Governor Carney, Secretary Garvin Celebrate Expansion of White Clay Creek State Park

DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation Open Space Program Planner Kerri Batrowny, Open Space Program Council member Lorraine Fleming, Division Director Ray Bivens, DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, President of Friends of White Clay Creek State Park David Koppeser and Gov. John Carney celebrate the addition of 275 acres to White Clay Creek State Park./DNREC photo.

Gov. John Carney and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn M. Garvin today celebrated and hiked newly acquired land that expands White Clay Creek State Park in Newark. This expansion of the nearly 3,650-acre park marks a historic environmental investment to enhance recreational opportunities, bolster wildlife habitats, and preserve additional open spaces in New Castle County.

Three new land acquisitions will add 275 acres, or the equivalent to 7.5% of White Clay Creek State Park land holdings. The acquisition of properties is progressing in three phases:

Phase 1: about 90 acres – Acquisition completed in September 2023.
Phase 2: about 97 acres – Acquisition completed in January 2024
Phase 3: about 88 acres – Acquisition anticipated mid-2024

The $26 million in acquisitions is being funded by multiple sources, including:

The Open Space Program – $20 million from Fiscal Year 2023; the usual annual allocation to the program is $10 million.
Mt. Cuba Center with The Conservation Fund – $6 million
The Acres for America Program – $500,000

“I have no doubt that our award-winning state parks are a real reason folks decide to call Delaware home. That’s why it’s important we continue to invest in our parks, especially those near the most densely populated areas, including White Clay Creek State Park,” said Governor Carney. “It’s on all of us to preserve this land for future generations. I want to thank the public servants at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control who helped make this expansion possible through our Open Space program. I also want to thank Mt. Cuba Center, The Conservation Fund and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Acres for America program for their partnership.”

The acquisition of these three properties aligns with the White Clay Creek State Park Master Plan, which emphasizes keeping the park natural and maximizing its nearly 40-mile trail system. The expansion of the park underscores Delaware’s dedication to preserving natural resources.

“Delaware is not able to create more land. The opportunity to preserve this much land in New Castle County is one-of-a-kind,” said DNREC Secretary Garvin. “The newly acquired land meets all the criteria for a high-quality habitat, connects to existing park land, including surrounding parks and open spaces, and will provide more areas for people to walk and recreate. As part of the Delaware State Parks system, this land will receive the high caliber of environmental stewardship the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation is known for.”

The additional land also increases the potential to attract rare species to northern Delaware, such as the Northern Parula warbler and Northern Harrier hawk, the Bridle shiner (a species of minnow), Longtail salamanders and the federally endangered Northern Long-Eared Bat.

The entire White Clay Creek Watershed is part of the National Park Service’s designated Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The three property acquisitions further protect this watershed, including the water quality of Middle Run Creek and its connecting bodies of water. White Clay hosts a variety of ecosystems including wooded uplands, freshwater wetlands, open meadows and steep stream valleys.

When the Open Space Program was created in 1990, there were 669,063 residents living among Delaware’s 1.6 million acres. Delaware’s population now stands at just over 1 million residents and continues to grow.

From 1990 to date, the Open Space Program has protected 65,819 acres. The program has spent $294 million dollars of state money and leveraged $109 million from public and private partnerships. Landowners who wish to conserve their land through Delaware’s Open Space Program may go to de.gov/openspace to learn more.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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DNREC Adopts White Clay Creek State Park Master Plan After Significant Public Input

White Clay Creek State Park offers scenic and recreational open space among 3,689 acres and nearly 40 miles of trails in northern Delaware.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has adopted the White Clay Creek Master Plan after significant input from the public. The plan will provide a vision and a framework for White Clay Creek State Park for the next 10 years.

The master plan, created by DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation, includes 10 implementation strategies that group individual action items by theme or location. Top strategies include infrastructure improvements to the White Clay Creek Nature Center area to meet the demand of programs and relocation of the park office to the Maxwell House. Other strategies include development of partnerships to help with stewardship of the park, adaptive reuse of historic structures, protection and enhancement of ecology and natural resources, reconfiguration of some vehicular ingress/egress and parking areas, programming and signage, trails and camping. The division also created a calendar, which will be available publicly, with dates when Creek and Thompson Station road segments are open to vehicular traffic.

The public was integral in the creation and approval of the master plan. Signage, social media, emails, a kickoff event and press release were used to get the word out about the process. The division held four open houses and conducted an online survey to gather public input prior to drafting the plan. The division encouraged and maintained an open dialogue with park users and individuals interested in the park, held an open house on the preliminary draft master plan, and welcomed written and electronic comments. A final public meeting was held in August. More than 1,200 participants provided feedback through the process and all comments received were thoroughly evaluated for inclusion in the plan.

White Clay Creek State Park offers scenic and recreational open space among 3,689 acres and nearly 40 miles of trails in northern Delaware. The park is popular for hiking, bicycling, trail running and fishing, and includes accessible fishing docks, a disc golf course, a pavilion, bandshell, playground, agricultural concessionaires, public golf course, diverse natural areas, and is adjacent to the University of Delaware and City of Newark.

The park’s master plan can be viewed at www.destateparks.com/whiteclaymasterplan.

About DNREC

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov or Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov.

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DNREC to Begin Construction on Pomeroy Trail Lighting in White Clay Creek State Park

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will begin construction this week on new lighting along the Pomeroy Trail in White Clay Creek State Park.

The $98,000 project includes installation of 11 light poles to light a roughly 1,300-foot segment of the trail, which will be consistent with lighting along the trail near North College Avenue. Once complete, the trail will provide a lit corridor between downtown Newark to the City of Newark’s Fairfield Crest Trail.

The segment of the Pomeroy Trail that will be under construction will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but will be accessible on nights, weekends and when work is not occurring.

Construction is expected to be completed in late October.

About DNREC

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov or Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov.

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DNREC to Host White Clay Creek State Park Master Plan Public Meeting

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a virtual meeting for the public to review and comment on the White Clay Creek State Park Master Plan proposed final draft from 5:30 to 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 2. The proposed final draft and instructions to join the virtual meeting are available at www.destateparks.com/whiteclaymasterplan.

Those interested in commenting during the public meeting must first register by noon, Aug. 2, at www.destateparks.com/whiteclaymasterplan or by calling 302-739-9209. All public comments submitted, both at the meeting or in writing, prior to Tuesday, Aug. 17, will be reviewed before the White Clay Creek State Park Master Plan is finalized.

The purpose of the master plan is to provide a vision and a framework for White Clay Creek State Park for the next 10 years. Attendees are encouraged to review the draft plan online in advance.

Since 2018, the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation held four open houses and conducted an online survey to gather public input and begin the planning process for the master plan. The division encouraged and maintained an open dialogue with park users and individuals interested in the park, held an open house on the preliminary draft master plan in 2019 and welcomed written and electronic comments. More than 1,400 participants provided feedback through the process. All comments received were thoroughly evaluated for inclusion in the plan.

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov or Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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DNREC to Close Section of Tri-Valley Trail for Repairs

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will close a section of the Tri-Valley Trail at White Clay Creek State Park for drainage repairs starting Monday, July 12. The section of affected spans from Smith Mill Road to Paper Mill Road/Corner Ketch Road. Repairs are expected to last up to one week.

The Tri-Valley Trail is a popular ADA-accessible trail that joins White Clay Creek State Park’s accessible docks for fishing and wildlife viewing, hay wagon rides and primitive group camping.

About DNREC

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov or Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov.

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