I am Jen Trachtman, President of French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust.

I grew up in Audubon, Pennsylvania, earned my B. S. in Biology from Ursinus College, and moved to East Vincent Township near Pughtown with my husband, Mike, in 1987.  We became aware of French & Pickering when we met its founder, Eleanor Morris, in the 1990’s. I was honored to be invited to join the Board in 2004.  

We had always enjoyed the rural environment, the farmland, the creeks, the woods and the fields of northern Chester County, but our affiliation with French & Pickering opened a door to so much more—beyond the beauty of our area, French & Pickering helped us, and so many others, to understand how that beauty contributes to air and water quality, biodiversity, wildlife … all integral contributors to the well-being of those who live here.  

Just as important, beyond fostering a deeper and richer appreciation of our area, French & Pickering helped my family and our community understand how that appreciation can be translated into tangible actions that help safeguard what we value.  We learned of the remarkable success French & Pickering has had in working with landowners to preserve—forever—thousands of acres of our most important open spaces.  We learned how French & Pickering helped to preserve the jewel that is the Warwick valley.  We learned how French & Pickering uncovered and stabilized the ruins of the historic Warwick Furnace and created our two nature preserves, open for everyone’s enjoyment.  Through French & Pickering’s lecture series and planned outings, we learned how to promote the native plants and habitats that support our most crucial pollinators, birds and other wildlife, we learned how to deal with spotted lanternflies, we learned how to help our diminishing bird population survive through the winter, we learned about the remarkable importance of oak trees … we learned how all of us, acting individually and together, can help to safeguard our most significant natural resources and ecological systems.  

During my years of involvement with French & Pickering, I have seen it evolve into a professional, result-driven organization that truly makes a difference in the lives of the people who live in northern Chester County.  We are grateful for the generosity of its many donors and supporters, the commitment of the board of directors, the passion and diligence of an excellent staff, and the distinguished leadership of Executive Director Bill Gladden.  The future is bright.  

My childhood days in Audubon were usually spent exploring the outdoors – an outdoors that in crucial respects no longer exists, an outdoors that will no longer provide to today’s children the sense of wonder that I enjoyed.  In northern Chester County, we have a rare and exceedingly important opportunity to preserve what many other communities have allowed to slip away.  French & Pickering is dedicated to that mission.  

I look forward to meeting and working with you in service of our respect for our natural environment, as well as the sheer joy it will bring to all of us, and those who come after us.