Greenway News
February 2022
Mini-Grant Project Spotlight
Congratulations East Fallowfield!
East Fallowfield Township is the first Brandywine Creek Greenway (BCG) Mini-Grant recipient to close out its Round 1 grant project. During the inaugural grant round in fall 2020, the Township was awarded funding to install four picnic tables and three park benches at East Fallowfield Community Park to improve the health and well-being of park visitors. The work was completed in 2021, and the Mini-Grant reimbursed the Township $3,600 to cover 50% of the project costs. The park is located at 900 Buck Run Road, north of Strasburg Road. Check out the park and its five miles of trails and visitor amenities! Click here to view a park map.

Mini-Grant Coming Fall 2022!
The Brandywine Conservancy was awarded an additional $85,000 in new funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation Partnerships Program to offer two more years of Mini-Grants to our partners in 2022 and 2023. The Mini-Grant Program funds small projects that improve parks, open space and community trails, and will advance priority conservation and recreation projects identified in the BCG's Strategic Action Plan (Part 1 and Part 2), plus other publicly vetted municipal planning documents. Eligible applicants include Pennsylvania non-profit organizations with tax-exempt status 501(c)(3), municipalities, counties, and some educational institutions.
 Top Photo: New benches installed near playground
Bottom Photo: New picnic tables added to pavilion
Visit the BCG Mini-Grant website for more information and to view application materials from the 2021 round. The next BCG Mini-Grant round will be announced in fall 2022.
Contact Sarah Sharp or Liv Falcone if you wish to discuss your project ideas for 2022.
Icedale Trail Feasibility Study
In early 2020, Honey Brook and West Brandywine Townships received a Vision Partnership Program Grant from Chester County to study the feasibility of a 2.6 mile off-road, multi-use public trail along an abandoned rail line that extended between U.S. Route 322 and Icedale Road in Honey Brook and West Brandywine Townships. Portions of the abandoned rail line in Honey Brook Township had reverted back to private ownership, and portions were acquired by Chester County. The townships hired the Brandywine Conservancy as their consultant to lead them through the planning process.

West Brandywine Township holds a 25-year lease on a 50.7-acre tract, known as Icedale Meadows Preserve, which is owned by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and is located in both Honey Brook and West Brandywine Townships. The lease grants the Township permission to enhance public recreational access to the tract, provide environmental education, and design and develop improvements for public use. Honey Brook and West Brandywine Townships share a common vision for the multi-use Icedale Trail and the Icedale Meadows Preserve that will offer new passive recreational opportunities for residents in the region.
Top photo: Study cover with view of historic Icedale Lake
Bottom Photo: Abandoned rail line at Route 322
Comments due by February 28, 2022
If you have any questions about the study, please email sfleming@brandywine.org.
Brandywine Battlefield Heritage Interpretation & Connectivity Plan
The Brandywine Battlefield Heritage Interpretation and Connectivity Plan focuses on interpreting the Battle of Brandywine across seven municipalities in Chester and Delaware Counties. This multi-municipal plan identifies opportunities to highlight key places in the eastern portion of the Brandywine Battlefield study area within the following municipalities: 

Chester County
  • Birmingham Township 
  • East Bradford Township 
  • Kennett Township
  • Pennsbury Township 
  • Thornbury Township 
  • Westtown Township 

Delaware County
  • Chadds Ford Township

The Plan is partially funded by a Chester County Vision Partnership Program grant and by the seven participating municipalities. Brandywine Conservancy is leading the planning process with design expertise from Miller Designworks.
Map showing conceptual bicycle connections among planned Heritage Centers and Gateways
The Brandywine Battlefield Heritage Interpretation and Connectivity Plan conceptualizes three new heritage centers and a network of smaller-scale interpretive sites, interconnected with trails and bicycle routes, that will tell the story of the Battle of Brandywine and highlight the rich heritage of the region. The Plan will advance implementation of the Chester County Planning Commission’s Brandywine Battlefield Preservation Plan and the County's Comprehensive Plan, Landscapes3.

Comments due by February 28, 2022
If you have any questions about the plan, please email sfleming@brandywine.org.
Upcoming Greenway Events
BCG Regional Round Tables
April 18-29, 2022—dates and details coming soon!