Natural Lands - The Magazine of Natural Lands Spring/Summer 2019, Issue 154 | Page 2

N ATUR A L L A N DS 4 careful comeback. 7 generosity & purpose. 8 Fidèle’s house. forever green. Bald Eagles breeding on our preserves. Bob Hawkes’ legacy lives on. editor  Kirsten Werner art director  Holly M. Harper principal photography  Mae Axelrod contributors  Brittni Albright, Suzanne Barton, Oliver Bass, Darin Groff, Ann Hausmann, Erin McCormick, Sang Phouansouvanh, Mark Williams, Peter Williamson Conserving Dr. Barnes’ country home. bird’s-eye view. Volunteer Mark Williams takes photos Natural Lands Hildacy Preserve 1031 Palmers Mill Road, Media, PA 19063 t 610-353-5587  |  f 610-353-0517 [email protected] | natlands.org 2 NEWS 10 SAVING OPEN SPACE The official registration and financial information of Natural Lands Trust, Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. recent land conservation successes. Information filed with the Attorney General concerning this charitable solicitation and the percentage of contributions received by the charity during the last reporting period that were dedicated to the charitable purpose may be obtained from the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey by calling 973-504-6215 and is available on the internet at www.state.nj.us/lps/ ca/charfrm.htm. Registration with the Attorney General does not imply endorsement. #naturallands   facebook.com/NatLands     Natural Lands—along with the City of Coatesville and Brandywine Health Foundation—completed construction of a new nature and water play area at Palmer Park this past spring and the park has taken on a new life. Children and families have been enjoying the unique splash playground. Kids are spending hours climbing on the natural wood play features. Neighbors are gathering among the native plantings… connecting, laughing, and relaxing. Even by neighborhood park standards, Palmer Park in Coatesville, PA, is small—just about one block. But there is nothing small about its value to the community. In the land conservation world, we can be a little obsessed with size. Spend any time with a conservationist and it won’t be long before they share with great enthusiasm the total acreage they’ve saved. Make no mistake, when it comes to natural landscapes, size is often important. The larger the area of preserved open space, the more opportunities there are for nature to thrive. The better the chance for wildlife like, for example, Bald Eagles to breed beyond the reach of human disturbance. This is one of the reasons why Natural Lands’ network of 43 nature preserves—totaling 22,000 acres—and the 23,000 acres of privately owned lands on which we hold conservation easements are so important. They represent a critical mass that is essential to the health of our ecosystems. But open spaces come in many sizes and varieties and each provides value. Parks, regardless of their size, are places to recreate and connect with others. Trails are popular destinations for exercise and transportation. Some trails have even helped to spark a town’s revitalization. As a recent study in Chester County has reinforced, open spaces provide extraordinary economic value, as well. As just one example, houses in the county that are within a half-mile of preserved open space are worth, on average, $11,000 more. That’s a boost of $1.65 billion to the county’s housing stock. A researcher at West Chester University has identified 10 categories of value that people tend to ascribe to nature. These vary widely and some are even negative, such as fear based upon worries about what one might come across in the outdoors. But overwhelmingly, his research suggests that we humans find a lot to love about nature, as well we should. No matter how large they are or why we value them, open spaces give back to us in abundance. OLIVER BASS, PRESIDENT   twitter.com/natlands     cover: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), photo by Bill Moses   instagram.com/natural.lands natural lands number 154  •  spring/summer 2019 via drone. 1 from the president contents 16 . SPRI NG / SUMMER 2 019