Chandler Mill Preserve now open

Posted by Press Release on December 20, 2017

Thanks to the generosity of public and private supporters alike, the Chandler Mill Nature Preserve and Interpretive Nature Center is now open to the public. Come hike along the perimeter trails or relax for a spell next to the historic Chandler Mill Bridge.

Experience the bold vision of Kennett Township, area residents, a local family, and The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County in creating this unique oasis within Kennett Township’s largest contiguous corridor of permanently protected lands.

This is an example of a successful public-private partnership that will result in a community asset for generations to come. In 2015, Kennett Township officially took ownership of the historic Chandler Mill Bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, to avoid its being demolished and replaced by a two-lane, road widening project. This closed the bridge to vehicular traffic and earmarked it for use as a pedestrian trail and ambulance access bridge.

Since that time, TLC has been busy raising more $1.7 million in grants, outright donations, and in-kind materials to purchase the former Walnut Hill Bed & Breakfast for its headquarters and to create the Chandler Mill Interpretive Nature Center and Preserve at the base of the historic Chandler Mill Bridge. During this time, TLC has also been successful in having the area designated as a local historic district. The Brokaw family, who are local artists and conservationists, generously donated 42 acres to create the Chandler Mill Nature Preserve.

The Mills Family, former owners of the current TLC Walnut Hill Headquarters, sold their home of 50 years to TLC in 2015, and in addition to conversion to office space, TLC with the help of Architect Wayne Simpson and Lindsey Construction retrofitted the former family two car garage into what is now the Interpretive Nature Center.

Taxidermy of screech owls, foxes, hawks and mallards, along with a neighbor’s bird nest collection and various local artifacts, line the shelves. TLC will host educational programming at the center with participants able to step right out into the Preserve. The project is a microcosm of TLC’s work, it encompasses the four tenets of land conservation, historic preservation, environmental education, and stewardship. We pinch ourselves every day when we drive down the road to our headquarters.

The Chandler Mill Interpretive Center and Nature Preserve is located at the confluence of the Red Clay and Bucktoe creeks and contains Class I Woodlands and Meadows, specimen trees, rare species of flora and fauna, and historic sites. It is part of an Audubon Important Bird Area, as well as an over 35-year-long Cornell Lab of Ornithology study. The preserve is a haven for birds and threatened flora and fauna, so dogs are not permitted on the preserve.

Fortunately, TLC has four other local preserves that are dog-friendly. The Chandler Mill Nature Preserve and Interpretive Center is part of the largest contiguously conserved area in Kennett Township, with over 500 areas of open space containing some of the most biodiverse habitats in the region. This project greatly advances TLC’s efforts to protect, enhance, and promote the importance of watershed health within the Brandywine/Christina Watershed and highlight the protection of our history and our stories in Southern Chester County.