The Preservationists

outdoor recreation value,” said spokeswoman Shauna McVey. Since then, 65,124 acres have been preserved, with a focus on land near or next to state parks.

“We are managing to create a diversity of habitats to support a wide range of species native to the area and that migrate through the area,” said Jeff Downing, executive director of Mt. Cuba Center.

“It’s hard to partition conservation,” he said, referring to purple martins, whose migratory range includes much of North and South America.

“Our bigger mission is to inspire the community to appreciate the value and beauty of native plants and help participate in conservation,” he said. Mt. Cuba also helped with funding to buy Granogue.

What Mt. Cuba Center does (and does not)

Mt. Cuba, which opened to the public in 2013, merged in 2018 with the Red Clay Reservation, a nonprofit started by neighbor H.B du Pont in the 1960s. Mt. Cuba manages 1,000plus acres, some in its impressive gardens around the main house, but most a series of natural environments.

Management takes multiple forms. The most obvious involves planting, such as the stretches where saplings are growing to expand the forest, a patch where chestnut trees are being studied for their ability to fight blight and a 10-acre tract where this year they planted 24 million seeds of 39 native species to create a natural-looking meadow to support pollinators.

Management also involves the removal of evasive plants, mostly by hand and with the spot treatment assistance of herbicides. Removals can be more dramatic, such as a now-eliminated hedgerow that expanded a meadow and immediately drew more ground-nesting birds, such as northern harriers, red-winged blackbirds and sparrows.

Removals can be less dramatic, such as harvesting hay, and selling it for use elsewhere, which strategically reduces nitrogen accumulated when the fields were intensely farmed, Downing said.

Management also involves monitoring. Every few years, Mt. Cuba assesses the flora at 84 spots. And surveys of fauna have found 15 species of native bees not previously known to occur in Delaware, including the Jacob’s ladder miner bee, 365 miles from its nearest known population.

Sometimes management involves doing nothing. Stumps of dead trees are left in the ground as habitats for insects and other creatures, and brush piles on land and even in the water provide homes for small mammals, like rabbits, and fish.

“It’s easy to forget or take for granted the beauty of our region,” said Stephanie Sturmfels, marketing manager for the Delaware Nature Society. ”The pandemic highlighted how important places to spend time in nature are to so many people.”

Continued from Page 14