Chesco open space chief to head trust
Bill Gladden has been named executive director of the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust.
PHOENIXVILLE » Bill Gladden of West Chester has been named executive director of the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust, which preserves, stewards and connects people to the land in northern Chester County.
Gladden brings more than 30 years of public and private sector experience in land use, preservation and management to French and Pickering and will begin Aug. 1.
Currently, Gladden serves as director of the Department of Open Space Preservation for Chester County.
In that position since 2004, Gladden has directed the County’s nationally acclaimed programs that have invested over $200 million to help preserve over 55,000 acres of farms, forests, parks and preserves.
According to Robert C. F. Willson, president of the board, “our staff, volunteers, supporters and board have worked very hard to get French and Pickering to where we stand today. Bill Gladden is the perfect person to lead us forward in our conservation partnerships through our existing and new easements, new nature preserves and increased community outreach and environmental education.”
“Land trusts fill an essential role in our way of life in this region,” said Gladden. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with landowners, municipalities, supporters and the French and Pickering board and staff to deliver the benefits of preservation to the community.”
“I have long admired its work, and look forward to increasing French and Pickering’s connections with the public and partners while building on its core commitment to conservation,” Gladden said.
Gladden has been honored for his accomplishments in land protection, historic preservation and volunteer service, and has served on the boards of numerous community organizations.
His past and present affiliations include the Pennsylvania Land Trust Association policy advisory committee, Schuylkill River Heritage Area and Greenways Association (past president), Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Agriculture, YMCA Brandywine Valley Chapter (board of directors) and East Brandywine Township open space committee and park and recreation board.
He earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Virginia, and a B.A. in urban studies and political science from the College of Wooster.
Since its establishment in 1967, the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust has protected more than 12,500 acres in northern Chester County through purchases, conservation easements and public/private partnerships. It works with landowners, townships, foundations and the state and county to purchase and monitor conservation easements, create parkland and preserve environmentally sensitive land. It is accredited by the Land Trust Alliance Accreditation Commission.
With funding from the state, county and the George and Miriam Martin Foundation, the Trust is engaged in the acquisition and development of the 10-mile French Creek Trail from Warwick County Park to the Kennedy Covered Bridge in East Vincent Township, and creating local connections to the regional trail network.
It has completed the 6-mile Pickering Trail, following the creek in West Pikeland Township from the Mill at Anselma to the township border at Clover Mill Road.