The Nature Conservancy - Pennsylvania and Delaware Chapter

Making a Difference in Delaware.

We're working with government agencies, private corporations, conservation organizations and our members to conserve the places on which people and wildlife depend. This has resulted in the conservation of more than 30,000 acres across Delaware since 1990.

After completing our most recent property transfer of 86 acres to expand Auburn Valley State Park in 2019, TNC has transferred ownership of nearly 2,500 acres to Federal and state agencies over the last 30 years. We are proud of our historic legacy of partnering with government agencies to protect natural resources and provide recreational opportunities for all to enjoy.

Stretching from the mouth of the Delaware River in southern New Castle County to the Atlantic Ocean, the Delaware Bayshore hosts more than 50 miles of tidal shoreline backed by a variety of dunes, tidal salt marshes, freshwater wetlands and maritime forest. These natural areas serve as critical habitat for a number of economically and recreationally important horseshoe crabs, fish species and migratory birds, including the federally threatened red knot, a shorebird that flies 9,300 miles from South America to the Arctic each spring.

Marshes and wetlands also provide benefits to farmland, property and inland communities that call the Bayshore home. Healthy coastal marshes protect our coasts during heavy storms—which are becoming more frequent due to climate change—by mitigating inland flooding, which can damage infrastructure, homes and personal property as well as ruin agricultural fields. Marsh vegetation also helps prevent erosion and acts as a natural filter of sediment and nutrient pollution.

With sea level predicted to rise 9-23 inches by 2050 and up to 5 feet by 2100, these highly productive coastal habitats will need to adapt and migrate inland. With proper conservation planning and community-led action, however, the real extent of marsh habitats could increase or even expand.

The Nature Conservancy is committed to working with partners throughout the Delaware Bayshore landscape to advance coastal resilience and climate adaptation, including strategies to conserve additional lands, facilitate marsh migration, protect vulnerable human communities and restore critical habitats for our iconic migratory fish, birds and wildlife.

Leading Delaware Forward. 

TNC Delaware is committed to creating a world where people and nature thrive. We apply the best available science to protect and restore our lands and waters. And working together, we can advocate for policies that address the causes and impacts of climate change, help our cities become more sustainable and create opportunities for people to connect with nature.

This work has never been more urgent.

Climate change is already impacting the First State and years of aggressive development means we are losing our vital natural resources. We are feeling the impacts of increased flooding, more frequent and severe rain events and rising temperatures. These growing challenges are stressing infrastructure, threatening human and natural communities and overburdening our local governments. We must work together to build more capacity, strengthen coordination, support undeserved communities and increase available resources to fund programs and projects that build resilience.