleen N. Straus Mrs. George Strawbridge Mr. and Mrs. Peter S. Strawbridge Mr. Henderson Supplee III Mr. and Mrs. Richard H. Thompson Mr. and Mrs. James L. Van Alen II Ms. Elena D. Vandervoort Mr. and Mrs. J. Ricky Vansant Ms. Carol A. Verhake Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Verhoog Mr. and Mrs. Peter F. Waitneight Mr. and Mrs. Michael A. Wall Dr. and Mrs. Michael J. A. Ward
2007
The Sycamore
Acknowledgements (Continued) Waynesborough Country Club Ms. Gretchen F. Wetterau Mr. and Mrs. Christopher B. White Mr. and Mrs. Brooke N. Williams Mrs. Wallace C. Winter Mr. and Mrs. William J. Young
Easement Endowment The Easement Endowment is funded by landowners who place easements on their properties and provides funds for the maintenance and defense of such easements in perpetuity. Greater Chester Valley Soccer Association Mr. and Mrs. James W. Hutchin Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Roskamp Mr. and Mrs. George F. Rubin Mr. and Mrs. Timothy R. Rubin Mr. and Mrs. Rodman E. Thompson, Jr.
Grants for Program The following grants were designated for the “Upper Ridley/Crum Important Bird Area Model Conservation and Restoration Initiative”: Germeshausen Foundation The William Penn Foundation
Special thanks to the Broadacres
Trouting Association for its support of riparian restoration projects along the Crum Creek at Kirkwood Preserve. Two gifts were made in memory of Charles R. Meyers and Ellen Mary Meigs
Preserve Endowment The Preserve Endowment provides funds for the ongoing management and maintenance of Willistown Conservation Trust preserves, including Ashbridge Preserve, Kirkwood Preserve and the Okehocking Barn.
The Moorwood Fund designated for Kirkwood Preserve
Margaret Reese Tim and Lisa Rubin Dorothy Sellers Lang and Marilyn Smith Ted and Kitty Stokes Peter and Liz Strawbridge Betsy Stull Jim and Bonnie Van Alen Willisbrook Farm Peppi Wister Yellow Springs Farm
JetDirect Aviation George F. Kempf Supply Co., Inc. The McKee Group Oliver Sprinkler Co., Inc. PREIT, Inc. Charley & Peggy Roach Charities UMAC, Incorporated
Beneficiary Income We are fortunate to have been chosen as a beneficiary of the following events in 2006:
Radnor Hunt Concours d’Elegance Radnor Hunt Pony Club Paper Chase
Meadowlark Goods and Services Sponsors Brandywine Signs, Inc. Walter J. Cook Jeweler Fox Leap Vineyards MetLife Donna and Bill Oliver
Golf and Good Nature The 2006 “Golf and Good Nature” outing, held at Waynesborough Country Club on September 25, netted over $47,000 for the work of the Trust.
Special thanks to
Catherine Smith of Redbud Native Plant Nursery for providing the evening’s “woodland” and to Frank Herz of Ashbridge Landscape and Design Management for bringing it to us!
Auction Donors
Walter J. Cook Jeweler Lunar Eclipse Design Donna and Bill Oliver Lorraine and George Rubin Stonewall Golf Club Viwinco Inc. Waynesborough Country Club
Presenting Sponsor Devon Hill BMW
Eagle Sponsor
A Fan of the Trust
Kestrel Sponsors
Other Donated and Discounted Goods and Services
“Our Native Grasslands”
Barnard, Mezzanotte, Pinnie & Seelaus Brandywine Realty Trust Claneil Foundation, Inc. TL Ventures
Presented by Dr. Roger Latham, the 2007 Annual Dinner Lecture was held at Edgmont Country Club on February 23, 2007. We are grateful to our Patrons and Sponsors for their assistance in underwriting the program.
Putting Sponsor The Elite Group
Audubon Pennsylvania Judith Auten Barbara Bird Fred and Nancy Bissinger Morgan and Sonia Churchman Bernard and Susan Cooker Janice Gordon Penny Goulding Tucker Gresh Hamilton Family Foundation Art and Joanna McMorris Chris and Jennifer Moller Arthur and Dougie Newbold Frank and Keith Pension
Bluebird Sponsors
James Brown Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Radnor Research & Trading Company Siepser Laser Eyecare Viwinco Inc. Al and Loralee West
Bobolink Hole Sponsors
The Academy of Natural Sciences Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Warren Claytor Architects Walter J. Cook Jeweler Donatucci Kitchens of Philadelphia
AK Fencing Arader Design Artful Framer Ashbridge Landscape and Design Management, Inc. Brandywine Signs Gary Cox Mary Hunt Davis Fenceworks Lynn and Tony Hitschler Chris and Jennifer Moller Tara Off Donna and Bill Oliver Charles Schwab and Co., Inc. Marilyn Smith Jodi Spragins Penn Systems Peter D. Quinn Redbud Native Plant Nursery J. Scott Catering Douglas C. Walker Bonnie and Jim Van Alen Penelope P. Wilson
Special thanks to all our volunteers who have diligently worked on a variety of projects. We truly appreciate your time, effort and dedication ~ thank you! This list reflects volunteer activities between April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007.
Mike Allard Hazel Arnold Stephen Arnold Susan Arnold Toby Atterbury Sid Baglini Donald Barshinger Priscilla Baysinger Donna Beck Donna Beers Melanie Boerner Stevie Boulden Ed Brennan Sally Bridwell Nancy Bruce Larry Brotzge Mary Ann Butcher Mollie Cameron Diane Campbell
Joseph Christopher Grant Clark Mindy Clearfield Jayme Colket Bernard Cooker Susan Cooker Frank Cressman Linda Force Kevin Fryberger Karen Gartner Kris Goodman Linda Gordon Warren Graham Les Green Bill Grim John Ham Mark Hamilton Karen Hartley Tim Hennessey
Frank Herz Mary Beth Hurley Summer Jackson Pat Johnson Todd Jones Gabi Kecskes Bill Keyser Debbie Kimelblatt Jim Lambert Mark Ledger Ted Leisenring Bob Lindsley Linda Locke Diana MacElree Rob McManus Angel Mecca Nick Mecca, Jr. Dick Menn Mimi Muhlenberg
Tara Off Bill Oliver Marc O’Neill Bill O’Toole Rachel Owen Martin Paige Edie Parnum Katharine Place Susan Ploeg Judy Radano Jim Rankin Don Red Jill Red Janet Riddle George Rubin Tim Rubin Katerina Rubin Mary Ruggiero Patricia Saltz
Kathy Schwartz Grace Shorr Catherine Smith Marilyn Smith Beverly Spear Derek Stedman Jane Stopford Bob Taggart Pam Taggart Marilyn Taylor Patty Torna Colby Van Alen Landi Van Alen Rob Van Alen Erin Van Yahres Judy Vantiem Barbara Vincent Ben Vincent Jeff Vincent
This list may be incomplete, please forgive any omissions or errors.
Spring
W i l l i s tow n
Lisa Waitneight Debbie Warden Jeff Warden Kelly Werkheiser Terry Woodman Rosalie Zimmerman Ethie Ziselman Janine Zozaya
Community Farm Program
Core Advisory Group Sigi Berwind Amy Broaddus Lynn Hitschler Bill Howard Jason Ingle Ellen Simmons Sandra Thompson Sean Weinberg
C o n s e rvat i o n T ru s t 19
Golf and Good Nature 2006
Committee Co-Chairs Margot Keith Donna Oliver Committee Tim Barnard J.R. Delich Alice Hausmann Bill Howard Jocelyn Howe Karen McKee Bill Oliver Lang Smith Peter Strawbridge Bonnie Van Alen Jim Van Alen Doug Walker
2007
T h e C a r ry 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. Jeanne B. Van Alen President and Executive Director
Board of Trustees Peter S. Strawbridge Chairman Alice E. Hausmann Vice Chairman Timothy B. Barnard, Esq. Vice President and Assistant Secretary Donna F. Oliver, Esq. Secretary James L. Van Alen II Treasurer W. Anthony Hitschler Elizabeth C. Hucker Mark T. Ledger F. Arthur McMorris, Ph.D. Arthur E. Newbold IV, Esq. Timothy D. Schaeffer, Ph.D. Richard A. Shorr Langhorne B. Smith Jeanne B. Van Alen Douglas C. Walker Tana Wall
Staff
Betsy H. Block Director of Development and Public Relations Dee Ann Bowman Business Manager Sue R. Costello GIS Coordinator Patricia D. Lambert Event and Volunteer Coordinator Lisa Kiziuk Rubin Associate Stewardship Manager Jodi Spragins Communications and Technology Manager Elizabeth A. Stokes Development Assistant
by Cathy Staples
Quaker farmhouse shorn like a lamb of its dressing: white walls bare where shrubs have been, open as dreamscape to the whole meadow—the shrews, the moles, the red fox hunting mid-afternoon. Wind carries a wood burn south of Providence, this land will last— even the sparrowhawks returning to their wires. A row of windows look out on the brown meadow breathing in boxwood and wet leaves, wood musk of ivy pried loose from sills, and the high call of-the-not- yet: first pear in the old garden, small bright lace of carrots— You can see it all beginning again in the walled close and running rooms. The old house like a new bride bearing children, small hands on screens, the rat-a-tat run of a stick over moldings and doors. Run and hide—the long fly from the girls’ rooms to the boys’—step down into the kitchen, something milksweet, aromatic burns, snaps over a low flame, a wooden spoon bears a stiff tail of caramel. Voices in cupboards: siblings & cousins whisper and knock in the empty echoing spaces of a new place where counters are high and all the world calls lonely and clear. A doubling pipe slips through trees. Rough grass Cathy Staples, a published poet, lives in trills with black caps and, there, close as breath— Devon with her husband blur of chestnut through briar, reed thin and three children. She tendons and hocks, a white chest huffs hard is seen here with her then settles to deep sleep above the aquifer, daughter Natalie enjoying a ride in the Willistown buried glints of corundum and feldspar, countryside. the long slope of meadow stretching on and on under the gaze of not yet visible stars.
W i l l i s t o w n C o n s e r v a t i o n Tr u s t 925 Providence Road · Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073 (610) 353-2562 ~ Fax: (610) 325-0869 ~ www.wctrust.org ADDRESS Service REQUESTED
Christopher A. Thompson Director of Land Protection John G. Turgeon Associate Director of Land Protection
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 Sycamore is printed on recycled paper.
nonprofit org u.s. postage paid southeastern, pa permt no. 96