Natural Lands - The Magazine of Natural Lands Fall/Winter 2019, Issue 155 | Page 9

For the public-private consor-
tium determined to preserve the
farm, the McCauslands were an
answered prayer. Not only were they
interested in owning the land, they
were—and remain—committed to
stewarding and restoring the prop-
erty’s natural, agricultural, eques-
trian, and architectural history.
“Erdenheim has been in continuous
agricultural use since the found-
ing of the Commonwealth and my
family is delighted to be part of the
effort to keep it operating largely
as it has been over the years,” said
Peter McCausland.
a working farm, a community
treasure.
Thousands experience Erdenheim
Farm daily via the commuter-laden
roads that run through it. “I drive
out of my way just to see the cattle
and sheep out in the pasture,” wrote
a neighbor in a letter thanking the
Farm for maintaining this natural
sanctuary. Beauty is not the only
benefit. “Open spaces like Erden-
heim Farm provide naturally oc-
curring flood control, air and water
pollution mitigation, wildlife habitat,
and carbon sequestration,” says
Oliver Bass, president of Natural
Lands. “But Erdenheim may be most
valuable as a living tether to the
region’s agricultural roots.”
Look beyond the idyllic landscape,
and you’ll find a working farm,
stewarded by a small number of
employees, whose diverse skills are
used across the numerous agricul-
tural, horticultural, and livestock
activities. The farm’s 20 hives of
honeybees produce 350 pounds of
wildflower honey annually. Near-
ly 400 hens lay dozens of eggs
daily. The orchard yields peaches,
apples, apricots, plums, and pears.
Vegetable beds produce heirloom
tomatoes, pumpkins, and squash.
Microgreens, herbs, and meat from
lambs and cattle raised on the land
grace the tables of many of the
area’s finest restaurants. The farm’s
bounty reaches suburban kitchens
via the twice-weekly farm stand that
is open to the public.
The McCausland family’s com-
mitment to conservation extends
to the natural landscape’s other
inhabitants. The streambank of
the Wissahickon Creek on the farm
has been restored, including the
planting of more than 600 trees, and
the establishment of new meadow
adjacent to the creek to encourage
wildlife. When visiting Erdenheim
from their home in Florida, Peter
loves to spend time watching birds.
Thus far, he has spotted Bobolinks,
Kingfishers, a pair of Swallow-tailed
Kites, Muted Swans, Cedar Wax-
wings, and more than 20 species of
ducks. Bald Eagles have nested on
the property for six years now.
Because the McCauslands appre-
ciate and respect Erdenheim Farm’s
value as a significant cultural land-
scape, they have dedicated them-
selves to restoring and preserving
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NAT U R AL LAND S