State and county officials broke ground on a new Dover trail earlier this week.
The “Fork Branch Trail” is a mile-long loop through the Fork Branch Nature Preserve in the St. Jones River Watershed.
With several rare and threatened species of plants, including a unique stand of American beech, the preserve is one of the few remaining natural areas in Dover. Delaware State Parks Director Ray Bivens says creating a designated trail there will help preserve the area.
“People, already, from the neighborhoods are coming onto the property,” Bivens said. “There’s a lot of social trails we’ll be doing away with so we’ll kind of be funneling that. There will be a hardened stoned surface that keeps people out of wet areas, and we always encourage people to stay on the trail.”
A large part of the new trail will follow an old farm road - land that has been disturbed for some periods of time. The trail will take up less than 1 percent of the 247-acre property, Bivens said. Delaware State Parks plans to add bridges for people to cross a creek.
For a growing county population, there are not a lot of assets to get people outdoors, so the trail will help with that, Bivens said. It will also give tourists one more thing to do during their visit, said Kent County Tourism Director WendieVestfall.
“Nine times out of 10, someone’s not specifically coming here just to walk a trail,” Vestfall said. “They’re looking at what else there is to do here. They want to do the trail but they also want to check out a restaurant or they hear about the tax-free shopping.”
Both offices have researched the types of activities residents and tourists like to do in the state, and trails seem to be a top priority to a lot of people. Bivens said every five years, Delaware State Parks does a statewide comprehensive recreation plan. The no.1 amenity people ask for year after year are more trails.
“We know it’s key to helping with healthcare costs, getting families active. This is a trail that anyone can do. You don’t need any kind of special equipment,” Bivens said.
Officials expect the trail to be open to the public this spring.
The Fork Branch Trail will be able to be accessed from the Fork Branch Nature Preserve, which is can be found at the corner of Kenton and West Denneys roads, along the Maidstone Branch in the St. Jones River Watershed.
