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OCEAN VIEW, Del. - Volunteers are helping preserve the James Farm Ecological Preserve, a 150-acre property along Indian River Bay in Ocean View that is managed by the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays.
The preserve, located on Cedar Neck Road, is open daily from sunrise to sundown and is free to visit. According to the Center for the Inland Bays, the property includes trails through seven distinct habitats, including low marsh, high marsh, maritime forest, hardwood forest and meadows that were once farm fields.
One group, known as the Wednesday Crew, helps maintain the preserve throughout the year. The group meets weekly to clean up the area, trim vegetation, complete small construction projects and help with other maintenance needs.
On a recent volunteer work day, crews could be seen mowing grass, pulling weeds, raking and watering trees. Some of the benches and boardwalks across the preserve were also built by volunteers.
Michael Benardo, a volunteer who spent much of his career working in Washington, D.C., said giving back to the environment is important to him after retiring to the coast.
“It’s important to give back to Mother Nature,” Benardo said. “I feel like we’ve done so much. We’ve taken and taken from her. And so it’s important to give back.”
The Center for the Inland Bays offers several volunteer opportunities for people looking to help protect and maintain the region’s environment.
According to the Center for the Inland Bays, more than 300 volunteers have donated more than 6,200 hours across several volunteer opportunities. The center says those hours saved the organization more than $215,000 in labor costs.
One group, known as the Wednesday Crew, helps maintain the preserve throughout the year. The group meets weekly to clean up the area, trim vegetation, complete small construction projects and help with other maintenance needs.
Hoey driving to the maintenance shed to grab more tools.
Volunteer Meg Hoey was watering trees and said the work is about more than preserving the environment. “Everyone who I’ve met has been wonderful and very friendly, and it’s enjoyable,” Hoey said. Hoey said the number of volunteers who continue to show up reflects the center’s work and commitment to the preserve.
“I’ve never seen an organization that had so many volunteers who showed up week after week,” Hoey said. “And I think that that’s really a reflection of the staff and their work and their commitment to the center.”
The Center for the Inland Bays says James Farm is also used for field trips, guided tours and environmental education programs for children, students and adults. School programs are held at the preserve in the spring and fall. Visitors can also use the preserve to walk trails, observe wildlife and explore the bayside beach. The center asks visitors to carry out their trash, and pets are allowed but must remain leashed.
According to the Center for the Inland Bays, more than 300 volunteers have donated more than 6,200 hours across several volunteer opportunities. The center says those hours saved the organization more than $215,000 in labor costs.
The Center for the Inland Bays offers several volunteer opportunities for people looking to help protect and maintain the region’s environment.
