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Spring Chores
For the past several weeks Mother Nature has served up a typical grab
bag of early spring weather. We’ve bounced from days filled with cold
rain and high winds, to glorious sunshine and unseasonably warm
temperatures. Intermittent coastal storms have continued to batter the
beaches. While we’ve experienced additional beach erosion, for the
most part damage has been minimal. This coastal erosion is fairly
typical in the spring and should repair itself through natural processes
by early summer.
I always greet the
arrival of spring with great enthusiasm. I absolutely love the season
and look forward to the opportunity to work in the yard. It’s all part
of my never-ending quest to create the perfect natural landscape. Of
course, there’s nothing “natural” about what I am doing. I am on a
mission to recreate the property according to a very definite vision. In
this case, the “vision” belongs to my partner, Bob. I’ve never
been very talented or creative when it comes to landscape design. Bob,
on the other hand, has a wonderful artistic talent that he has used to
create the ideal design for our beautiful, peaceful oasis in our woods.
It’s my job to locate and install the perfect shade loving plants to
complete the “vision.” As a goal oriented type of person, I have
eagerly worked to complete the task. While I really enjoy the challenge,
it recently dawned on me this project really has no end in sight. Bob is
the type of person who likes to “recreate” spaces. Whether it is
indoors or outdoors, Bob looks at spaces as ever evolving. To him no
space is ever really “done”…it’s only “done for now.” This
is not a concept that easily suits my personality! Fortunately, I love
to do this type of outdoor work. With Bob on my side, I know I never
have to worry about getting bored. He will always dream up another
project to make the yard look even better. There’s no getting around
it…my fate is sealed. I guess that’s what you call “job
security!”
A Piece of the
Action
For employees of the Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation, the
arrival of spring is a bit of a double-edged sword. We look forward to
the warmer temperatures and sunny days, but we also know the improved
weather will help to lure large crowds back into the parks. While we are
all enthusiastic about the return of park visitors, it becomes a
significant challenge to meet the needs of so many people. Generally,
spring finds the parks with limited staff resources. Seasonal employees
hired to meet the demands of the coming summer months normally do not
come on-board until closer to Memorial Day. This leaves staff scurrying
to provide the necessary visitor services. Fortunately for the Division,
our dedicated employees take great pride in the parks and work
diligently to ensure our visitors have a quality experience. It is their
hard work that makes the Division such a tremendous success!
It is sometimes very
difficult for park visitors to understand the challenges of managing and
protecting such popular and important natural resources. The Division is
entrusted with caring for some of the state’s most valuable open
space. In many cases these parklands were acquired years ago when open
space was not at such a premium. Development throughout the state has
changed all that. Virtually all of our state parks are now surrounded by
residential development. The demand for access by immediate neighbors,
as well as an ever-growing state population, has essentially resulted in
the parks being put “under siege.”
I know what you’re
thinking…I am blowing this all out of proportion. But the truth of the
matter is, in Delaware, just as in many other places in the U.S.A., we
are “loving our parks to death.” Every natural resource has a
carrying capacity…the number or types of users a resource can handle
without degrading the resource. Once that capacity is exceeded, you
begin to destroy the very resource people came to enjoy in the first
place. Unfortunately, in dealing with the natural environment, once you
destroy a resource, you can not easily correct the damage. Resources can
be lost permanently!
In the past couple of
months, I have been involved in a number of public meetings involving
user groups who desire or demand a piece of the parks for their specific
recreational activity. For every recreational activity, there is a
corresponding support group advocating the interests of the group. As
taxpayers, they feel they have an inherent right to the land. They do
not always understand the natural resource can not handle the type of
use they desire. The Division makes a great effort to educate these
groups concerning the importance of these issues.
No resource is under
more “assault” than our state park beaches. These coastal areas are
virtually the only undeveloped beach habitat in Delaware. They contain
plants and creatures found nowhere else in the state. They also become
the highly sought real estate for surf fishermen, surfers, sunbathers,
swimmers, kayakers, wind surfers, hikers, bikers, horseback riders,
birders, kite boarders, divers, etc. The Division has the job of
understanding and assessing the needs of all these disparate groups and
then determining which activities can safely be permitted without
destroying the resource. As you can imagine, this task is incredibly
difficult. It also will inevitably leave some people dissatisfied.
When you come to use
the beaches this year, I hope you take the time to understand how
precious a resource it is. New beaches are not being “created” by
Mother Nature. We have a very rare and finite resource available for our
enjoyment. It is the responsibility of all of us to respect the resource
to ensure it will remain for future generations.
Park Update
The state parks started charging our daily entrance fees on May 1. The
2003 fee season runs through October 31. Daily entrance fees remain
unchanged from last year—$2.50 for a Delaware-registered vehicle or $5
for an out-of-state vehicle. For frequent visitors, season passes are an
even more incredible bargain—just $20 for a Delaware-registered
vehicle or $40 for an out-of-state vehicle! All park entrance fees go
toward the operation of the state parks. At such a bargain price, why
not buy a season pass and show your support for the parks? Park season
passes are currently on sale at state park offices.
Nature’s Best Bets
If you are looking for fun activities this month, some “best
bets” at Cape Henlopen Nature Center include:
Molting,
Regeneration and Survival • Saturday, May 10, 1 p.m.
Surviving in the depths of the ocean isn’t easy without a
backbone. Delve into the lives of shrimps, crabs, lobsters and other
crustaceans.
Mother’s Nature
Walk • Sunday, May 11, 1 p.m.
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a walk along a wooded trail in search
of spring wildflowers. Mothers will receive a gift for the garden.
Limited to 25 people. Pre-registration is required.
Horseshoe Crab
Arrival • Thurs, May 15 and Fri, May 16, 8 p.m.
Learn about these fascinating ancient mariners, and then walk to the
beach at high tide. Under the light of the full moon, witness the annual
landing of the horseshoe crabs along the Delaware Bay. Pre-registration
is required.
For more information on
these and other park programs, contact the Seaside Nature Center at
302-645-6852.
Stephen Schilly is Park Operations
Administrator Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation. He may be
reached at sschilly@state.de.us.
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