LEWES, Del. — The opening of the Fourth Street Preserve in Lewes has been pushed back to Spring 2027 as site infrastructure and restoration work continues.
The preserve had previously been expected to open to the public in late fall 2026. According to a project update shared Aug. 24 on Facebook, the preserve said additional time is needed to finish work at the property before allowing public access.
Pamela Costanzi, Friends of the Fourth Street Preserve President said that they were also awaiting several permits from US Fish and Wildlife.
The first permit was in regard to where the trails will be located to help support the bald eagles that currently live in the forest, which has been approved.
"We have succeeded in getting that permitting just last week... And the permit also said that what we were planning was within their guidelines."
The second permitting process was about building wooden bridges that would have connected two agricultural ditches, which is a man-made trench used to drain excess water from farm fields or to channel water in for crop irrigation, on the one side of the preserve and an old spur of the old Queen Anne Railroad track. The group discovered that equipment needed to maintain parts of the preserve will be too heavy for the bridge to withstand, promoting a pivot in ideas.
In the meantime, volunteers and project partners plan to continue removing invasive species and fallen or hazardous trees. Hydrology studies will also continue as crews prepare the landscape for future trails and public access. As well as planting more than 700 native trees, shrubs and plants this fall.
