Kestrel Hill Preserve Campaign Booklet

KESTREL HILL PRESERVE Campaign for

MAKING HISTORY. LEAVING A LEGACY.

SAVE THE LAND

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arose when over 200 acres of farmland was listed for sale in the heart of Willistown Township in 2022. Zoning would have allowed construction of 40 houses on this magnificent property, but widespread consensus formed quickly that it was both urgent and imperative to protect the land from development.

SHARE THE LAND

To that end, Willistown Conservation Trust proposed a bold and ambitous plan, to acquire 90 acres of the property, conserve the land, and establish a new public nature preserve: Kestrel Hill Preserve.

NOW AND FOREVER

With your help, we can now save the undeveloped open space, protect wildlife, habitat, and waterways, and share the land forever with everyone.

ENVISION THE FUTURE

From the crest of the Sledding Hill, an expansive vista stretches out before you, reaching to the sky. Hiking and equestrian trails crisscross wildlflower meadows, descend into the valley, step over streams, and ascend into Owl Woods forest. This idyllic countryside will be protected in perpetuity for generations, forever grateful for your foresight.

LEARN FROM THE LAND

Owl Woods hosts native bees, moths, and caterpillars in an Oak-Hickory habitat that sustains the web of life.

Nuthatches, goldfinches, and chickadees flit among fragrant spicebush shrubs. Toads and salamanders hide in leaf-litter, beneath rocks, and among scattered ferns, sedges, and woodland wildflowers.

Songbirds, scampering squirrels and chipmunks feasting on nuts, insects, and berries attract foxes, raccoons, hawks, and owls. Thoughtful stewardship enables us to sustain this miraculous ecosystem.

SHARE THE LAND

Sightings of American Kestrels at WCT preserves evidence that our many conservation initiatives are succeeding; elsewhere, populations of this colorful little falcon are declining, as development consumes open space.

Kestrel Hill Preserve will secure ecologically rich grasslands and wetlands and establish greenways for wildlife to travel among nearby WCT preserves -- Rushton Woods and Kirkwood -as well as among adjacent properties where thousands of acres of open space are protected by conservation easements.

CONSERVE RESOURCES

Sprawling development and climate change significantly stress waterways, whereas undeveloped open spaces mitigate the effects of extreme weather and protect streams, rivers, and ultimately, the water supply.

Two valuable headwater streams, Hibberd Run and Yarnall Run, pass through Kestrel Hill Preserve, join nearby Ridley Creek, and connect downstream to the Delaware River, delivering ecological benefits well beyond the Preserve’s borders.

FOR THOSE FOLLOWING OUR FOOTSTEPS

Kestrel Hill Preserve will establish a sanctuary in a surrounding sea of development, a retreat from the modern world, and serve as a perennial reminder for future generations of their inextricable connections to the natural world.

KESTREL HILL PRESERVE | 90 ACRES

Please note: Kestrel Hill Preserve will open to the public at a future date to be announced Until that time, the Preserve is not open or accessible, and the plans above are subject to revision

MAKING HISTORY. LEAVING A LEGACY.

Willistown Conservation Trust (WCT) has served as stewards of Chester County’s prized and picturesque countryside for over 30 years.

WCT has helped to protect over 7,500 acres of open space in three critical watersheds through conservation easements, public wildlife preserves, and a regenerative farm, and has established bird conservation, water research, and education programs

WCT will now establish Kestrel Hill Preserve and make accessible to all, forever, a secluded and idyllic property that has been privately owned for hundreds of years.

You can help Join friends of WCT, Chester County, and Willistown Township and pledge your generous financial support for Kestrel Hill Preserve today Protecting this land and establishing Kestrel Hill Preserve are truly a once-in-forever opportunities. While the cost to acquire the land is significant, greater still are longterm costs associated with development, including negative impacts on quality of life, water quality, wildlife, and the environment.

By contributing generously to WCT, you can help WCT acquire the land and:

Restore existing farmland and wetland areas to native habitat;

Plant riparian buffer areas adjacent to headwater creeks that flow through the preserve;

Clear and maintain trails for equestrians and hikers;

Provide public access; and, Establish an endowment to assure WCT can maintain the Preserve, in perpetuity.

Willistown Conservation Trust’s plan upholds the aspirations of conservationminded citizens locally and throughout Pennsylvania who wish to conserve undeveloped, open spaces, protect the environment and native wildlife, and make accessible to all the beauty and life-sustaining wonders of the natural world

Join us at Kestrel Hill Preserve. Make history and establish your enduring legacy.

SPRING WALK AT KIRKWOOD FARM

The rhythm of my footsteps shaping themselves to the changing contour of the greening earth

The softly rattling brook by the winter wrecked willows.

Coal black crows scolding by the white-walled bank barn-empty for decades.

Two evil looking vultures leering from their black walnut perches, Dixie, my ever-present four-legged partner, sensing their menace. Canada geese gliding across the meadow pond surface, honking warnings of the dog's looming presence. Sand-colored corn stalks--forlorn, broken, leafless, and silent-so distant in time from Fall's leafy green rustlings.

A red-tail perched high, surveying his domain; V-shaped raptors circling, diving, soaring on gentle spring breezes; The twittering and chattering of birds seen but unknown; The glorious undefinable scent of the rebirthing land.

The land, the land, the land!

I want to immerse myself in it, inhale it, Listen to its message, forever.

Author: Peter S. Strawbridge, Founding Trustee

DAVE TAVANI