PROTECTING THE NATURAL AND CULTURAL
RESOURCES OF THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY
(April 2004, #009)

In 1967, local residents concerned about the future of Chadds Ford organized the Brandywine Conservancy to meet a variety of threats to the natural, artistic, and cultural heritage of this once rural area. Conservation easements, assistance to local governments, historic preservation, and water protection efforts initiated then remain key elements of the Environmental Management Center's programs which have been instrumental in permanently protecting more than 38,000 acres in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Flooding and pollution are perennial problems along the Brandywine. In the early 1970's, the Center's extensive research documented relationships between land use changes and the quantity and quality of stream flows. That research, and continuing studies of surface and groundwater in the Brandywine and nearby watersheds, confirms the need for new approaches to land development and water management in small watersheds. The Center's studies show that the quality and quantity of water supplies cannot be protected without preservation of extensive open space throughout developed and rural areas of a watershed.

The Environmental Management Center offers technical consulting assistance and applied research through three programs: Land Stewardship, Municipal Assistance, and Conservation Design. The Center publishes books, reports, and newsletters. It sponsors workshops and actively participates in numerous local, regional, and national organizations.

When necessary, the Center takes public stands on development and environmental issues ñ particularly those related to water - that will have long-term effects on the resources and people of the Brandywine Valley and the region.

Counseled by the Conservancy's Environmental Committee, the Center's land planners and resource managers work with landowners, governments, other conservation groups, and responsible land developers throughout Pennsylvania and northern Delaware.

The Environmental Management Center of the Brandywine Conservancy identifies, preserves, manages, and researches natural, historic, agricultural, and scenic resources of the Wilmington-Philadelphia region, and other selected areas, with emphasis on the protection of the Brandywine Valley's resources. A major concern is water resources protection.

The Conservancy uses a comprehensive approach to environmental planning and management. Working with individuals and groups, it develops designs to achieve preservation of essential environmental and community resources in a changing regional economy.

The Brandywine Conservancy believes that a partnership of public regulatory efforts and private initiatives is required for effective resource protection. The Conservancy promotes this by providing technical assistance to local governments to improve water and land use regulations; working with private landowners to provide permanent protection of natural and historic resources; and developing creative land use plans and solutions to many environmental problems.

Whether for a single property, an entire municipality, or a watershed, the Conservancyís recommendations for planning, design and management are tailored to the character and function of the land, goals of the landowner, and interests of the community. This approach, a comprehensive perspective, has earned the Brandywine Conservancy's Environmental Management Center a reputation for practical innovation and solid achievements.

The Conservancy assists private landowners in developing plans for protecting, managing, and improving their farms, meadows, natural areas, and historic sites. Planning for permanent preservation of critical features includes alternatives for future disposition and development designs appropriate to the property.

Important water resource areas and agricultural, natural or historic lands can be protected through conservation easements or, in special cases, the donation of land. Both measures can provide property owners with important income, estate, and gift tax benefits while furthering conservation goals. Long-term management and administration of conservation easements and land owned by the Conservancy are primary responsibilities of this program.

Other services include cataloging and evaluating flora and fauna; supervising woodland, meadow, and wildlife management plans; and advising on stream and pond improvement, soil erosion, and sediment control. The Conservancy also prepares plans for public use of open space.
The Conservancy assists local governments and others with the development of plans, ordinances, regulations, and other measures to guide community growth and protect natural, historic, and scenic resources. It also conducts technical and legal research to improve tools available to public officials for land use, water resources, and environmental planning and management.

Components of the program, available through various subscriptions, include the Environmental Management Handbook, a reference of model ordinances, land use practices, and environmental law. Staff members provide subscribers with technical assistance for planning and design of public and private sites; resource inventories; assistance with plans to protect open space; and assistance with regional planning problems. Subscribers may attend a series of meetings and workshops on legal and environmental subjects. They also receive Environmental Currents, the Environmental Management Center's semi-annual newsletter, and annual Handbook updates.

For more information about any of the Brandywine Conservancy's environmental programs, visit the Conservancy's website at www.brandywineconservancy.org or call 610-388-2700.

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