Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve St. Jones trail reopens

The trail at the St. Jones component of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve near Dover has reopened, with repairs to the trail and boardwalk completed following storm damage earlier this month, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced April 23.

The trail was closed past the first marsh walk April 13 after a storm downed trees and damaged the boardwalk. A small greenhouse on the reserve was also destroyed by a fallen tree. The weather station operated by DNERR measured a peak wind gust of 67.9 miles per hour just before 4 p.m. the day of the storm. Numerous trees also fell across sections of the trail that connects to the adjoining Ted Harvey Conservation Area.

“The St. Jones Reserve trail is a popular place with visitors,” said Dayna Cobb, director of DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy. “Our staff worked hard to get the trail reopened for the public’s use.”

In addition to the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve’s trails at St. Jones in Dover and Blackbird Creek Reserve in Townsend, state parks and wildlife areas remain open. Many amenities, however, including restrooms, are closed. Individuals who visit state properties are required to engage in responsible social distancing practices, avoiding groupings of people.