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July 2010 GreenSpace Connect Digest
This issue of GreenSpace Connect focuses on projects that were made possible through funding from PA Growing Greener 2 and the Community Conservation Partnerships Program. These state programs are in jeopardy. As of this writing, the Governor is about to sign a budget that would raid Key 93 and put conservation and restoration project funding at risk. Anyone with a stake in conservation funding should act now to protect these programs.
List of Stories
Heritage Conservancy Works with Durham Township to Preserve 39 Acres of Critical Habitat
 Heritage Conservancy recently received a Community Conservation Partnerships Program (CCPP) grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA-DCNR) for open space preservation in Durham Township, Bucks County. Funds will be used to acquire conservation easements on approximately 39 acres of land along Mine Hill Road. These properties, known as the Rattlesnake and Mine Hill acquisitions, will provide critical habitat, open space and passive recreation.
“This is good news for Heritage Conservancy, Bucks County and all local residents,” said State Senator Mensch (R-Bucks, Lehigh, Montgomery and Northampton), who is a strong advocate of open space preservation efforts. “Grants that protect open space and our natural environment are long-term investments in communities and improve the quality of life for everyone.”
“We were one of only two organizations in the county to receive a CCPP grant,” said Robin Folkerts, VP of Advancement and Communications for Heritage Conservancy. The CCPP grant program administered by DCNR provides grants to local governments, county governments and  non-profit organizations. The funding is meant to address community recreational and conservation needs and to support tourism initiatives. Eligible grant components include rails-to-trails conversions, river conservation projects, and community recreation enhancements. Project types can focus on planning, acquisition or development. Generally, CCPP grants require a 50% match of cash or in-kind contributions.
Funding for this CCPP grant came from the Growing Greener 2 (GG2) bond that was passed by Pennsylvania voters in 2005. Over the past 5 years this program has transformed Pennsylvania, repairing much of the environmental damage of the past, conserving crucial natural resources and revitalizing cities and towns. Support for GG2 transcends partisan politics, drawing support from both political parties and their leadership in the legislature and from both Republican and Democratic governors. However money for this initiative is nearly exhausted and no new funding mechanism currently exists to replace it.
Durham Township, at only 6,410 acres, is one of the smallest of the 31 townships in Bucks County and is located in the extreme northeast corner. Prime agricultural land and the rolling, wooded terrain are its two predominant characteristics. Cooks Creek, classified as an Exceptional Value coldwater fishery by the PA Fish and Boat Commission and DEP, drains about two thirds of the Township’s area.
Heritage Conservancy is an accredited not-for-profit conservation organization that specializes in open space preservation, planning of sustainable communities, natural resource protection, property stewardship, historic preservation, adaptive reuse of existing structures, wildlife habitat restoration and biodiversity.
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Brandywine Conservancy Works to Restore Watersheds with GG2 Funding
 In April of 2010, The Brandywine Conservancy received a $148,473 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Growing Greener program for a multi-site restoration effort in the Brandywine Creek Watershed. The restoration consists of three demonstration projects in the watershed’s urban, suburban, and headwater portions. It is hoped that the demonstrations will leverage the Conservancy’s existing visibility and inspire similar projects on private and municipal property.
The largest portion of the restoration, which will receive some matching funds from the City of Wilmington, involves protecting streams on several Amish-owned farms in Honey Brook and West Caln Townships. The Brandywine River in Wilmington, Delaware is a source of drinking water for the city. Historically, grazing livestock have had a negative effect on downstream water quality by eroding streambanks and introducing bacteria and excessive nutrients into the headwater streams. To combat this effect, fencing will be installed along the banks of several tributaries to prevent livestock from entering the channel, and stream crossings will be provided. To further improve water quality, riparian buffers will be planted along the streams to filter nutrient-laden runoff from the farms.
The Conservancy will also be spearheading a project in the City of Coatesville to add vegetation to two sections of streambank along impaired sections of the Brandywine’s West Branch. City-owned sites will be refor ested with native tree and shrub species. These riparian plantings will serve to filter urban runoff— some of which is likely originating from contaminated industrial sites— that would otherwise be entering the Brandywine. This revegetation, especially on sensitive steep slopes, will reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads as well as sediment and bacteria. The Conservancy plans to use some paid residents to help with the plantings, and volunteers from Coatesville environmental groups. At the downtown center, where the stream is most visually prominent, tree stock will be blended with native shrubs, and will balance riparian restoration with plans for the City’s redevelopment efforts. The restoration will also enhance the City’s new Riverwalk, a constructed multi-purpose trail along the river’s edge.
The third component of the restoration will be to re-forest five acres of riparian open space in the headwaters of Radley Run, an impaired tributary of the Brandywine. The property is owned by the Birmingham Knolls subdivision in Birmingham Township. The reforestation effort will be spread over several work days during which volunteers— including residents of the development and other organized local groups (e.g., water quality monitors)— will assist Conservancy staff in planting riparian buffers composed of native tree and shrub species. Riparian plantings will filter suburban runoff that would otherwise enter the Brandywine Main Branch through this headwater tributary. According to recently drafted PADEP stream assessment results, the Brandywine Creek here is listed as impaired, presumably from substantial development. Restoration efforts such as this reforestation project will serve to reduce these development impacts. The project will be located directly upstream of the Brandywine Valley Association’s Radley Run Restoration project area, for which the organization received a DEP Growing Greener Grant to implement streambank stabilization and riparian restoration.
Under the terms of the grant, the Conservancy has until June 2012 to complete the three components of the restoration. All funding was awarded through the State’s Growing Greener 2 (GG2) bond program, which is nearly out of funds. 2010 marks the last year in which GG2 grants such as this one will be awarded to local nonprofits and municipalities.
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Coventry Woods Preserve Adds 100 Acres in Hopewell Big Woods
 North Coventry Township’s Coventry Woods Preserve has grown steadily since the first property was purchased in the 1960’s. The newest acquisition, still pending, will place the preserve’s total area at 622 acres, up from about 60 when it was first designated. The preserve is located at the eastern edge of the Hopewell Big Woods landscape, which includes 15,000 contiguous acres of forest recognized as the only viable example of high quality forest block in southeastern PA. Its lush resources have served the township well, promoting a culture of recreation and outdoorsmanship which draws visitors from around the region.
In 2002 North Coventry Township passed a referendum by an overwhelming 77% vote to include a marginal open space fee in the annual earned income tax. With the assistance of Natural Lands Trust and Chester County, the Township developed a strategic plan for preservation objectives and revised its ordinances to implement a Conservation by Design approach. These steps have been instrumental in providing matching funds for several key Community Conservation Partnership Program (CCPP) grants, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Chester County Municipal Grant Program.
In 2009, CCPP funded two acquisitions which will, when complete, add approximately 208 acres to the current preserve. The first of these, known as the Bentley acquisition, adds 115 acres (approximately 25 acres agricultural and the remainder natural woodlands on both sides of the exceptional value Rock Run tributary of French Creek). The acquisition was funded by $875,000 from DCNR, $724,000 from Chester County and matched by $175,000 from the townships. The site is located off Jones Road in North Coventry, South Coventry, and Warwick Townships, and will be available for passive recreation, open space, and stream protection.
The second pending purchase, the Hill School parcel, will add 93 acres along Camp Hill Road at Rock Run in North Coventry and Warwick townships for habitat and stream protection. North Coventry has received confirmation from DCNR of a similar 50% Grant for the Hill School parcel and is hopefully awaiting the announcement from Chester County of their 40% Grant.
In 2007, the township received $350,000 from DCNR (50%) which, with an open space grant of $280,000 from Chester County (40%), and the balance of 10% plus closing costs from the Township afforded the $700,000 needed to purchase a 53-acre parcel just off Jones Road. The property, known as the Baker acquisition, contains mature woodlands and supports diverse habitat for several Audubon-designated Important Birds and Mammals. An old logging road creates an accessible footpath with minimal disturbance to the landscape.
“North Coventry is lucky that portions of the land purchased have existing logging roads on them which will easily be converted to woodland trails,” says Kevin Hennessey, Township Manager. “We are in the process of marking these trails and then opening them for recreational use.” Had it not been preserved, this land would very likely have been developed.
In the seven years of the open space initiative, the Township directly or with others has preserved or has under contract 1,256 acres of natural lands, including 619 acres of forest and trails, 32 acres of active recreation parkland, 538 acres of perpetual agricultural easements on farms, and 67 acres dedicated by developers as open space as required by township ordinance. Since 2002 the Township has successfully leveraged over 86% of all acquisitions with funding from other sources.
The township’s Board of Supervisors created the Open Space Review Board on June 24, 2002 under Ordinance 120. The Board was created in response to the open space tax referendum, and consists of seven members appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Recommendations are made directly to the Board of Supervisors, which maintains final approval authority over the acquisition of property and easements in the township.
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Trout Unlimited Receives Grant to Manage Stormwater at Conestoga Athletic Fields
The Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited recently received an $83,663 Growing Greener grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) to reduce stormwater flowing from athletic fields at Conestoga High School, located in the Valley Creek watershed in Berwyn, PA.
The Chapter became involved through their work to improve water quality and fish habitat in Valley Creek, a state-designated Exceptional Value stream. This designation provides the greatest level of protection for the stream, which is also a class A wild trout fishery. The watershed encompasses about 23 square miles, primarily in Tredyffrin and East Whiteland townships. Stormwater runoff is a major pollutant.
At present the ground is so compacted from sports activities that little stormwater infiltrates the earth, and instead floods the surrounding neighborhood on Irish Road. "After the first quarter inch of rain the playing field might as well be concrete, the water just runs off the edge of the field," said Pete Goodman, president of Trout Unlimited of Valley Forge.
The grant will fund the installation of a bio-swale at the end of the main practice field. In wet weather the field’s 3.7 acres shed a great deal of water, which then runs off onto Irish Road and floods downhill properties. With the new bio-swale, runoff will be collected and released slowly to minimize flooding and maximize the potential for water to soak into the ground. The project will be installed in the summer of 2011.
The project’s funds represent a small part of the $12.6 million awarded in 2010 through the PADEP’s Growing Greener Environmental Stewardship and Watershed Protection program. "I'd like to congratulate Trout Unlimited upon receipt of this very important state funding, which is an example of the state's continued commitment to our health and environment," said State Representative Paul Drucker. "The work funded by this grant will create a safer field at Conestoga High School." Other projects funded through the Growing Greener program include farmland preservation projects, watershed restoration and protection, abandoned mine reclamation, and abandoned oil and gas well plugging projects.
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