Friends of Cape state park renews agreement with DNREC
The Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park signed a new five-year memorandum of understanding with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Feb. 21.
Matt Ritter, director of parks and recreation, and Jeff Underwood, Friends board of directors president, signed the document during the group’s annual meeting at the Biden Center. The agreement renews the relationship between the all-volunteer group and the state.
Friends of CHSP was formed in 2000 to preserve, enhance and promote the park, in partnership with the Division of Parks and Recreation. The group has 714 members and almost 300 volunteers.
“Consider us the booster club for the park,” said Underwood.
The MOU gives the group an official designation that carries responsibilities and benefits.
Underwood said the friends group provides three main functions:
• Funding for things not funded through the park itself, with donations raised through a host of annual events
• Stewardship, hands-on activities like trail cleanups
• Advocacy for the park.
Ritter said Friends of CHSP is more than a traditional organization.
“It’s a connection with our park, our park staff and our visitors to provide something unique and special. It’s great to have so many in this room fighting for what the park wants and needs,” Ritter said. “We have an incredible partnership that continues to grow.”
Ritter used the Bike Barn as an example. The Bike Barn provides bikes for park visitors to borrow for up to two hours. He said it has been a model for bike barns at other state parks.
The program raised more than $23,000 in donations and used bike sales, and volunteers loaned out more than 10,000 bikes in 2025, according to Underwood. He said they bought eight new bikes to replace ones that had worn out.
But, Ritter said, the passion far outweighs the revenue.
“We all fell in love with the park, but there are still a ton of people who haven’t been to the park,” Ritter said. “Every time you have an event, it’s another opportunity for them to fall in love, just like we did. Hopefully, Cape will be here for a long time to come because of the work that you do.”
The Friends’ next event is a trail cleanup day, scheduled for Saturday, March 14.
Bill Shull has been covering Lewes for the Cape Gazette since 2023. He comes to the world of print journalism after 40 years in TV news. Bill has worked in his hometown of Philadelphia, as well as Atlanta and Washington, D.C. He came to Lewes in 2014 to help launch WRDE-TV. Bill served as WRDE’s news director for more than eight years, working in Lewes and Milton. He is a 1986 graduate of Penn State University. Bill is an avid aviation and wildlife photographer, and a big Penn State football, Eagles, Phillies and PGA Tour golf fan. Bill, his wife Jill and their rescue cat, Lucky, live in Rehoboth Beach.
