RUSHTON WOODS PRESERVE
IT Belongs to all of Mary Hunt Davis
Many Partners , the Pew Challenge, and a June Celebration As many of you know, over the past thirty years our amazing Willistown community has come together over and again to acquire and preserve several thousand acres of our precious countryside that otherwise would have succumbed to development. And now, we are about to celebrate one of the most exciting and meaningful acquisitions of all - the recent completion of the 50-acre addition to our beloved Rushton Woods Preserve. This acquisition increases the Preserve to 80 acres and has taken more than three years and a team of dedicated partners to complete — beginning with the original investors in the Rushton Land Associates partnership who, in 2008, bravely stepped up to acquire the land on behalf of the Trust at a bargain sale price of $3.9million. By the fall of 2011, thanks to extraordinary commitments from the Chester County Preservation Partnership Program, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and several private donors, the Trust had raised $2.7 million - leaving $1,200,000 needed to complete the acquisition. That is when we met Tom Curren, Executive Director of the Northeast Land Trust Consortium of the Pew Charitable Trusts. Tom presented us with the magnificent “Pew Challenge” through which Pew agreed to contribute $200,000 if we could successfully raise an additional $1 million from private donors by March 31, 2012. We are proud to announce that, thanks to Tom’s help and the remarkable generosity of many of our most loyal supporters, the Pew Challenge has been met. We are now looking forward to a grand celebration of this beautiful Preserve with Pew, our many partners and all of you. Looking ahead, it is especially wonderful to know that the Rushton Woods Preserve’s rich natural resources, prime agricultural soils and miles of riding and hiking trails will continue to provide the perfect site for people to learn about and enjoy nature and for the Trust’s core programs to flourish. The Rushton Community Farm, now in its fourth year, is thriving and, in addition to providing healthy food for the local community, has become an important regional resource to teach and demonstrate the many benefits of sustainable farming. The Farm Program along with our Bird Conservation and Habitat Restoration Programs will continue to engage people and nourish the spirits of many generations for years to come. For this we are so grateful to all of those who helped make it happen. I look forward to seeing all of you out in the fields and in the woods at our Rushton Woods Preserve. PS: Be sure to save the date, June 2, when we will be Celebrating Rushton , honoring our partners, and enjoying a special summer evening replete with entertainment and a gourmet “Field to Table” dinner at Rushton Farm! 4 | W I L L I S TO W N C O N S E R VAT I O N T R U S T