Spring 2015
Volume 31 No. 1
Stormwater ManagementWhy Does It Matter?
Come Visit Us At an Event For
The Whole Family!
The OLC Annual meeting in April featured a presentation concerning stormwater management by Michele Adams, a water resource
engineer who helped write the Pennsylvania Stormwater Manual.
Following is a quick portrayal of some of the issues we face today.
State Representative Duane Milne’s Kids Fest
It isn’t the storm water but the runoff that is the problem.
Back when William Penn founded Penn’s Woods, Pennsylvania,
there were dense forests making up the landscape. Today, the
landscape is much different. When viewed from the air the landscape is comprised of lots of roofs,
driveways, roads and parking lots
interspersed with wooded area. It is
those roofs, driveways, roads and
parking lots that are the source of the
problem. When rain falls on them it
cannot penetrate the surface and almost immediately begins to run off.
In a forest a rain is spread out over many surfaces and layers and
reaches the ground more slowly. The rain soaks into the porous
forest soil, and is absorbed by the plants and trees.
Saturday June 13th,
10:00am - 1:00pm
(rain or shine)
Great Valley Middle School
This is a Free Event with Food, Activities and
Games For All Kids.
Make sure to visit our exhibit
to learn more about OLC.
As the land has been denuded of forests for farming and
then more densely developed our surrounding area runoff has become a more serious issue. It causes serious stream erosion, both
widening and deepening stream
channels and adding a large sediment
load that chokes out stream dwelling
creatures. It also produces flooding
as runoff increases. All of that runoff
just flushing down our streams and
rivers also fails to regenerate ground
water supplies as it used to. The
stream base flows become less and
springs dry up.
Message From the President
Welcome to the Spring 2015 edition of Land
marks, the Open Land Conservancy’s Newsletter.
It has been awhile since the last edition, but thanks
to the efforts of several Board Members, Landmarks
is now on track to be published on a regular basis.
Mainly in an effort to reduce flooding, storm water management techniques were developed to try to capture the runoff and
let it discharge slowly to the streams and rivers. This was the detention basin era. Unfortunately many basins were improperly
engineered, constructed and or maintained. It was also discovered
that lots of basins in a watershed capturing runoff and discharging
it added to the flooding problem. And in our local situation because of the sinkhole fear, very few basins were designed to have
any of the runoff they captured soak into the ground to replenish
the aquifer.
In this edition you will find an article profiling
the Valley Creek Preserve and one of our active volunteers, Trish Gutsche. We will highlight a different
Preserve and some of the great work of our volunteers in upcoming editions of Landmarks.
During the past year, your Conservancy has continued its efforts to restore native vegetation within
our Preserves. This past winter we successfully targeted George Lorimer Preserve for our monthly volunteer “Vine Days”.
Now in 2015 we have storm water Best Management
Practices that are designed to capture runoff at the source and infiltrate it or soak it into the ground. There are, in some municipalities, very strong storm water ordinances that require an addition of
impervious surface (a roof or a driveway or patio for example) to
include storm water management for the additional runoff that will
occur.
Also in this issue, you will find an article addressing storm water management which was the
topic of our Annual Meeting in April.
Unfortunately, the distribution of the problem of runoff is
unequal. It is the people that are lower in the drainage area that are
most affected, even though the problem stems from their up-slope
neighbors and the houses and businesses above them.
We hope you will contact us and participate in
this very important work.
Mac Wilson
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Preserve Highlight: Valley Creek Preserve
Size:
Trail Miles:
Special Features:


47 acres
1.5 miles
Nearly one mile reach of “Exceptional Value” Valley Creek,
supporting naturally-reproducing brown trout
Five acre warm season grass meadow, reclaimed from invasive
shrubs and vines.
The Valley Creek Preserve comprises 47 acres around the section of Valley
Creek upstream of the dam and the Great Valley Mill, located just off North
Valley Road at its junction with Swedesford Road. Preserve entrances are
located at Hayfield Road, Treeline Drive, Overlook Place and Page Place.
The Preserve was assembled over the years from four contiguous parcels.
The first was a gift of 9 acres from Mr. & Mrs. Robert Maes in 1975 –
known then as the Orr Nature Area, OLC’s third preserve. It was extended
to the south in 1987 with the donation of 19.2 acres from Pohlig Builders.
Southerly expansion continued with the purchase of 10.5 acres in 1990 and 7
acres in 1997.
The land forming the Preserve was farmed for three centuries. The first European to occupy the area of the Valley Creek Preserve was a Welshman,
Thomas Jerman, one of the first settlers in Tredyffrin Township. He purchased 300 acres of land that encompassed the preserve in 1701. He built a
grist mill and constructed a dam and mill race on land that is now just south
of the southern boundary of the Preserve. A subsequent owner, John Rowland, built a second mill, where the present Great Valley Mill stands. A later
owner, Adam Rickabaugh, converted the first mill to a crushing mill and
crushed hemp and produced vegetable oil. The mill was still in existence as
late as 1878.
The land has since passed though many hands, being divided and re-consolidated. A 1937 aerial photograph shows cultivated fields on
the higher elevations, pasture down to the creek and very few trees. By the seventies, though, most of the cultivation had ceased and the
land began its return to nature.
However, that return has been dramatically impacted by three forces common to all OLC’s valley preserves: invasive species, overbrowsing by deer and excess storm water runoff. The woodland canopy and understory lack diversity, with typical forest trees such as
oaks, hickories, beech, black gum - and most notably the usually abundant red maple - rarely found. Invasive shrubs and vines have
thrived. Phragmites (Common Reed) advancing along the flood plain is a particular current threat.
Thanks to generous donations of time and money from neighbors and hundreds of hours of volunteer effort we are making progress
against these threats. In 2007-8 a five acre old field overrun with multi-flora and vines was cleared and planted with warm season grasses. In October 2014, OLC continued its partnership with Green Valleys Watershed Association and Siemens Medical by planting a half
acre of riparian buffer with 350 native wetland-loving trees to replace Phragmites and honeysuckle. We are planning to use this project
as a model to obtain funding for a comprehensive project to eradicate Phragmites from both Valley Creek and Cedar Hollow Preserves.
We are also working to enhance access. An Eagle Scout used timbers from an old bridge to create ditch crossings and open up a wetland trail connecting Overlook Place and Page Place with the north east area of the preserve. Neighbors donate time and equipment to
keep the trail network mowed.
All this effort is geared towards the perpetual protection and enjoyment of this narrow artery through Western Tredyffrin for the benefit
of all its wildlife residents, from great blue heron and trout (and the fishermen/women that try to catch them), through the red fox,
ducks, turtles, kingfishers, blue birds and more that you may be lucky to see.
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Interview with OLC Volunteer Trish Gutsche:
Volunteering is Both a Boost to the Community and a Boost to the Spirit
So many outstanding volunteers give their time and energy to
ensure the OLC preserves are maintained for the benefit of all.
So many, in fact, that it becomes that much more difficult to single out just one of note. But from time to time we will profile a
volunteer whose sustained contributions are so notable that they
are worthy of recognition and appreciation.
We interviewed Trish Gutsche this spring and asked her to share
her thoughts about volunteering…
Please tell us something about your background.
“My husband Stuart and I are both orthodontists and have two
young children. When we first got married, we discovered the
George Lorimer Preserve and began walking our dog there and
fell in love with the acres of meadows, woods, ponds, a stream,
and extensive trail system providing a variety of habitats for
wildlife. I grew up in a rural area and was amazed to find such a
pristine bit of wilderness here in this densely populated, cosmopolitan area. When we were searching for a home to buy nine
years ago and one became available in the Summerhill neighborhood that bordered right on the preserve, we knew that was the
place for us.”
Trish at work on a Vine Day last winter.
How do you ensure the volunteer participation of your neighbors continues?
“Social media and e-mail makes it much easier to reach out and
communicate with as many people in the area as possible. We
have a Summerhill directory that was developed by the homeowners’ association; I have created a neighborhood-wide e-mail
list with info from that directory. A Facebook group was started
by a neighbor and we can post Vine Day events there as well.”
How did you get started volunteering?
“When we first moved in, we had a toddler and a newborn, so I
didn’t start volunteering until about four years ago. It began by
responding to a call for Vine Day volunteers. I thoroughly enjoyed doing that and stuck with it regularly. It’s invigorating…
great exercise and fills a very important role in preserving the
trees by cutting the invasive vines that would otherwise smother
them.”
Will you be instilling the importance of volunteering in your
children?
“I’m proud that my 11-year old daughter Emily spearheaded a
very successful Girl Scout project to raise donations for the preserve by soliciting membership fees from people using it.”
And how has your involvement increased?
Thank you, Trish!
“Because the parking lot and main gathering space is at the other
end of the preserve, we thought that perhaps we could get more
Vine Day activity throughout the preserve by hosting at our
house. So we started that and began providing refreshments in a
social setting for our volunteering neighbors. As word spreads
about our get togethers, it’s also an opportunity to drum up support from even more Vine Day volunteers. So in addition to accomplishing something worthwhile so that we can all continue
to enjoy the beauty of the preserve, it’s a great way to meet and
get to know our neighbors.”
OLC Honors Bob Haver,
Former Treasurer
At its Annual Meeting in April, the Open Land Conservancy
honored Bob Haver, who had served as the treasurer for over
25 years. Bob was able to keep the organization on track
through some very tough times. We wish him and Linda all
the best at their new home in Malvern.
What drives you in continuing to be an active volunteer and
leading the effort?
“We all have this magnificent, free resource right in our backyards. It deserves our attention and our time and our energy to
ensure it is always there. Volunteering is a way of showing appreciation and giving back.”
Trish (in plaid jacket) and Stuart (in orange ball cap) hosting
their neighbors on a Vine Day last winter.
Mac Wilson (left) presents Bob Haver with a
commemorative plaque at the OLC Annual Meeting .
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Board of Directors
Michael F. Wilson, President
W.E. (Pete) Goodman, III, Vice President
Molly Duffy, Secretary
David Rogers, Treasurer
Michael S. Burg, Solicitor
Art Blumenthal
Scott Bush
Raymond F. Clarke
John J. Etherington
Susan K. Kokat
Richard B. Lander
Timothy S. Magee
Contact Us!
The best way to contact us is via our website at:
openlandconservancy.org
What Can You Do On-line?
● Become an OLC Member
● Make a Donation
● Become a Volunteer
● Obtain Information on OLC Preserves Including
Preserve Trail Maps
● Find Out About Upcoming Events
● Report a Safety or Maintenance Issue
● View the Landmarks Newsletter (and much more!)
Executive Secretary
Sharon L. Danbach
Emeritus Board Members
Marian T. Toland, Chairman
Katharine A. E. Campbell
Robert W. Haver
Alexander N. Rubin, Jr.
Penelope P. Wilson
Follow Us On Twitter @openlandconserv
Address:
Open Land Conservancy
PO Box 1031
Paoli, PA 19301
Phone:
610-647-5380
Are you interested in preserving the open space of
Chester County for future generations?
Ask us about becoming an OLC board member or
volunteer!
Going Green in 2015
Make sure we have your email
address! Some issues of
Landmarks will be e-newsletters.
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Photo by Bill Moses
PO Box 1031
Paoli, PA 19301
printed on
recycled paper