Fork Branch Trail will offer urban oasis in Dover

Calling Delaware's trail-related activities the state's No. 1 outdoor recreation activity, Gov. John Carney helped christen the new Fork Branch Trail on Wednesday in Dover.

The Division of Parks & Recreation will construct, manage and maintain the accessible, pedestrian-only trail. Construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year or spring of 2018, depending on conditions.

"Our state’s trails are not just good for trail users, they’re also good for our economy,” Carney said at Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony. “Trails in the First State are drawing more and more visitors to Delaware, where tourism accounts for $3.1 billion in economic activity."

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The Fork Branch Nature Preserve is one of Dover’s last remaining natural areas – a 247-acre property that contains a unique stand of old growth American beech, a wooded stream corridor, and several rare and threatened plant species, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). 

Dr. James B. McClements, who died in August 2016 at the age of 88, bought the land the trail will now run through in the 1960s and donated it to the state in the 1990s.

His daughter, Nancy McClements, said her family is happy the land will be used for hiking, something her father loved doing.

"This is my dad's legacy," said Nancy, who lives just 500 yards from where the trailhead will begin. "As a family, we're thrilled because it was what he wanted and we all love being here." 

The preserve is located at the corner of Kenton and West Denneys roads, along the Maidstone Branch in the St. Jones River Watershed.

DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin said the Fork Branch Trail will offer an excellent opportunity for families and children to get outdoors, enjoy nature, and be physically active.

“The trail offers users an urban oasis of nature located within the city limits of Dover," he said in a DNREC release. According to DNREC, the new trail will be 5-feet wide, and loop approximately 1 mile through the preserve, providing opportunities to experience native fauna and landscapes. 

Reach Jerry Smith at jsmith17@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JerrySmithTNJ.