Located in southern New Castle County, Blackbird Creek is one of the most pristine tributaries to the Delaware River and Estuary.
Townsend, Del. – With the help of volunteers and a grant from the philanthropic arm of the REI Co-op, Delaware Wild Lands (DWL) planted 130 native trees and shrubs at an environmentally critical site along Blackbird Creek, near Townsend.
The protected Smith Tract, named for the former owner, features tidal marsh, forested wetlands and, sadly, a lot of trash. It is located in the heart of DWL’s Taylors Bridge Complex, amidst 5,000 contiguous acres of protected land.
“Our goal is to restore and re-wild these two acres along one of Delaware’s most pristine waterways,” said Kate Hackett, DWL Executive Director. “Before DWL acquired the property, piles of trash had been dumped and old machinery and used tires had been left behind. After acquisition, DWL removed residential dwellings and outbuildings on the property to create opportunities for reforestation and restoration.”
Native trees and shrubs planted included White oak, Flowering dogwood, Sassafras, American holly, Northern spicebush, and Arrowwood viburnum. Volunteers also wrapped protective tubes around each planting to protect them from deer browse and harsh weather conditions.
Volunteers came from Boy Scout Troop 283, the Delaware Master Naturalist Program, Middletown High School and the general public.
“This project will provide a multitude of environmental benefits,” said Brenna Ness, Director of Conservation Program for Delaware Wild Lands. “They include cleaning the air we breathe and releasing oxygen; combating climate change by storing carbon, providing shade, and reducing air and water temperatures; capturing rainwater, filtering runoff, and reducing flooding from heavy storms; as well as providing food and valuable habitat for wildlife.”
“According to the USDA Forest Service’s i-Tree Tool (www.itreetools.org)”, said Hannah Small, DWL New Castle County Land Steward, “these trees will remove more than 2,300 pounds of pollutants from our air supplies, sequester 512 pounds of carbon, and absorb hundreds of gallons of stormwater before it enters Blackbird Creek.”
REI Co-op provided grant funds needed for the project. This re-wilding project will be complete in early 2021 with removal of trash and tires located throughout the property.
DWL is the largest non-profit, non-government landowner in Delaware. In nearly six decades of conservation leadership, it has protected 31,600 acres, 21,600 of which it currently owns and actively manages. Its headquarters and about 1/3 of its landholdings are located in southern New Castle County.
In 2019, REI invested over $8 million in 400 nonprofits through REI Co-op and REI Foundation grants. It invests in high-impact work aimed at, among other qualities, keeping wild places wild.