History

Land conservation efforts have been underway in the Willistown area for over 25 years. The initial organization, formed in 1979, was known as the Willistown Area Conservation Program and was a satellite program of the Brandywine Conservancy.

With the encouragement of the community and key local conservation leaders, the Willistown Conservation Trust became an independent, community based land trust in 1996 with a committed and active Board of Trustees. Bonnie Van Alen and Katharine Gates McCoy founded the organization, with Alice Hausmann replacing Kathy in 1990. Alice Hausmann retired from her position as Associate Executive Director in 1995, though still actively serving on the Board of Trustess, and Bonnie continues to lead the Trust as President and Executive Director.

From the beginning, the Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) has had a singular mission: “to preserve the open land, rural character, historic and ecologically significant resources of the Willistown area and nearby communities with particular emphasis on the Crum, Ridley and Darby Creek watersheds.” Using the three watersheds as an organizing principle, the Trust program area encompasses 24,000 acres in Chester County and portions of Delaware County, and is located approximately 20 miles west of Philadelphia.

Despite tremendous growth pressures that have converted many neighboring communities into vast tracts of sprawl development, the Willistown Conservation Trust program area still remains largely an oasis of green space. With the leadership of the Trust, the community conservation ethic has evolved and strengthened over the years.

WCT’s programs and services fall into three major categories: (1) land protection; (2) stewardship; and (3) community outreach.

Land Protection
Protecting open land in the Willistown area is the Trust’s highest priority. Staff members utilize all available conservation tools, including the donation of conservation easements, the purchase of conservation easements, the purchase of land, seeking and leveraging public funds to acquire land or easements, and accepting donations of land. In addition, the Trust has developed an array of creative and proactive approaches to land protection.

Stewardship
Stewardship activities include (1) monitoring all WCT easements annually to ensure that the provisions of the easement are upheld; (2) managing area preserves to protect native habitat; and (3) developing and promoting guidelines for private landowners to enhance bird and wildlife habitat and to protect water resources. Trust staff members see our protected lands (and those not yet protected) as a large reservoir of natural resources and strive to work with area landowners to manage this mosaic of preserved lands for the promotion of healthy ecosystems and the diversity of flora and fauna. The Trust aims to strengthen its reputation among private and public landowners as an excellent resource for advice on how to enhance the ecological value of their lands.

Community Outreach
In addition to on-the-ground protection and stewardship efforts, Trust staff members spend an increasing amount of time on public outreach and education efforts. Through publications, educational activities and restoration projects, the Trust aims to raise awareness about the benefits of land protection and stewardship, thus forwarding WCT’s mission. The Trust produces and updates publications which serve to educate landowners and the general public and act as internal resources.

Due to the foresight and vision of the Trust, whose board members and staff have worked with the community and local landowners to protect many vulnerable farms and other ecologically important land areas, more than 6,000 acres have been preserved in the Willistown area to date. Most of this land has been protected through the donation of conservation easements by more than 120 local landowners.

The Trust, as part of its Long Range Plan, has identified an additional 5,000 acres of ecologically important and vulnerable lands in the headwaters of the Crum, Ridley and Darby Creek watersheds.

The shaded green areas of the Protected Lands Map - 1979 shows preserved open space just before we began our work when we were part of the Brandywine Conservancy. The Protected Lands Map - 2006 shows where we are today - over 6,000 acres are shaded green, protected forever.