The document discusses land stewardship and agricultural preservation efforts in Honey Brook Township. The Brandywine Conservancy's mission is to conserve water resources through permanent land protection, improved planning, and raising awareness. Its programs include Land Stewardship, Municipal Assistance, and Conservation Design. Honey Brook is a priority area due to its prime soils, long growing season, and role in protecting downstream water supplies. Agricultural preservation benefits the environment and economy, and over 3,000 acres in Honey Brook Township have been preserved through conservation easements.

1. Implementing Land Stewardship
through Preservation
Honey Brook Township
Saving Farms Saving Water

3. The mission of the Brandywine Conservancy is to conserve the
natural and cultural resources of the Brandywine River watershed and
other selected areas with a primary emphasis on conservation of water
quantity and quality. The mission is founded on a belief that a healthy
and secure natural environment is essential to meet the needs and
aspirations of present and future generations. To accomplish its
mission the Conservancy works with individuals, municipal
governments, county and state government agencies, and private
organizations to: Permanently protect and conserve land and water,
including natural, cultural and scenic resources;
•Create and strengthen municipal and county plans and regulations
that support resource conservation;
•Improve site planning and design to support resource conservation in
land development projects;
•Conduct research and analyses of approaches to planning and to
conservation of natural and cultural resources;
•Enhance awareness and knowledge of conservation approaches
within the Brandywine River watershed and beyond.
•The Conservancy focuses on the integration of conservation with
social and economic development through three programs: Land
Stewardship, Municipal Assistance and Conservation Design.

4. Land Stewardship
Conservation Easements
Land Management
Farmland Preservation
Municipal Assistance
Innovative Land Use Regulation
Conservation Design
Transfer of Development Rights
Mapping and Analyses
The Conservancy focuses on the integration of
conservation with social and economic
development through three programs: Land
Stewardship, Municipal Assistance and
Conservation Design.

6. Honey Brook Holistic Approach
• Municipal Prioritization modeling
• Municipal Comprehensive planning
• Municipal Open Space Referendum
• Plain Sect Easement Acquisition
Program
• Free Conservation Planning
• Best Management Practice (BMP) grants

7. Prime Soils

9. Why Save Agriculture Here?
• Prime Soils
• Length of Growing Season (temperate)
• Non Irrigated
• Demographics
• Cultural significance
• Micro Economic engine/stability

10. • Top 5 counties in agricultural sales 2007
• Lancaster County 18.5% $1,072,151,000.
• Chester County 9.5% $553,290,000.
• Berks County 6.3% $367,840,000.
• Franklin County 5.2%
$304,450,000.
• Lebanon County 4.4%
$257,097,000
• York County 3.6% $212,634,000
• State total $5,808,803,000
More information on agricultural sales
• Census of Agriculture

11. THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF PROTECTED OPEN SPACE
Honey Brook
Economic Activity
- Generates $29.5 million annually
- Clustered land preservation
stimulates growth for local
businesses that support these lands
Photo courtesy Brandywine Conservancy

15. The City of Wilmington developed the Source
Water Protection Plan (SWP Plan) in order to:
1.Better protect the water supply for future
generations,
2.Reduce long term operating costs while
avoiding future treatment improvement costs
through proactive watershed planning,
3. Be better able to respond to future spills and
water quality events, through
4. Leverage upstream investments to protect the
water supply through agricultural mitigation and
farmland preservation

16. Agricultural Mitigation
• Mitigating agricultural impacts
provides benefits to the water
supply. It prevents and
reduces pathogens such as
Cryptosporidium, sediment,
livestock pharmaceuticals,
ammonia, nitrate, and
phosphorus. A study by
AWWA and the Trust for
Public Lands of water supplies
suggested that for every 4
percent increase in raw water
turbidity, treatment costs
increase 1 percent. (Trust for
Public Lands, 2004)
• Agricultural
Mitigation is a low
cost / high return
mitigation activity.
Honey Brook is the
top priority area for
this work.

17. Agricultural Preservation
• Agricultural preservation
provides benefits to the
water supply because
properly managed and
preserved farmland can
support significant
riparian buffers and
prevents the addition of
urban/suburban storm
water challenges due to
development.
• The 2,700 acres of
farmland along first order
streams in the Honey
Brook area on the West
Branch represents prime
agricultural parcels
should be the primary
preservation target area
of the initial 5 to 10 year
period.

18. City of Wilmington's
Priority Protection Areas

20. Honey Brook’s Agricultural
Resources 2004
• Township size- 16,134 acres
• 870 acres eased (5%)
• 136.9 acres proposed to sell
development rights, (.8%)

22. Honey Brook’s Agricultural
Preservation & Opportunities
2010
• Township size- 16,134 acres
• 1,901 acres preserved through
easements (11.7%)
• 1,849 acres proposed to sell
development rights, (11.4%)

24. Honey Brook’s Agricultural
Preservation & Opportunities
2014
• 3,155 acres preserved (19.6% of
Township)
• 1,593 acres applied to sell
development rights (9.8%)
• Township is #1 in the County
participating in Preservation
Programs ---4 years in a row

26. Conservation Planning
2008-14
• 2008 Began Promoting No Cost
Soil and Conservation Planning
• 70 plans on 6,593 acres County
Wide
• 47 plans on 3,789 acres in Honey
Brook
• Acquired grants to implements
BMP’s on 6 Farms in Honey Brook

28. Stabilizing High Traffic Area

29. Before

30. After

32. Honey Brook 2004 to Present

38. Brandywine Headwaters
Preservation Program
•Eligible: Land in or adjacent to
geographic areas delineated in the City
of Wilmington Source Water Protection
Plan as “Ag Cluster 1”, “Ag Cluster 2” or
“Ag Cluster 3”.
•Not Eligible: Property on which there is
an ongoing violation of federal, state or
local laws.
•There is no minimum size requirement.

40. WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION
WATERSHED PROTECTION
PROGRAM
Protect & Restore the Delaware
River Basin
WPF selected 8 Cluster Sites within the
Basin.
Involving 8 cluster teams and a total of 47
non-profits conservation organizations.
The Brandywine–Christina Watershed
was a selected site.

42. The Brandywine–Christina Watershed Cluster Team.
Led by the Brandywine Conservancy and included:
Stroud Water Research Center,
Natural Lands Trust,
Brandywine Valley Association,
The Nature Conservancy of DE, and
University of Delaware’s Water Resources Agency.
9 Pilot Projects proposed, 8 were selected.
Source Water Protection in Honey Brook Township
was the largest of the 8 selected Pilot Projects.
Stroud Water Research Center and Brandywine Valley
Association will participate in the project.

45. New Grants
Implementing BMPS
•Growing Greener
•National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
Purchasing Development Rights
•Open Space Institute

46. Thank You