This past Saturday, we hosted our 2nd annual Art of Preservation Farm to Table Dinner Party at Historic Kirkland Farm in Springtown, PA. A forecast of rain and thunderstorms did not discourage nearly 200 guests from attending this fundraising event that benefits land conservation in the Cooks Creek Watershed located in Upper Bucks County.

Featuring a menu of locally-sourced food prepared by Jamie Hollander Gourmet Foods, guests enjoyed an outdoor cocktail reception followed by a sit-down dinner beneath canopies amidst idyllic open fields, pastures and woods. Members, business members, board and staff of Heritage Conservancy were in attendance, as well as special guest speaker, Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick. During the dinner, Jeffrey Marshall, president of Heritage Conservancy, publicly thanked Don Metzger for preserving one of the largest tracts of land in Springfield Township.

With over 4,600 acres of land permanently preserved in Springfield and Durham Townships, we have worked tirelessly to protect the natural resources of Upper Bucks. Two maps located side-by-side in the event's program book displayed the expanding tracts of preserved land. Jeffrey Marshall expressed the organization's outlook on its work in the area. "We're full of hope. We're full of hope for what we can do, what we have done, and what we will continue to do in the Cooks Creek Watershed." He went on to say: "It's wonderful to see this enthusiasm for our work as we continue to move forward in preserving the natural resources of this region."

An important topic of the evening focused on the Fuller Preserve, a 65-acre property owned by Heritage Conservancy in Springtown Township. On this property sits the Jere Knight Trail, a 1.2-mile trail named after the wife of novelist Eric Knight who wrote Lassie Come Home; Jere Knight was a strong advocate for open space in Bucks County. The trail, which hosts the unique feature of an American Chestnut Tree nursery, was previously used as a tree identification walk but became damaged largely in part from storms such as Hurricane Sandy. Melinda Stumpf, Regional Affairs Director for PPL, presented Heritage Conservancy with a generous check to assist with restoration. "Improving the quality of life in our communities by being good environmental stewards is a core PPL value," said Melinda Stumpf, Regional Affairs Director. "We are pleased to help support the re-opening of this trail with a donation of $10,000." 

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick spoke out as a strong proponent of the work that we do in the Cooks Creek Watershed. "Other than Heritage Conservancy, the critical natural areas really didn't have an advocate--those areas are the steeply wooded slopes, the riparian buffers, and the highlands. From the very beginning, I was so thankful to have met Jeffrey Marshall and his team at Heritage Conservancy because they were the advocates standing up for pieces of property that nobody else was speaking for." Congressman Fitzpatrick's passion for protecting our area's natural resources was evident throughout his speech. "Of all of the legacies we could bequeath the future generations, one of the most precious is the unsurpassed beauty of the Bucks County countryside."

We are more than hopeful that the work we're doing will allow future generations to enjoy this unsurpassed beauty.

PPL was lead corporate sponsor of the event. Bronze level corporate sponsors were Coopersburg & Liberty Kenworth, Dale Koller Farms, and Johnson Kendall & Johnson Inc. Event supporters were Carol C. Dorey Real Estate, Kimberton Whole Foods and WPB Enterprises, Inc.

 Ahhh! Look out! 

An invasive species is a non-indigenous species of either plant or animal that is introduced to an ecosystem and adversely affects the habitat. Since they are not natural to the area, they can dominate and limit the diversity of native species. When invasive plants are introduced, it can result in the reduction of native plant species, habitat and food sources for native wildlife. 

 

Invasive plants don't stick out like a sore green thumb; you may even have some invasive plants growing in your own backyard and not realize it! Identifying invasive species is crucial in learning how to control them. Here are a few invasive plants to watch out for:

  

Norway Maple

Native to Europe,  this large, deciduous tree has a broad, rounded crown. It can readily be distinguished from other maples because the leaves and twigs ooze milky sap when cut or torn. Its flat "helicopter" seeds help to ensure its repopulation.

Its extreme shade tolerance, especially when young, has allowed it to flourish beneath an intact forest canopy. Research has recently shown that forests that have been invaded by Norway maple suffer losses in diversity of native forest wildflowers compared to forests in which the canopy is dominated by native species such as sugar maple.

 

  

 

  

Bush Honeysuckles

These honeysuckles are native to Eurasia. All five species of bush honeysuckle grow to heights of 6 to 20 feet. The branches are generally hairless, thornless, and have a hollow brown pith when mature. The leaf scars are small and inconspicuous. Tartarian honeysuckle is typically pink, but may vary from red to white; Amur honeysuckle is white, changing to yellow.  

These plants can rapidly invade and overtake a site, forming a dense shrub layer that crowds and shades out native plant species. They alter habitats by decreasing light availability, depleting soil moisture and nutrients, and possibly by releasing toxic chemicals that prevent other plant species from growing in the vicinity. The fruits, while abundant and rich in carbohydrates, do not offer migrating birds the high-fat, nutrient-rich food sources needed for long flights, that are supplied by native plant species.  

Lesser Celandine

Native to Europe, lesser celandine, also known as fig buttercup, is an herbaceous, perennial plant in the buttercup family. Plants have a basal rosette of dark green, shiny, stalked leaves that are kidney to heart-shaped. The flowers open in March and April, have eight glossy, butter-yellow petals, and are borne singly on delicate stalks that rise above the leaves. There are many varieties of lesser celandine. 

Lesser celandine is an exotic spring ephemeral and a vigorous growing ground-cover that forms large, dense patches on the forest floor, displacing and preventing native plants from growing. The threat is primarily on the native spring-flowering plant community and the various wildlife species associated with them. Because lesser celandine emerges well in advance of the native species, it can establish and overtake areas rapidly. 

Canada Thistle 

Unlike its name suggests, Canada thistle is native to Eurasia. It is herbaceous perennial with erect stems 1½ to 4 feet tall, prickly leaves and an extensive creeping rootstock. This extensive root system makes it difficult to control. Its stems are branched, often slightly hairy, and ridged. Rose-purple, lavender, or sometimes white flower heads appear from June through October and occur in rounded, umbrella-shaped clusters.

As it establishes itself in an area, Canada thistle crowds out and replaces native plants, changes the structure and species composition of natural plant communities and reduces plant and animal diversity. This highly invasive thistle prevents the coexistence of other plant species through shading, competition for soil resources and possibly through the release of chemical toxins poisonous to other plants. 

These are just several of many invasive plant species that we have in our area. If you see any of them growing on your property, please help control the pest population and remove them in an environmentally-friendly way!