Stock Illoway, John Massaro, Rusty Strauss, and Cary Leptuck celebrate the easement closing

A partnership between French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust and East Pikeland Township has resulted in a Conservation Easement on a 16-acre property with 1,700 ft. of frontage on the Exceptional Value French Creek. Owned by John Massaro, the purchase of the easement with Township dedicated Open Space funds was the second project to close in 2011 through this municipal-conservancy collaboration. A public-access, non-motorized trail on the Massaro parcel will create a link to township-owned land on the north side of the creek, already a popular destination for hikers and nature enthusiasts.

One unique inclusion in the Massaro easement is the stipulation that a 150 foot setback from the stream must be observed should the house suffer irreparable damage and need to be rebuilt. This is in keeping with the Buffers 100 regulation adopted in November, 2011.

Several East Pikeland conservation projects are planned for 2012, based on the success of the protection of the Latshaw Farm in January 2011 and this most recent easement acquisition.

The warm sunny Saturday morning of October 22 brought out 9 members of Boy Scout Troop 4 from Spring City and their dads for a fall clean-up of trash and invasives on a 2-acre property the Trust owns in Warwick Township on Route 23.  Joined by board members and staff from the Trust, as well as a group of hunters who control deer on Trust property, the Scouts energetically cut vines from the many trees on the site and bagged roadside refuse. After a couple hours of clipping and pruning, trees resembling Cousin Itt from the Addams Family were revealed to be oaks and maples valiantly clinging to life. 

Many thanks go to Troop 4 leaders, Tom O'Donnell and Ken Thorpe, and their hardworking Scouts--Kyle Thorpe,Tyler Scowden, Alex Jackson, Grant Jackson, Mike Misciagna, Jack O'Donnell, Kyle Tevis, Sean Tevis, Brendan Layton, and Aidan Mann--for volunteering their time and effort to this mission of mercy! Thanks also go to Rick Skubish and friends, and Trust board members Peter Zimmerman, unmatched in pruning know-how, Sherri Cornish, Jen Trachtman, Bob Berry, and Su Kenderdine.

Foxes have been a part of our experience since we moved to Hardscrabble Farm. The day we bought the farm, a fox ran out of the woods in front of our two corgis (who were on leash), looked at us and basically said, "Oh, shoot--dogs!!" and ran back into the woods. We were all stunned--especially the dogs.

Then, to our amazement, during the first big snow last year, a fox came out of the woods and played with one of the corgis for an hour and a half. It looked like they were having a blast playing tag, taking turns chasing each other. We see or hear a fox almost every day. They are always fascinating and wonderful to observe. They are also beneficial as they eat a lot of mice that would eventually end up in your house or barn feed bin.

So, imagine our growing concern as we began to notice many of them losing fur--especially at the tail. It is very difficult to watch an animal suffer, and these foxes really were. We have lived out here for many years and know how sad it is for a wild animal to contract mange. Everyone told us that the most humane thing to do is to shoot a mangy fox. Mange can eventually cause them to have a slow, painful death--inability to thermo regulate due to fur loss, and eventually immune suppression and organ failure. I was losing sleep worrying about how to help alleviate the painful condition of these beautiful and helpful animals. We live in the middle of 240 conserved--pretty much open and wild--acres and we understand that we share this with a lot of wildlife. Which is the way we like it. And why we support Land Conservation in general, and the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust in particular. So, as stewards of this land, we need to care for it and the residents therein. This includes the foxes, among others.

About this time, our neighbor called and told us that a mangy fox had been caught in his Havaheart trap and could we help? We really did not want to shoot a fox with mange, even though we had been given that advice. We were told that it would "put it out of its misery". This was just too sad to accept. So we started calling around and luckily, our vet suggested trying Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic. This clinic is run by Deb Welter, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. She was very positive and reassuring, telling us that of course mange can be cured and we could come and get some medicine called Ivermectin. We told her that the fox was already in the trap, so she told us to bring him to her clinic. What she did was amazing--she calmly coaxed the fox into the back of the trap, put in a divider and gave him two shots--Ivermectin for the mange and one for rabies. He didn't even flinch. We brought him back home and released him. He didn't really run away--just zipped out of the trap and looked at us for quite a while--as if he actually knew we were trying to help him. Nice ending to a story, eh?

Deb Welter is licensed by the state and runs her organization on donations. She also goes to schools and does educational programs. I am so pleased that she is in our area, doing her good works. If you'd like to donate to her cause--because you may need her someday--here is her info:

Deb Welter
Diamond Rock Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic
2030 Diamond Rock Rd.
Malvern, PA 19355
610-240-0883

http://www.diamondrockwildlife.org/

We mourn the passing of Eleanor Morris in September with mingled sadness and relief that she has found peace after her long illness. She and her late husband,Sam, left an incredible legacy of land conservation to the residents of northern Chester County and her influence extended well beyond our region. She was unmatched in her foresight, passion, and determination that the rural landscape that she loved would not be decimated by development but instead be protected for many generations to come. She will never be forgotten by the vast number of friends she made in pursuit of her mission and those who were inspired to take up her cause.