White Clay Creek State Park visitors can now hike farther in the park after the state signed a deal to acquire 275 acres for $26 million on Jan. 8.
Financial support for the acquisition includes $19.5 million from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Open Space Program, $6 million from The Conservation Fund and an additional $500,000 from Walmart’s Acres for America program.
“This acquisition allows us to provide those experiences and preserve Delaware’s open spaces,” Gov. John Carney said in a statement. “It represents the largest investment and private partner contributions to a DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation project in the Open Space Program’s history.”
The 2023 fiscal year budget included a $20 million provision for the DNREC Open Space Program to acquire the 275 acres. The program coordinates land acquisitions to preserve and expand state parks and preserves, fish and wildlife areas, state forests and cultural resource sites.
“The Delaware Open Space Program supports our conservation work with funding and donations to help us fill in crucial gaps with easements and acquisitions—one piece at a time—between protected properties,” added DNREC secretary Shawn M. Garvin.
Since 1990, the Open Space Program, created under the Delaware Land Protection Act, has preserved more than 62,000 acres and acquired over 45,000 acres with state, federal and partner funds.
“This expansion of White Clay Creek State Park is part of DNREC’s commitment to preserving and conserving Delaware’s natural resources for current and future generations,” Garvin said.
The Conservation Fund by the Mt. Cuba Center, a Hockessin conservation foundation, marks the new acreage as crucial support for native species that depend on the park’s forest.
The $500,000 grant was awarded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Walmart partnered program, Walmart’s Acres for America, and was the first time the program funded a project in Delaware.
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