In advance of Earth Day last month, the Brandywine Conservancy launched its new Climate Resiliency Initiative. This new initiative brings cross-departmental expertise through technical assistance, education, planning and project implementation directly to individual landowners and municipal governments to combat the issues of climate change. With the Climate Resiliency Initiative, the Conservancy is targeting two types of actions: climate mitigation (direct, tangible efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) and climate adaptation (planning for resilience against the impacts of climate change).

To collaborate with landowners and municipal partners, Conservancy staff have developed a suite of services to improve land management and strategic planning options at various levels—from addressing individual properties to a full landscape approach—as well as a variety of municipal planning tools to assist with climate adaptation and mitigation efforts.

More information on the Brandywine Conservancy’s new Climate Resiliency Initiative, and how to get involved, can be found at www.brandywine.org/climate.

The Brandywine Conservancy will once again be hosting Regional Meetings for our Greenway Partners this May. Municipal staff, elected officials, committee members and municipal volunteers are welcome to attend and update the Conservancy and neighboring municipalities on Greenway-related projects that they are undertaking or have recently completed. This is a wonderful opportunity to network with our colleagues and lunch will be provided by the Conservancy.

Below is a list of the dates and locations of our upcoming meetings. If you are unable to attend the meeting in your region, you are welcome to join a meeting in a neighboring region. If you are unsure of your region, would like to attend a meeting in an adjacent region, or would like to RSVP for a meeting, please contact Rob Daniels at rdaniels@brandywine.org. 

The Brandywine Conservancy is pleased to launch the Brandywine Creek Greenway’s (BCG) Mini-Grant Program for 2023-2024.

This program is funded by our recent grant of $85,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Community Conservation Partnership Program Environmental Stewardship Fund, administered by the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation.

With these funds, the Brandywine Conservancy will be able to grant awards of $2,000 to $25,000 to projects that will support and advance the goals and objectives of the BCG’s Strategic Action Plan (2014). Grant applications are due May 30, 2023. Please find more information and application materials on the BCG website.

For questions about the BCG Mini Grant Program, please contact the Brandywine Conservancy’s Sarah Sharp at ssharp@brandywine.org.

Conservancy staff have begun working to update the 2014 Brandywine Creek Greenway Strategic Action Plan (PA) and the 2019 Concept Plan for the Brandywine Creek Greenway in Delaware.

This update will combine the two plans and will incorporate goals addressing diversity, inclusion, accessibility and equity as well as climate resiliency. As part of this update, Conservancy staff will be asking Brandywine Creek Partners to review their project portfolios and provide any updates on current or new projects that should be included in the updated plan.

We are excited to announce that the Brandywine Conservancy will be hosting its sixth Bike the Brandywine on September 23, 2023. Join hundreds of other riders in exploring the lure of the Brandywine on three scenic loops (25, 45 and 62-mile options) through the Brandywine Creek Greenway. More information can be found on our website and registration is now open! Also, be sure to keep up to date at our Facebook event page.

Elena Hadley joined the Conservancy’s staff as a Lead Planner in the Municipal Assistance Program. In addition to municipal planning projects, she will also be the coordinator of the Brandywine Creek Greenway. Elena has a B.S. in environmental design from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Most recently she was an Environmental Educator and Research Technician at Stroud Water Research Center, and she is also a professional equestrian. Her previous work and studies have included landscape-scale planning efforts in the U.S., Brazil and Czech Republic that combined elements of landscape planning, municipal planning, riparian restoration, agroecology, and various GIS programs.

Join us in welcoming Elena to the team! She can be reached directly at ehadley@brandywine.org.

HEADER IMAGE: Photo by Eric Loken