Chestnut Grove Foundation
ATTENTION PENN MANOR PROPERTY OWNERS!
You may be eligible to RECEIVE UP TO $1000 from the Chestnut Grove Foundation! Applications due: July 9, 2010.
Have you made environmental improvements to your property that:
- use alternative energy sources?
- protect wildlife?
- conserve or protect natural resources?
Click here for an application!
Coming Up!Jack Hubley at Washington Boro Society |
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Our Programs
Seeds of Sustainability Awards
In its second year, the program awarded four prizes to Penn Manor property owners who demonstrated good stewardship of their land:
| Exceptional Award $1000 | Hilari Hinnant |
| Excellent Awards $500 | Todd & Audrey Stewart |
| John, Terri, Claudia, and Erich Shuman | |
| Meritorious Award $100 | Mark Lobeck |
Chestnut Grove Foundation Announces $2,100 in Homeowner Awards
Penn Manor's Chestnut Grove Foundation has awarded $2,100 to Penn Manor property owners as part of its "Seeds of Sustainability Program." The awards went to local homeowners who have demonstrated good stewardship of the natural resources on their properties.
The "Seeds of Sustainability" program recognizes and rewards individual property owners within the Penn Manor school district who have significantly protected and conserved the natural resources on their own properties, used alternative energy sources, reduced pollution, protected wildlife or in any other meaningful way protected or conserved natural resources.
CGF awarded the Pequea family of John and Terri Shuman $500 in the "excellent" category for conserving energy and water and protecting and providing natural wildlife habitat on their 1.25 acre property.
In addition to composting and recycling, the Shumans have minimized the yard area that they need to mow and have porous surface sidewalks to allow infiltration of rainwater. . They use a rain barrel to capture runoff from their house roof and use the water as needed in yard and garden. Natural leaf mulch and native ground cover keeps the soil in place and retains moisture for their plants.
The Shumans have focused on protecting the native habitat and attracting a variety of birds and animals. They do not use chemicals but mechanically control invasive plants such as tree of heaven, garlic mustard and mile-a-minute weeds. They have little need for purchased bird food, since fruit eating birds enjoy wine berries, mulberries and cherries in the Shuman yard. They planted bee balm and honeysuckle for hummingbirds and purple coneflowers for goldfinches and they provide controlled multiflora rose for the catbirds. The Shumans created a water oasis that attracts bullfrogs, leopard frogs, and toads while a birdbath is visited by house finches, tufted titmice, chickadees, bluebirds, robins and squirrels. Finally, they've left old stumps and snags as perching and nesting places for bluebirds and flycatchers.
Other awardees include Hilari Hinnant who won an "Exceptional" award of $1000 for taking a small barren yard in the Crossgates Homeowners Association of Millersville and creating a wildlife habitat that has attracted a diversity of birds, butterflies and pollinators. By planting vegetables, herbs and native plants the project created an oxygen-producing habitat and carbon dioxide-eliminating environment that has also reduced storm water runoff. The project reduces energy costs, eliminates harmful insecticides and uses a compost bin to enrich the soil. The project is considered "Exceptional" because of the creativity shown and for its applicability, serving as a model for the small yards of urban and townhouse dwellings.
Todd and Audrey Stewart of Holtwood garnered a $500 award in the "Excellent" category. In addition to implementing energy saving and environmentally friendly practices in their home, the Stewarts focused on restoring woodland, preserving habitat, minimizing erosion and storm water runoff, and conserving natural resources when they built their home five years ago on a 1.5 acre wooded lot. Both inside and outside the home, their lifestyle is designed to decrease their impact on the environment.
The fourth award, for "Meritorious" achievement went to Mark Lobeck of Lancaster who retrofitted a geothermal heating and cooling system to a large old farmhouse. In addition to heating and cooling the house efficiently, the system captures the water from the condenser which is then used for watering the property.
Chestnut Grove Foundation continues its "Seeds of Sustainability" program for the third year and has announced July 9, 2010 as the deadline for submission of applications. Any project completed by a Penn Manor homeowner in the last 5 years is eligible for cash awards of $1000, $500 or $100.
In addition to protecting and conserving the natural resources on their properties, possible projects for homeowners include: improved habitat for wildlife, increased home energy efficiency, woodland or wetland restoration, re-use of gray water, minimizing storm water runoff, constructing a green roof, or using innovative energy conservation measures.
Awards will be announced September, 2010. More information is available on the website or by calling 872-4142.
Conestoga River Clean-up
For the third year, we sponsored a Boy Scout Eagle project to clean up the Conestoga River. This year Henry Stewart led the project, cleaning up the Conestoga from East King street to the Knights of Columbus.
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Conestoga Trail Clean up Summer 2010.
CGF will support two Penn Manor high school students who as a service project, will clean litter from the Conestoga Trail.
Chestnut Tree Planting
We provided funding and labor to help The American Chestnut Foundation (http://www.patacf.org/) plant carefully bred, disease resistant American chestnuts as part of a program to restore blight-resistant Chestnut groves in the River Hills. This year the chestnut seeds were planted on April 24 and 25, 2010 at the Lancaster County Conservancy's House Rock Chestnut orchard. More than 3,000 chestnut trees have been planted to date.
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Educational programs
- For the sixth consecutive year, CGF has been a sponsor of the Lancaster County Envirothon http://www.envirothonpa.org/
The Chestnut Grove Foundation is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and is registered with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Charitable Organizations.