For over 15 years, the Tregaron Conservancy has been hard at work restoring and enhancing the many paths, stairways, bridges, meadows and the Lily Pond, for everyone to enjoy all year long.
We have many exciting projects underway (click here to support our initiatives or contact us at info@tregaronconservancy.org to learn more):
- Planting woodland wild gardens and large drifts of daffodils along our paths, inspired by Ellen Biddle Shipman’s nationally-landmarked designs.
- Planting and stewarding our native grass and wildflower meadows, designed by renowned landscape designer Larry Weaner. This multi-year project has created an expansive new habitat for birds, butterflies and other pollinators, as well as a place of enjoyment and learning. Before 2016, this large swath of land was covered entirely in invasive species. We have succeeded in dramatically reducing the presence of invasives, thus scaling back our long-term maintenance needs. We continue to follow a strict mowing regimen and add new native wildflowers.
- Uncovering and restoring original stone bridges, walls, footpaths and stairways and re-establishing historic footpaths, with guidance from DC’s Historic Preservation Office. In 2019 alone, we uncovered the original cobblestone edges of Klingle Stream and started to recreate Shipman’s original, circa 1915 footpath around the lily pond. (Enjoy this brochure with info for kids about the pond!)
- Updating maps to reflect new paths and entrances, and creating new interpretive signs.
- Renewing the Klingle Stream Valley landscape from the Causeway bridge to the Klingle Stream headwall by removing invasives, restoring the stream bed, restoring stone bridges, and establishing new Shipman-inspired plantings.
- Planting canopy and understory trees, increasing biodiversity and climate resilience, adding to the over 250 trees already planted at Tregaron.
- Caring for or removing trees that have been affected by alternating periods of heavy rain and drought in recent years.
- Improving our trails and addressing storm-water drainage challenges. More frequent and intense storms wreak havoc on our trails and slopes. We engaged a civil engineer to study our storm-water issues and are working hard to implement his recommendations to manage water flow, reduce erosion and improve our trails.
- Engaging in more sustainable stewardship and management of the landscape year-round, and in long-range preservation and sustainability planning, guided by our volunteer professional landscape designers and expert landscape preservationist Glenn Stach.
