Delaware birders raise money to protect open space in Lewes.
The Delaware Ornithological Society raised $50,000 as part of its 2024 Delaware Bird-A-Thon to support the Ard Na Greine property in Lewes along the Georgetown-Lewes Trail.
This donation along with $3.3 million in USDA funding and the Sussex County Land Trust partnering with the county, state, Open Space Council, and others are helping deliver the $8.5 million needed to preserve the land - an effort that started in 2019.
"And we've been in talks with some other groups on the potential of what can happen here. Unfortunately, at this point, we can't say, well, that would be yet, but hopefully down the road this could certainly be a community space where the community can come together and have this open space area," said Sara Bluhm executive director for the Sussex County Land Trust.
The property is the largest vacant piece of land east of Route 1 in the Lewes area, in a popular area near new townhomes on New Road with more construction going up around it.
“This land would certainly be a hot commodity for development, and it could at 88 acres have 150 plus homes on it by right,” said Bluhm. “So we are collectively saving the open land to be able to preserve it in perpetuity, and that opens up a lot of options of what we can do."
Bluhm adds to help secure more funding, the Sussex County Land Trust will ask the Longwood Foundation for grant money.
