If you visit the National Park Service website and search for Delaware, you get the following on the page dedicated to the state: "Because Delaware has no National Parks, we have provided a list of parks within a 75 mile range of central Delaware."
The First State is the only state in the nation without a National Park or even a unit of the National Park service.
After a failed attempt last year to put a Delaware national park on the map, Senator Tom Carper (D) is trying again. Carper introduced the First State National Historical Park Act of 2011 on Thursday with Senator Chris Coons (D) as a co-sponsor. Representative John Carney (D) introduced a similar bill in the House of Representatives. It's the first legislation introduced by Carney in the House.
The previous Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Carper and Senator Ted Kaufman, went nowhere, as did a similar House bill introduced by Representative Mike Castle.
"Unfortunately, we were collateral damage because of opposition to a lot of other bills," said Carper.
Senator Tom Carper discusses his effort to bring a National Park to Delaware:
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Why Delaware deserves a National Park
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Costs issues involved in establishing a Delaware National Park
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Why much of the National Park will be focused on New Castle County
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Getting across the finish line this time
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Carper says the previous bill was largely shaped during the Bush administration. It was a non-traditional plan: what some called a “virtual” national park, highlighting Delaware’s historical heritage and contributions leading up to the ratification of the Constitution. That concept lost steam when the Obama administration took office.
"The Obama administration [came] in and said, 'We think it should be more of a traditional National Park with some buildings and properties as part of the National Park,' " said Carper.
The new legislation attempts to address that concern and others that came up when the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the previous bill last May. The committee's concerns revolved around the role of the Park Service and the sites listed for the park.
The new bill targets specific sites in all three counties that the Secretary of the Interior would be authorized to attempt to include in the park, now or in the future, by donation, purchase, or easement with cooperative agreement. Under an easement, the current property owner retains ownership, but would negotiate an agreement with the Park Service regarding management, access, and upkeep.
The sights targeted are:
New Castle County
- The Old Sheriff's House in Old New Castle - Fort Christina National Historic Landmark. - Old Swedes Church National Historic Landmark. - Old New Castle Courthouse
Kent County
- John Dickinson Plantation National Historic Landmark. - Dover Green
Sussex County
- Ryves Holt House
"The National Park Service will be available to negotiate with land owners and property owners to see if they would like for the Park Service to take over ownership and operation or sharing of certain properties. They don’t have to, but there is that option if they would like." said Carper.
The new proposal also lists potential interpretative sites. They would not be part of the park, but could work with the Park Service to be included in the materials and tours related to it.
That list includes: Fort Casimir, the Amstel House, and the Dutch House in Old New Castle, and the DeVries Monument and Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes.
Sen. Carper says the cost of establishing a National Park in Delaware is uncertain since acquisition of the sites needs to be worked out, but he suggests that the cost would not be onerous, even in under the current economic and budgetary environment.
"If the Congressional Budget Office says that there is some cost that relates to our park, and there may be, we'll have to come up with a way to offset that cost, and we’ll work with our colleagues in the Senate and with the House to identify that—and with the Administration to identify whatever off set may be needed for that," said Carper.
The price tag for a Delaware National Park would be minimal compared to other national parks, he added. "On a scale, if you look at what the cost of a park in a small little state like Delaware might cost compared to Yellowstone, compared to some of the large National Parks that exist around the country, this is very inexpensive," Carper argued. "There will probably going to be some money involved, but it’s not going to be like billions of dollars or hundreds of millions of dollars, or even tens of millions of dollars, it’s going to be small potatoes compared to the production of most of the other parks."
If the legislation is approved, Carper expects developing the park would take "a couple of years."
"A long journey starts with a first step," he said, "and this first step is a big one and we want to get it taken and get down that road."
