Save the Date: Holiday Reception on Nov. 18

Brandywine Conservancy will be hosting our Annual Subscribers & Brandywine Creek Greenway Partners Holiday Reception on Wednesday, November 18* from 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Brandywine Museum of Art. The Museum will be decorated for the holidays, and attendees are welcome to enjoy hors d’oeuvres and free access to the galleries and holiday train display. Be sure to mark your calendars and keep an eye out for an invitation with more details on how to register soon!

*Please note there was an incorrect date listed in the July BCG Newsletter, and that the Holiday Reception is scheduled for Wednesday, November 18. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Mini-Grant News

Congratulations Mini-Grant Round 1 Awardees

Thank you to all who have applied for Round 1 of the 2026 BCG Mini Grant! We are pleased to announce a total of $31,404 of funds granted to three awardees—congratulations! 

• Kennett Library will receive $11,040 for an observation beehive

• Pocopson Township will receive $10,364 for Pocopson Trail upgrades 

• Kennett Area Park Authority will receive $10,000 for solar aerators for ponds at Anson B. Nixon Park  

The recipients are all ready to begin their projects, which must be completed by October 31, 2028. We look forward to seeing their project updates and sharing the progress with Greenway Members along the way!

Mini-Grant Round 2: Applications Due Nov. 6

Applications are now open for Round 2 of the BCG's Mini Grant Program for 2026 – 2028! This program is funded by a grant of $80,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (DCNR) Community Conservation Partnership Program Environmental Stewardship Fund, which is administered by the Bureau of Recreation and Conservation (BRC). Grant funds still available to be awarded in round 2 amount to $43,500. With these funds, the Brandywine Conservancy will be able to grant awards of $5,000 to $25,000 to projects that support and advance the goals and objectives of the Brandywine Creek Greenway Action Plan (2024).  

Applications are due by 4 p.m. on November 6, 2026. For more information and to access the application materials, visit the BCG mini-grant site. Questions? Email Brandywine's Lisa Walsh at lwalsh@brandywine.org.

Spotlight: Walkable Chadds Ford

Chadds Ford Township’s Walkable Chadds Ford Project is in its final construction phase and is almost complete. Construction for this project began in August 2025, a culmination of years’ worth of planning, funding, and designing. Walkable Chadds Ford (WCF) aims to create a safe, scenic, pedestrian route through the heart of Chadds Ford Village, which is currently divided by the heavily traveled Route 1 corridor. This project includes construction of new trails, sidewalks, elevated boardwalks, pedestrian bridges, and new traffic improvements, including ADA intersections.

Brandywine was thrilled to be a partner on this project by including WCF across portions of our campus. The finished project will connect to our existing trails, and upcoming trails—including the High Trail which is due to be completed later this fall. 

Make sure to stay tuned on the WCF status and check it out when completed. The route will provide access to the historic Brandywine Battlefield, Chadds Ford Village, Turner’s Mill Park, and local shops, restaurants, and museums—all definitely worth a visit!

More BCG Updates

New Trail Municipal Toolkits Available

A municipal toolkit for trails has been published to our library: Trail Types & Surfaces. Trails-related toolkit development is funded by the William Penn Foundation’s Grant for "Advancing Circuit Trails in Chester and Delaware Counties," and many more will be published throughout the fall and winter. Stay tuned for the next trail publications, and attend the Holiday Reception on November 18 to be the first to hear about the next installment! 

To access our growing library of Municipal Toolkits, click here.

Getting Out in the Greenway Recap

On August 26, approximately 13 Greenway members plus Brandywine Conservancy staff attended the first-ever Getting out in the Greenway event, visiting three sites within the Greenway: Bondsville Mill Park in East Brandywine Township, King’s Highway Park in Caln Township, and Lloyd Park, also in Caln Township. Township Staff, Board Members, and Volunteers hosted and spoke at their respective sites to share their history and upcoming plans. We ended the event with a social happy hour on the rooftop of East Branch Brewing in Downingtown to enjoy refreshments and further converse with Greenway members. We look forward to seeing more of the Greenway Members at the next Getting out in the Greenway Event in 2027 to highlight more parks and projects!

Funding Opportunities

Open Space Accelerator 

Chester County Planning Commission is accepting applications for the Open Space Accelerator Program, which aims to support local municipalities in advancing their open space goals. Eligible applicants are Chester County municipalities that have endorsed or acknowledged Landscapes3, and the program is limited to single-municipality projects. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted. Click here to learn more about this program and apply.

PECO Green Region Open Space Program 

Natural Lands administers the PECO Green Region Open Space Program, and the 2026 grant round is currently open, with an application deadline of Friday, October 30, 2026 by 5 p.m. This grant program is designed to assist local communities in efforts to preserve, protect, and improve public spaces and increase the collective tree cover by providing funding for some expenses not otherwise covered by state or county programs. Click here to learn more about this program, eligibility, and application materials.

PECO Green Region is an eligible matching grant for Brandywine Creek Greenway mini-grant applications. As the County’s Open Accelerator Program is also funded through PA DCNR, this is not an eligible program to match our mini-grant program.

Upcoming Events

Stewardship Walks at the Laurels Preserve

Oct. 4 & 24, 9-11 a.m.

Enjoy a leisurely hike around the Laurels Preserve to discuss recent stewardship work and the reasons behind the activities. This program is free for Brandywine Conservancy members (Greenway Partner Municipalities are considered members).

Register for Oct. 4

Register for Oct. 24

By Design: Brandywine Flood Study

Oct. 6, 7–8 p.m.

Join us online for a conversation with Director of the Brandywine Conservancy, Grant DeCosta, about the Brandywine Flood Study’s findings and recommendations. In this talk, we will discuss the landscape of Brinton’s Mill, its relationship to the Brandywine Creek, and the effects of living on a floodplain.

Register here

Weed by Name, Native by Nature

Nov. 11, 6–7:15 p.m.

What if a plant’s name, or the way we perceive it, has shaped how we value it? This virtual program takes a closer look at misunderstood native plants such as Burnweed (Erechtites), Jewelweed (Impatiens), Viola (Viola), and Pokeweed (Phytolacca), exploring their ecological value and the surprising roles they play in our landscapes.

Register here

Tell Us How You Use the Circuit Trails

Trust for Public Land and Rails to Trails Conservancy are conducting a survey on behalf of the Circuit Trails Coalition to understand how residents and visitors use the Circuit Trails Network—and the benefits it provides to users and nearby businesses.

Click here to take the survey and be sure to share it widely with your community.  

Does your non-profit or municipality have events, historic sites, a favorite park, trail or ongoing project that you’d like to share? Please forward details to lwalsh@brandywine.org for consideration in the next Greenway Newsletter.

On our website, you can find a library of social media videos focused on the benefits of clean water, healthy communities, local economies, and the quality of life that the Greenway supports in the region. Feel free to use these resources for promoting the Greenway, in addition to your own needs and enjoyment! You can utilize the Social Media Video Toolkits to better leverage visibility and access the full library.