Tag Archives: david culp

the schiffer of it all: east whiteland has officially saved 52 acres in perpetuity

Posted on by

There is a major article in the Philadelphia Business Journal about West Chester being given the Schiffer Farm at 1469 Morstein as a monumental donation and East Whiteland buying 52 acres at $4.7 million for open space. That is why East Whiteland voters passed the open space referendum last fall. That means dear readers, that saving this land is officially done and dusted!

The article mentions how West Chester University Provost Jeff Osgood said “West Chester did not want to engage in development for the sake of development” but isn’t that confusing given the back and forth in the past about what was it? 15 acres of this property that are mostly in West Whiteland and a wee bit in East Goshen? You know the land that backs up to where is it? Old Phoenixville Pike? Was that land sold before the rest was donated? (I never asked that before, did you?) West Whiteland is about preservation, but East Goshen today? Who knows as that township has changed.

This property straddles more than one municipality, and the thing I find sad is Durango Farm which has operated out of there for years will be relocating. It was in the article, but I had heard that a couple of months ago, elsewhere. I loved seeing the horses swishing their tails on the hill of the front field on Morstein. What East Whiteland acquired is called Ridley Springs, something else I didn’t now since we all just know it as “Schiffer Farm.”

The horses I am guessing will have to be relocated by or before renovation of the land occurs in 2026. Some buildings are reported as decrepit on the site, so while some structures I am guessing will be preserved, some will be removed… or that is what I was told when I asked a while ago. I will miss the horses, but it perhaps was not as easy having horses over there given the people who treated them like a petting zoo and would just wander up and neighbors in the past also told me people would try and feed them which you never do without permission, just like you don’t wander onto land with horses or live stock without permission.

The Philadelphia Business Journal also reported that this land in transition would present learning opportunities for students as well. Something about a collaborative process between the West Chester University kids and East Whiteland to transform a farm into a nature preserve and park. That’s pretty cool.

(An aside is Philadelphia Business Journal is well worth a subscription, although expensive.)

What would also be cool? Since there is open land not wooded, wouldn’t it be a great place for an observatory and wasn’t there one around the area once upon a time?

Also as I am a big gardener, I am a fan of what has happened at Bondsville Mill Park thanks to David Culp. I also would like to see organic community garden plots. That property has tons of deer, so that would require fencing.

West Chester University will use proceeds of the land for scholarships and financial aid, which as well all know for colleges and universities across the country is under attack courtesy of the current administration in Washington D.C.

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2025/06/17/west-chester-university-gift-land-preservation.html

Here is the full text of Chair of The East Whiteland Supervisors speech. I asked for it because it is such a great thing to have happened in an ugly world and thank you East Whiteland Township for getting it:

Good afternoon,
I’m Scott Lambert, Chairman of the East Whiteland Township Board of
Supervisors. Today, I’m honored to stand before you and share this truly
exciting news, a process that began 2.5 yrs ago which for municipal time
lines is a fast turnaround …news that reflect the very best of what can
happen when a community comes together with a shared purpose.


East Whiteland Township is proud of the forthcoming acquisition and
permanent preservation of a truly special piece of land—RIDLEY SPRINGS FARM.

This milestone is not just about preserving open space, it’s about
legacy, vision, and above all, it’s about Improving our community.
In 2023, the generous anonymous donor approached the Townships of
East Whiteland, East Goshen, and West Whiteland with an opportunity to preserve over 52 acres of beautiful countryside. After thoughtful
discussions and deep consideration, East Whiteland Township stepped
forward as the only municipality ready to commit to preserving this land for the public good……….. But we couldn’t do it alone.


Thanks to a vital partnership from the West Chester University
Foundation—who graciously stepped in to temporarily acquire the
land—we were able to act swiftly while securing funding for long-term
stewardship. And thanks to the strong support of the Pennsylvania
Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Chester County, our
County Commissioners Marion Moskowitz , Josh Maxwell who graciously cleared their calendar for a hastily arranged meeting that helped turn the tide.

To our state representatives of Senator Katie Muth and Representative
Kristine Howard, The staff at Carolynn Comita’s office that offered some
good advice and most importantly the 4044 residents of East Whiteland
Township, who voted in favor of the new Open Space Tax, we secured
nearly $1.87 million in grant funding to make this dream a reality.
This isn’t just about protecting open space, it’s also about creating a
vibrant, lasting resource for generations to come …. Our vision for the
property reflects a mission deeply rooted in conservation. We will honor
WITH THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY the original wishes of the anonymousfamily….. that this land is not developed for commercial, residential, or industrial use. Instead, we’re transforming it into a public nature preserve and park— a place where all are welcome to enjoy …..the best of our ability includes our fierce opposition to pending state House Bill 502 which would strip local government of the power to make land use and zoning ordinances decisions related to large scale energy production facilities -handing it instead to a 7 member politically appointed board in Harrisburg .

On June 12 Nick Cohen a CEO of an energy company, testified in
Harrisburg in support of this bill had these comments about local elected
officials:


X They should stick to chicken coop and garage decisions
X They did not get in the business of local government to make decisions
about land use.

Perhaps Mr. Cohen should review the PA MPC /SALDO …
this type of overreach further under scores the importance of this
transaction. And I hope our voting representatives will not approve this bill
in the current state and respect the importance of local municipal input.

While we have much planning to do to prepare this space for public use,
here’s a look at what’s ahead:

  • A beautiful network of scenic hiking and walking trails
  • A brand-new trailhead and pocket park for rest and recreation
  • Designated spaces for community events—like 5K races, family fun
    days, nature walks, and wellness programs…. these details will
    include input from our community/stakeholders
  • This land will be a sanctuary and a place where future generations can
    explore, learn, and thrive. On behalf of the East Whiteland Township Board
    of Supervisors, I want to thank a who’s who of super people (everyone ) who helped bring this vision over the finish line -the anonymous family,
    our Township team, Chester County Commissioners, Senator Muth,
    Representative Howard and Chris Pielli, State Senator Comitta, the West Chester University Foundation, our grant partners at DCNR and Chester County, West Whiteland for agreeing to the annexation of 1 acre of their property and our 4044 residents or 56% of the voting community that supported the preservation of open space.

Thank you all for your commitment to helping preserve this land for public
enjoyment for generations to come.

I close with saying everyone should thank East Whiteland Supervisor Scott Lambert. He doesn’t take enough credit for the mountains he moved to get this done.

Ciao for now.

in the garden, what inspires you?

Posted on by

 

When you are working in your garden, what inspires you? Who inspires you?

A garden is a labor of love, an artistic expression. To me, my garden is like a living artist’s palette. And that is why I think sometimes I get twitchy about my garden. It’s my creativity and sweat equity. Ideas that begin in my head, take shape out of the earth from my hands. 

I love to inspire but I do not wish to see my garden recreated everywhere necessarily. 

Inspiration is very different from copying.

No one designed my garden for me. I used no landscape computer program. I took what I have loved in every garden I have ever had and inspiration from garden writers I admire from Gertrude Jekyll to Rosemary Verey to Penelope Hobhouse to Suzy Bales to Chester County’s David L. Culp. With my current garden the last two garden writers have been particularly influential.

David Culp’s The Layered Garden is not only visually a thing of beauty but so informative as well. The whole concept of a layered garden appeals to me because a layered garden has many different elements. It’s not just one dimensional, it’s multi dimensional. It’s a feast for the eyes and senses.

Then there are the books by Suzy Bales. I made Mrs. Bales acquaintance via email a few years ago after reading her book  Suzy Bales’ Down to Earth Gardener: Let Nature Guide You to Success in Your Garden. Again, a visually beautiful gardening book, but more than that. It is loaded with practical advice.

When I decided on a whim to write Mrs. Bales and tell her how much I loved her book and how she was inspiring me, to my delight she wrote me back. We corresponded here and there and she sent me autographed copies of her other books. I treasure them.  Her other book I refer to often   is The Garden in Winter: Plant for Beauty and Interest in the Quiet Season.

I was thinking about Mrs. Bales’ books again as I was preparing to write this post and quite sadly I discovered she passed away this March from cancer. What a loss. She was so kind to me every time I wrote to her about gardening. You can find an archive of some of her gardening articles on Huffington Post. What a nice lady and an amazing gardener. And so generous with her time and knowledge.

So my point? Don’t copy someone else’s garden or think some landscape computer program is all you need to have someone else plant your garden. Being inspired is not copying what someone else does including acquiring all of the cultivars they have. Being inspired means crafting your own vision. Getting your hands dirty learning from trial and error.

This is part of the fun of doing your own garden– you can try your ideas out and it’s much more cool (at least to me) than walking around after some random landscaper has put their commercial version of your vision to work. It is just more satisfying.

Anyone can garden. Truly. Buy yourself some basic gardening books so you learn techniques. Join an online gardening group. I joined my first online gardening board easily 2o plus years ago. It was the rose gardeners board on AOL. I made friends on that board from across the country that I still am connected to today. I even started a gardening group on Facebook of my own that has over 500 gardeners in it. We share photos, ask each other questions, inspire each other.

Gardening is truly individualistic. I literally stand outside  (when I probably should be weeding) and day dream about what I would like to see. Gardening writers like Suzy Bales and David Culp really help my envisioning because of their practical advice and beautiful gardens which leap off the pages of their books.  I don’t want their exact garden in my garden, they inspire me to be creative on my own. I figure if they can do it, I can do it.

Occasionally I have help if something is say too big for me to handle planting  on my own. I also don’t do lawns, I kill lawns. I have an experienced arborist. So I do have help, although I do most of my gardening myself. I have learned to tell people I am employing to help me what I want specifically, that way everyone is happy especially  me since it’s my garden. And the people who occasionally help me know I am a benevolent dictator who gets her hands dirty and her face smudged with dirt. 

Bit by bit my garden is coming to life on all four sides of our home. It is trial and error. Some plants don’t make it so I either try them again, or try new ones.  And I am definitely layering. For size , smell, type, bloom cycle, season, colors. It’s a crazy quilt of my own design. Inspired by other gardens and gardeners, but uniquely my own. I don’t pretend to know everything or every proper Latin name. I plant what I like. Sometimes I have researched the plants and a lot of times they are impulse buys because I like the way they look and can envision them in my garden.

So think about it: what inspires you in your garden? Let me know!