Case Study — Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm
Location
911 Delchester Road, Newtown Square, PA
Size
86 acres of woodlands, meadows, and cultivated fields, including 2 miles of public trails
Owner/operator
The Willistown Conservation Trust
Introduction
The acquisition and creation of this 86-acre property in Willistown Township has been one of the most important projects the Willistown Conservation Trust has undertaken in terms of natural and scenic resources conserved and public benefits offered. Rushton Woods Preserve is also home to the Trust's Community Farm Program and Rushton Farm CSA, whose mission is to model sustainable agricultural practices and promote the values of open space and natural resource protection to a broader community.
Environmental Benefits
"70 different species of birds were banded and over 1,000 types of insects were identified at Rushton Woods Preserve in 2018"
— Willistown Conservation Trust Bird Conservation and Agro-Ecology staff
Willistown Conservation Trust is recognized nationally as a leader in the field of agroecology (the study of interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment within agricultural systems), and uses conserved lands to test and measure high-yield sustainable farming practices designed to benefit the surrounding ecosystem. The Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm demonstrates how sustainable agriculture and protected natural areas can enjoy mutual benefits while also providing significant ecosystem services advantages. Environmental services benefits afforded by conserved lands can be measured annually in terms of the cost to provide such services if protected open spaces like Rushton were to be lost to development. The value of environmental benefits attributable to Rushton Woods Preserve total over $208,000 per year, and include cost savings related to water supply, water quality, flood mitigation, provision of wildlife habitat, air pollution control, and carbon sequestration and storage. An estimated 72 tons of carbon are removed from the atmosphere annually by the natural resources at Rushton, and over 1,800 tons of carbon is stored within the Preserve.
