Hildacy site manager Joe Vinton and his assistant Beasley the beagle remove oriental sweetbrush, an invasive vine that literally chokes plants and trees. (Photo by Nicholas Boerlin.)
Beyond an old farm gate, a deep and well-worn path leads down a hill, cutting through old oak trees and undergrowth. Following the banks of a creek, the path resurges out of the woods to the edge of a rolling meadow, where the tall grasses sway and glisten in the late afternoon sun.
This pasture, known as Hildacy Farm, located five minutes away from DCCC Main campus, is an ideal place for students and faculty to sneak a break between classes, study, nap, or take a short walk to clear their head.
Once a working farm, the 55-acre site is now open to the public sunrise to sunset for hiking, dog walking, horseback riding, and other programs.
The farm is a working nature preserve and headquarters for Natural Lands Trust, the region’s largest private non-profit conservation organization that owns and protects 21 preserves encompassing 15,000 acres in southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Since 1953, Natural Lands Trust (NLT) has worked with communities to preserve the beauty of meadows and woodlands and keep them intact for future generations. The organization fills many roles protecting natural areas, acting as a steward educating communities about preservation, and connecting people to nature.
“What we are trying to do on these preserves is very challenging, particularly in Delaware County where open space is such a hot commodity,” said Joe Vinton, site manager at the Hildacy Farm. “We are trying to preserve our natural resources, restore the degraded areas, and educate the public.”
Part of Vinton’s job at Hildacy farm involves the control of invasive plants insects, and maintaining the overall health and development of natural species. This occasionally requires the use of prescribed fire, a method that mimics the beneficial effects fire has in nature such as clearing dead materials and stimulating new growth.
Hildacy Farm offers a stunning variety of plant and animal life year round, Vinton said, but it is important that “when you leave, leave as though no one would ever know you were there.”
“Students can enjoy our Hildacy preserve and others while respecting natural areas and other values,” said Jim Thorne, senior director of science at Natural Lands Trust.
Vinton and Thorne are referring in part to the principles of Leave No Trace, an international non-profit organization that advocates responsible enjoyment and active protection of the outdoors. According to the organization’s stated core values, the most effective way to protect the health and beauty of natural areas is through education and practical scientific understanding.
Among other programs, Leave No Trace offers traveling trainers who conduct workshops and multiple day courses to educate college students, outdoor guides, and land management organizations such as Natural Lands Trust.
Beyond their preserves, NLT consults with municipalities on how to plan and care for their open spaces, and sometimes engage in conservation easements or legal agreements with property owners and municipalities that permanently protect land from development.
A 2006 report by the Pennsylvania Department for Conservation and Natural Resources acknowledges that while forestlands are stable overall, certain regions of the Commonwealth are at high risk due to urban sprawl and development, especially southeastern and central Pennsylvania.
According to Oliver Bass, senior director of communications as NLT, there are three major consequences resulting from the loss of open spaces: “First there is the obvious ecological loss of plants and wildlife. Second there are the economic consequences related to land development. Migrating homeowners place a strain on the infrastructures of schools and other services. Lastly, the loss of scenic beauty affects quality of life. Our sense of our environment influences psychological health.”
Bass speaks of the book “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv, a work near the heart of the organization’s mission. “The book captures the growing sense that we have the responsibility to let kids get their hands dirty…the responsibility to create future conservationist,” Bass said.
Within his book Louv argues that direct exposure to nature is essential for the physical and emotional development of children. “The child in nature is an endangered species,” he wrote, “and the health of children and the health of the earth are inseparable.”
