Deptford nature preserve needs volunteers to keep educating visitors about sustainability

Old Pine Farm isn't actually a farm.

But there's still a lot of growth happening at the Deptford preserve, tucked away on a residential street but with access to trails leading back to Big Timber Creek, a meadow, woods and wetlands: raspberries, blueberries, paw paws, milkweed and elderberry.

The only thing that's not growing is the number of people who volunteer at the 36-acre site.

"We have enough people now," said Joan Tracy, a board member and volunteer. "But we're all in our 70s or early 80s. We need people who are younger," to keep Old Pine viable, and continue its missions of teaching sustainability and conservation.

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Tracy, who lives in Gloucester Township now but used to live nearby, has been involved with Old Pine Farm since 2000. She'd just ended a volunteering stint elsewhere when she saw fliers about the preserve, founded by George and Lillian Willoughby, a pair of Quaker activists. She attended a meeting, and liked what she saw.

"It's in my blood to volunteer," said Tracy as she sat on a bench outside the Willoughby House, which dates to the early 18th century.

"This place is like paradise to me," she continued. She lives in an apartment in a busy section of Gloucester Township, so she finds peace at the farm, among its small gardens, beehives, a firepit and funky sculptures.

The sculptures were created by Sally Willowbee, George and Lillian's daughter, who's now the caretaker.

Willowbee, who spells her surname different than her parents did, lives in a small upstairs apartment at the house. The first floor is open for meetings and educational programs.

Referencing a recent news story about the preservation of a Cherry Hill farm which had been proposed as the site of a senior-living complex, Tracy said simply, "We need open space."

"People who complain about the tax expenditures... It's not just the people who want a place preserved that benefit. It benefits everyone: The trees and vegetation keep our air cleaner, it's a place people can go to enjoy nature."

The Willoughbys bought the farmhouse in 1954 and 20 years later established the Delaware Valley Land Trust, placing their home and surrounding acres in a trust that they gradually built up over the years, acquiring more and more surrounding parcels with the goal of preserving them. Lillian died in 2009; her husband died the following year.

Over the years, scout groups and volunteers have added benches, cleared trails, built signage and picnic tables. The preserve is open for bird watching, walking, canoeing and kayaking — but there are also working sessions to repair fences, pick up litter and clear vegetation.

A Wild Foodie Walk will take place at the farm on Oct. 15, where visitors can learn about nature along the Big Timber Creek. It will be led by Lynn Landes, founder of Wild Foodies of Philly, a forager group with more than 5,000 members.

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As Tracy spoke and Willowbee came outside to water some of the flowers and herbs that greet visitors in front of the house, an SUV pulled up. Wendy Stoms joked that she "dragged" her daughter Shelby Cunningham to the farm for a little nature break.

"My sister lives in Massachusetts," explained Stoms, "and there are old houses like this with trails around them all over, open to the public for people to walk through. I don't see a lot of places like this here."

A Quinton, Salem County resident, Stoms said that while there's no shortage of open space near her home, most of it is privately owned and not accessible to the public.

"In South Jersey, there's nature everywhere, but people don't always know where to find it," said Willowbee.

"I'm just in love with this place," said Stoms, surveying the gardens and house.

She gave Tracy her email address... so she could receive information about volunteering.

For more information on Old Pine Farm, 340 Pine Ave., Deptford, visit https://oldpinefarm.org/ or call 609-923-4028.

Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has called the region home since 1971. Contact her at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @wordsbyPhaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Deptford nature preserve needs volunteers to keep going