Fourth Street Preserve campaign reaches 70% of goal

A $1.4 million commitment from Delaware’s Open Space Council has brought the campaign to save the Fourth Street Preserve to 70% of its $8 million objective with one year remaining. The purchase agreement calls for settlement by Sept. 15, 2025.

The campaign aims to permanently preserve a 30-acre forested tract of land in Lewes to enable habitat restoration, passive recreation and educational opportunities.

“We are extremely appreciative of Delaware’s Open Space Council’s commitment to this project,” said James Ford, campaign chair. “While this brings us to $5.5 million in donations, we will need another $2.5 million through individual and corporate gives, private foundation grants and additional requests for public funding.

The state grant also helped the campaign meet its $1 million challenge match from Longwood Foundation.

More than 1,000 individual gifts, totaling $2.3 million, have demonstrated the community’s determination to save this last forested habitat area within Lewes city limits. Ford said this is creating a strong foundation on which to apply for the larger grants.

“I am pleased that this project has been so well received and that the Open Space Council sees merit in it,” said Kyle Hoyd, state forester. “We look forward to sustainably managing this community forest for future generations with the partnerships being formed.”

The campaign is a project of the Greater Lewes Foundation, on behalf of the City of Lewes which will be the eventual owner of the 30-acre historic property. The Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service, a key project partner, will hold the conservation easement on the preserve, ensuring permanent protection for its natural habitat.

As the campaign has progressed, new partnerships are being formed, he said, including a plant survey by a team of Master Naturalists at the University of Delaware; interest from the Cape Henlopen School District in using the preserve as a living classroom; and plans by the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to utilize the preserve as a model for other urban forests across the state.

“We are also working to develop the early plans for the preserve including public paths, wetlands and drainage. In the process, project leaders are becoming more aware of the critical role this property plays in flood prevention for the entire town of Lewes,” said Pam Costanzi, campaign director.

The preserve also has historic significance as the first deeded land in Lewes. In November, “The First Settler of Lewes” will be published by The History Press, recounting the 360-year history of Lewes through the family stories of those who lived on this land. Sales of the book will benefit the campaign, Costanzi said.

For more information, go to osalewes.org or call 302-644-0107.