Delaware Nature Society

Seasonal Projects

Forest Restoration at Middle Run Natural Area
Through a partnership with New Castle County, the Nature Society is helping to restore Middle Run Natural Area near Newark, Delaware. Tree plantings involving hundreds of children and adults are held each spring and fall. Over 20,000 trees have been planted since the project began.

Since 1992, the Delaware Nature Society has directed the forest restoration project on over 60 acres of abandoned farm fields in New Castle County's 815-acre Middle Run Natural Area Park. The project, funded by the County, seeks to increase forest interior habitat of the Middle Run Natural Area while creating a forested buffer protecting the water quality of Middle Run. The project has helped restorationists to identify cost-effective reforestation techniques that can be used by private landowners, corporations, and public agencies to restore degraded open space.

Restoration activities have included seasonal plantings, and vine control in the fall, and control of invasive non-native plants such as multiflora rose and oriental bittersweet in the spring and summer. Since 1992, volunteers have spent over 2000 hours planting trees, shrubs, and acorns, and removing strangling vines from the newly planted saplings. As a result, habitat is being provided for native wildlife while the young trees are growing. Box turtles, hawks, foxes, butterflies, and the birds that breed in sapling forests such as yellow warblers, indigo buntings, prairie warblers, mockingbirds, and the uncommon Yellow-breasted Chat have been observed using the restoration fields.

Get Involved!
Nature Society members, cub scouts and girl scouts, University of Delaware students, and Newark High School's Nature Society and Key Club have participated in every tree planting and vine removal day since the inception of the project. In 1994 Newark High School Nature Society and Key Club students received the Governor's Outstanding Volunteer Award for their dedicated work in Middle Run.

If you would like to join these volunteers for the next restoration day contact us by clicking here.