Delaware’s Bayshore Byway CHAPTER 3 – INTRODUCING DELAWARE’S BAYSHORE INITIATIVE AND THE BYWAY’S DISCOVERY ZONES 3.0 INTRODUCTION Delaware’s Bayshore Byway closely parallels the northern portion of the Delaware Bayshore for 52 miles, providing access to the Bayshore’s natural areas, towns and communities, historic points, farms and water. Key traveler activities along the byway include: exploring rich coastal natural areas – birding, observing horseshoe crabs, wildlife viewing and photography, significant coastal education options; hunting, fishing and crabbing, both from the shore as well as from boats; hiking, biking, paddling and boating; exploring historical sites and communities; enjoying local food; and, a peaceful drive back into time. For residents and visitors alike, it is “the road less traveled”. For the eco-tourist, it is the connection to Delaware’s wild side. 3.1 DELAWARE’S BAYSHORE INITIATIVE This section describes Delaware’s Bayshore Initiative, its Delaware Bayshore: current programs and projects and its future direction. The America’s Great Outdoors chapter further describes the current plans and planning One of 100 of the nation’s efforts of the towns and communities as well as the individual most promising efforts to reconnect American’s with the natural areas along the Byway. Many of the planning efforts, natural world. particularly those of the natural areas, are bound together by No specific AGO funding is the Bayshore Initiative. But it is also important to recognize earmarked in federal budget, that the cities and towns along the Byway are unique and but many existing grant programs are focusing on cannot be lumped together. Each must be explored in its own funding AGO projects. way to be fully appreciated. Delaware is using the power of our “AGO” designation to The Bayshore is widely recognized as an area of global compete for grant funds for ecological significance. Its expansive coastal marshes, sandy Bayshore projects. shoreline, forests, fields and agricultural lands provide habitat “Landscape Conservation” is for more than 400 species of birds and other wildlife. The the current and future way to Nature Conservancy and the National Audubon Society get funding. recognize the region as a globally significant wildlife habitat. The Nature Conservancy has called the Delaware Bayshore “one of the Earth’s most important stopovers for migratory birds.” 3-1 | P a g e Delaware’s Bayshore Byway CHAPTER 3 – INTRODUCING DELAWARE’S BAYSHORE INITIATIVE AND THE BYWAY’S DISCOVERY ZONES Figure 3-1: Protected Lands of the Delaware Bayshore 3-2 | P a g e Delaware’s Bayshore Byway CHAPTER 3 – INTRODUCING DELAWARE’S BAYSHORE INITIATIVE AND THE BYWAY’S DISCOVERY ZONES In 1992 the Delaware Bay Estuary was designated as a Wetland of International Significance by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands because it provides critical resting and feeding areas for migratory shore and wading birds1. Birders and biologists from around the world come to central Delaware’s Bayshore to witness the annual spring spectacle of more than a half million shorebirds taking a rest stop to dine on the eggs of horseshoe crabs. In 1986, Delaware Bay joined the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network as a Site of Hemispheric Importance due to the sheer number of shorebirds that use the bay as a migratory stopover2. In addition to birding enthusiasts, the Bayshore offers quality recreational opportunities for hunters and anglers, boaters and kayakers, casual wildlife watchers, and families seeking outdoor opportunities to recreate and learn about nature. The Delaware Bayshore Initiative continues the conservation commitment made over the past half century by citizens groups such as Delaware Wild Lands and government officials like Governor Russell W. Peterson in establishing Delaware’s Coastal Zone Act. Due in large part to this legacy, most of the Bayshore is formally protected as state, federal and private conservation lands and remains undeveloped today. More than 115,000 acres are already protected as national wildlife refuges, state wildlife areas, state parks, national estuarine research reserves, private conservation lands, agricultural preserves, and cultural heritage sites throughout the Bayshore area. Chapter 2 described how the efforts of private citizens and government officials saved the Delaware Bayshore from becoming industrialized. This 1971 effort resulted in the State’s Coastal Zone Act which began the quest to protect the Bayshore. Since the passage of that Act, further legislation by both the federal government and Delaware State Government strengthened the protection. Recently, the northern boundary of the defined Bayshore region was extended to include the City of New Castle. This added area includes the marshes south of the City of New Castle surrounding Army Creek as well as the shoreline of the City. The shoreline includes Battery Park and the marshes and wetlands protected by historic levees first built in the 1700s to protect the city. The extension also includes the industrial area north of Delaware City, anchored by the Delaware City Refinery. Including the Delaware City refinery in the Bayshore permits the Byway traveler to understand how important a resource the Bayshore is and why it is important to be protected. But it also enables the Byway traveler to understand the practices used by industry and consider whether they are compatible with the preservation and conservation efforts of the past and the future. 1 For information regarding the Ramsar Convention and its findings regarding the Delaware Bay Estuary, see http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-documents-list-anno-list-usa/main/ramsar/1-31- 218%5E15774_4000_0__. The Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971) -- called the "Ramsar Convention" -- is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the "wise use", or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories. 2 For information on the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, see http://www.whsrn.org/western-hemisphere-shorebird-reserve-network. 3-3 | P a g e Delaware’s Bayshore Byway CHAPTER 3 – INTRODUCING DELAWARE’S BAYSHORE INITIATIVE AND THE BYWAY’S DISCOVERY ZONES The Delaware City Refinery Under the umbrella of Delaware’s Bayshore Initiative, a framework has been established to preserve and protect the Bayshore. This framework is called the Grand Vision. Focused on the principles of habitat conservation, low impact recreation and strong communities, the initiative’s vision is designed to bring both the public and the private sector to common goals. The Grand Vision follows: Habitat Conservation: That we will leave for future generations a healthy, rural Bayshore landscape that supports a variety of habitats and an abundance of wild plants and animals – even in the face of climate change and sea level rise. Low-impact Recreation: That we will have a network of publically accessible lands where people today and in the future can visit and have quality outdoor experiences through hunting, fishing, birding, kayaking, hiking or simply to enjoy a peaceful scenic view. Strong Communities: That by doing so, we will have widespread support for conservation actions that will provide a better quality of life for residents and their communities and improve an economy boosted by the addition of jobs and income associated with eco-tourism. The Bayshore faces five major challenges: Erosion and other damage caused by frequent and severe storms; Climate Change; Sea Level Rise Aging infrastructure; and Invasive species. To guide where to focus activities, how to set priorities, and implement projects, four support teams have been formed within DNREC: Habitat Protection and Restoration Shoreline Protection and Flood Management Recreation Promotion and Financial Resources 3-4 | P a g e Delaware’s Bayshore Byway CHAPTER 3 – INTRODUCING DELAWARE’S BAYSHORE INITIATIVE AND THE BYWAY’S DISCOVERY ZONES In addition to working within the organization, the support teams will work with conservation partners and Bayshore towns, communities and residents to identify ideas, issues and concerns as well as insure that the activities of the Bayshore Initiative and the Byway are in alignment. The work of the support teams has begun in parallel with the development of this Corridor Management Plan and it is anticipated these activities will continue and be supplemented in parallel with the implementation and updating of the Corridor Management Plan. 3.2 CURRENT PROJECTS OF THE BAYSHORE INITIATIVE DNREC has been advancing projects in the agency’s managed natural areas within the Byway’s Discovery Zones that are in alignment with the Bayshore Initiative and the Byway. Summaries of these projects, some of which have been completed and others are nearing completion follow: Thousand Acre Marsh Protection: DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife was recently awarded nearly $1,000,000 from the National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program through the U.S. Department of Interior that will be used, along with matching funds from the state Open Space Program and private contributions from the Delmarva Ornithological Society and The Nature Conservancy, to acquire a 194-acre property known as the Yardley Dale tract located in the Thousand Acre Marsh. This acquisition brought a total of 388 acres of the marsh under protection, providing productive habitat important for waterfowl, shorebirds