Groups fund land purchase to preserve 142 acres near Seaford
A stand of old-growth forest along the Nanticoke River and Wright’s Creek gives refuge to migrating birds, rare insects and plants among 142 acres that border the Delaware-Maryland line in southwestern Sussex County.
The Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy completed a 15-year process June 27 to purchase the site, which will preserve the natural beauty of what will be known as the Henry F. Porter Preserve.
Completing the agreement was complicated by deeds and multi-inheritances dating from the mid-1800s, the conservancy noted in a statement issued July 8. All of the land was owned by Porter’s descendants.
Marlene Mervine, executive director of the conservancy, declined to provide the purchase price for the property.
The final piece of the project was a 4-acre parcel purchased June 27. It includes Nanticoke River and Wright’s Creek frontages, and contains upland forest, creek swamp, a stand of old-growth Atlantic white cedar, and stands of white oak, American beech, loblolly pine, American holly and other tree species.
Another 40 acres across the state line from the preserve were purchased by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Mervine said.
“Years ago, we decided that we would like to do bistate acquisitions with Maryland,” she said, noting such projects open additional funding sources.
The Delaware portion also adjoins state-protected lands, including the Nanticoke Wildlife Area and Pete Gum Preserve near Seaford. Together, this large block of conserved lands will provide habitat protection for wildlife and threatened plant species along the Nanticoke River corridor as it adjoins a protected Maryland portion of the river.
Plans call for upgrading logging trails on the site to use for hiking, but that is years away, Mervine said. Meadows will also be developed in some areas.
The conservancy praised the State of Delaware, the Mount Cuba Foundation, the Chesapeake Conservancy and the U.S. Navy, which all contributed financially to the project. It also thanked private donors and land conservation planner Ron Vickers for their assistance.
Several people involved in the transaction could not be reached July 9 for comment.
Founded in 1992, the Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy is governed by a 10-member board and supported by as many as 50 volunteers, Mervine said.
The latest acquisition brings to 575 the number of acres protected over 22 sites. The conservancy now owns 285 of those acres and has easements for the balance. One site, the 300-acre Chapel Branch near Seaford, has six miles of trails used by local schools for cross-country practices and competitions, and a Delaware Tech Upward Bound program also uses the property for summer environmental workshops.
Mervine suggested that people interested in land conservation in southern Delaware go to nanticokeconservancy.org.
In another development for the conservancy, the organization opened its first office, which has storage space for tools and other items, at Chapel Branch, she said. The space will also benefit programs that use the site.
“We have been 30-some years without an office,” Mervine said.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
