All of the land in our area has been disturbed to some extent by people’s activities. Our wildlife habitat restoration restores habitats to as natural a condition as possible.
Forest Habitat Restoration
Forest once was the dominant habitat in our area pre-European colonization. Restoration of forest by planting native tree and shrub has been undertaken on most of our sites. These trees and other plants will one day begin to replace some of our lost forest thus providing essential habitat for many species that rely on forest habitat.
Wetland Habitat Restoration
Wetlands abound on our sites and management of these important habitats is essential is critical for some of our most uncommon plants and animals. Our wetlands include freshwater non-tidal, freshwater tidal, ephemeral pools, palustrine woodlands, millponds, floodplains of piedmont and coastal plain streams, and saltmarsh. Ensuring proper hydrology and vegetation quality is essential for the health of these wetlands.
Meadow Restoration
Native meadows have been created in several abandoned agricultural areas on our sites. These meadows consist of fields that have been let to return, naturally, to meadow by simply discontinuing agricultural practices and fields that have been replanted with native grasses and flowering plants. These meadows are maintained by seasonally timed mowing and controlled burning.
Dealing with Aggressive Invasive Plants
Aggressive invasive plants are a serious problem to the health of wildlife habitats in the Delaware region. These plants out-compete our native plants reducing native plant diversity which, in turn, can negatively impact native animals that depend on native plants. Staff and volunteers utilize the most current and effective mechanical and chemical methods to control the most aggressive invasive plants.