Donated Parkland Could Eventually Become Delaware's First National Park
By Pat Loeb
NEW CASTLE, Del. (CBS) -- Delaware is the only state in the union without a national park, but local advocates are hoping to change that. And they are seeing new momentum for their effort.
The campaign for a national park in Delaware is at least a decade old, but Blaine Phillips, mid-Atlantic director for the Conservation Fund, says the recent addition of the 1,100-acre "Woodlawn" property to the land available for such a park could be a gamechanger.
"It is an unbelievable scenic resource, natural resource, and historic resource," he tells KYW Newsradio. "You just don't get 1,000-acre properties in pristine condition along the Brandywine," he says.
The Conservation Fund acquired the property from the Woodlawn Trust with a large grant from the Mt. Cuba Center, and is offering it for free to the National Park Service.
A bill now in Congress would allow the transfer.
"It's really a great opportunity for Delaware, for our region," says Phillips, "and I think the stars have finally lined up to do it."
