LEWES – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation announced today that portions of the Junction & Breakwater Trail, originally constructed in 2003, will undergo repairs and renovation beginning July 11. Nearly two miles of trail surface will be restored on sections lying between Hebron Road, at the south end, and the Holland Glade pedestrian bridge on the north side of the trail. Other smaller segments of the trail will be repaired between the Hawkseye community and the Wolfe Neck parking lot trailhead.

Repairs will focus on reconstructing rough exposed rock trail sections, which will be resurfaced with stone dust to create a smooth walkable and bikeable tread. Other repairs include eliminating areas of standing water and washouts, and replacing fencing.

DNREC’s contractor on the Junction & Breakwater Trail restoration, George & Lynch Inc., will complete the project in two stages. The first stage of the work will take place from Monday, July 11 through Friday, July 15. The second stage of restoration spans Monday, July 18 – Friday, July 22. The trail will open for use Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17. The Division of Parks & Recreation is putting forth trail restoration plans with a contingency for weather circumstances that could alter the contractor’s work schedule.

The Junction & Breakwater Trail and the Gordons Pond Trail are part of a 15-mile regional network linking Lewes and Rehoboth. The Junction & Breakwater Trail between Gills Neck Road and the Hawkseye community will be open continuously. Trail users also are encouraged to use the Gordons Pond Trail for recreational activities while the Junction & Breakwater Trail restoration is in progress.

This trail restoration is a cooperative project between DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation and the Federal Recreational Trails Program. For questions on this project and for up-to-date information about it, please contact Superintendent Paul Faircloth at the Cape Henlopen State Park Office, 302-645-8983.

CONTACT: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 242

LEWES – Visitors to Cape Henlopen State Park are advised that certain areas of the park, including parts of the park’s bike loop, will be closed for 10 days from May 16 – 25, due to construction activities within the Fort Miles area of the park. Closed will be the main road into the Fort Miles Historic area, the fort’s main parking lot and about a half-mile of the paved bike loop passing through Fort Miles. Other sections of the bike loop will remain open.

Media Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 161

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation will host a public open house on the proposed Tri-Valley Trail in the Possum Hill Area of White Clay Creek State Park. The Open House will be held 4:30 – 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 4, at the Deerfield Golf and Tennis Club, 507 Thompson Station Road, Newark, DE 19711.

The Division of Parks & Recreation proposes to fill a gap in a regional trail system by constructing approximately 2.8 miles of the Tri-Valley Trail, and adding two new trailhead parking sites. The trail will immediately connect Paper Mill Park, a heavily visited New Castle County Park.

Portions of the Tri-Valley Trail are open and in use in New Castle County parks and Newark parks. When combined with other trails, the proposed Tri-Valley Trail would become part of an 18-mile regional network of recreational trails in Greater Newark. Project information is available online at www.destateparks.com/TriValleyTrail.

Visitors at the open house can view proposed trail alignment options and related information including natural and cultural resource conditions, regional trail maps, and trail and trailhead construction details. Parks staff will be available to provide additional information.

More trails for walking, hiking, biking, jogging and related activities rank consistently as the highest outdoor recreation need identified by Delawareans throughout the state. In addition, trail networks promote healthy lifestyles and take cars off the road, reducing air pollution and traffic. The Tri-Valley Trail will offer an opportunity for families and children to be outdoors, enjoy nature and be physically active.

This trail project is part of Governor Markell’s First State Trails and Pathways Initiative that expands a statewide network of new and enhanced trails and pathways for walking, biking, hiking and active living.

For more information on the open house, contact Susan Moerschel, Division of Parks & Recreation at 302-739-9240 or Susan.Moerschel@delaware.gov.

Media Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No.103

Trail improvements also announced

WILMINGTON – The Nemours Foundation has donated nearly 46 acres of significant forestland to the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation’s Alapocas Run State Park, located just outside Wilmington. The announcement was made today by Governor Jack Markell, DNREC Secretary David Small and Dr. Roy Proujansky, the Nemours Foundation’s chief executive of Delaware Valley Operations.

“Alapocas Run State Park is truly an amazing urban oasis to be enjoyed not only by the residents of Wilmington, but also for visitors from the tri-state area and beyond,” said Governor Jack Markell. “This generous donation by the Nemours Foundation, along with newly upgraded trails, will enable more people to experience the beauty and benefits of nature close to where they live and work, strengthening our quality of life while supporting continued economic growth.”

“Alfred I. du Pont understood the healing and therapeutic benefits of nature, for both children and their families,” said Dr. Roy Proujansky, chief executive of Delaware Valley Operations and Executive Vice President of The Nemours Foundation. “As stewards of Mr. du Pont’s legacy, it is fitting then that these lands be transferred to the state of Delaware and improved for the enjoyment of the community. We applaud Governor Markell and his administration for their continued partnership and tireless efforts to promote healthy living and a more walkable and bikeable Delaware.”

“With this generous addition of this lush, scenic park land, residents and visitors alike have even more opportunities to enjoy the diversity of trails that are more accessible, the Can-do playground, and all of the dozens of other amenities the park offers,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “Alapocas Run State Park is a peaceful gem in an urban setting, providing a variety of activities and preserves a lasting natural legacy that enhances the quality of life for residents and users. It’s a special place to connect with nature and provide respite.”

In addition to the land donation, a section of the Northern Delaware Greenway Trail (part of the East Coast Greenway trail that goes from Maine to Florida) and a section of the Bancroft Trail have been upgraded to a paved surface, providing more accessibility and more year-round use and the opportunity to enjoy the mature woods and the rest of Alapocas Run State Park.

The two upgraded trail sections total about one mile. The Greenway Trail goes through Nemours Woods and connects the Delaware River to Brandywine Creek, passing through Bellevue State Park to Bringhurst Woods and Rockwood county parks to Wilmington’s Rock Manor Golf Course to Alapocas Run State Park.

The Bancroft Trail connects Alapocas Run State Park to Brandywine Park and the Brandywine Zoo. It passes through the Brandywine Park Condominiums, Wilmington Friends School and the Augustine Professional Building properties. These owners generously granted a trail easement through their lands in the 2000s.

“The Environmental Protection Agency is committed to supporting these types of collaborations that protect and preserve precious greenspace,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “It truly demonstrates the successful partnership the Nemours Foundation has with the state of Delaware in making a visible difference in our local communities.”

Nemours’ donation is part of a working partnership with Delaware State Parks that dates back more than 20 years. In the 1990s, a collaborative effort was begun to protect more public open space land along Brandywine Creek and around the City of Wilmington, by combining the resources of the city, county, state and the newly-created Delaware Greenways.

Through the state’s Open Space Program, Alapocas Run State Park began with an acquisition and land donation along Brandywine Creek. The state also assumed management of some city-owned parkland. At the same time the state, county, and city came together, along with the business community and area residents, to tackle a complex plan to realign Route 202 while maintaining the Rock Manor Golf Course and keeping and expanding the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical business in its current location.

During this very active time, Nemours and the Nemours Foundation were key players in many aspects of the overall project. Not only did they continue to run the world-renowned Alfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children and the Nemours Mansion & Gardens, the Nemours Foundation also provided land for a daycare center for the AstraZeneca employees and for road expansion. The foundation also provided valuable insight and information on the historic Blue Ball Barn, formerly part of the A.I. du Pont estate, now owned by Delaware State Parks.

A critical recreation component of this complicated project was a connection from Blue Ball Barn to Brandywine Creek through the Nemours Woods. This area was always recognized as an important landscape feature, protected and maintained by the A.I. du Pont family and then the Nemours Foundation. In 1999 the Nemours Foundation donated a conservation easement of more than 70 acres of this wooded area. It ensured that the area would not be developed and enabled a public use trail. Today’s announcement reflects the donation of 46 of these acres the State, while retaining the remaining 24 acres under conservation easement.

Media Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 45, No. 407

LEWES – The public is invited to Cape Henlopen State Park to experience its newest trail. Park naturalists will host a winter hike along the Gordons Pond Trail on Saturday, Jan. 31 at 11 a.m. Visitors will explore the coastal habitat and look for winter birds and other wildlife.

This free program meets at the Seaside Nature Center and is intended for ages 10 and up with an adult. Space is limited; pre-registration is required. Information and registration are available at 302-645-6852.

The Seaside Nature Center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the Borrow-A-Bike program is available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the Nature Center is open, weather permitting.

More information about programs offered at Cape Henlopen and all of Delaware State Parks can be found at destateparks.com.

Media Contact: Richard Julian, Cape Henlopen State Park, 302-645-6852; or Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9175, necia.beck@delaware.gov

Vol. 45, No.17