Friends of Delaware Water Gap N.R.A.

06/06/2026

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow at the Van Campen Homestead from 11AM to 2PM! We will be there showing you around this historic spot and discussing the plans for its restoration and preservation.
Use Google Maps to Calno-VanCampen Cemetery for directions - or simply drive up Old Mine Rd from I-80 (exit 1) 10 miles or down Old Mine Rd from the Dingmans Bridge road to Millbrook Village and continue south for 2 miles.
We will be out by the road to greet you!!!

Please join us on June 7th from 11AM to 2PM at the Van Campen Homestead about 2 miles south of Millbrook Village on Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGRA). The Van Campen Homestead is centered around the historic house built by Abraham Van Campen circa 1732 and consists of outbuildings, the Calno and Depue cemeteries, the Benjamin Van Campen House circa 1840, and the "Van Kamps" fort of the French and Indian War.

The Friends are supporting a group of individuals and Van Campen family members that have two goals - to raise funds to restore and to preserve these historic resources for generations to come and to eventually hold events there similar to other events throughout the DWGNRA, such as Van Campen Inn Day (note that the VC Homestead is NOT the Van Campen Inn) .

The Friends of the DWGNRA have set up a web page for accepting donations for these preservation efforts. Please visit our website under Projects or go directly to the donation page at https://friendsofdewanps.org/van-campen-homestead for further updates or to make a donation now. We look forward to seeing you there!

06/04/2026

Please know that wild animal babies alone don't always need rescuing or any human help. Call your local wildlife rehab if you have doubts before approaching them.

Well say it AGAIN and AGAIN
FOR those in the Back!

🚨 PLEASE STOP "RESCUING" FAWNS 🚨

We know your heart is in the right place.

Every spring, kind and caring people come across a tiny fawn lying quietly alone in the grass and assume it's been abandoned. The urge to help is completely understandable.

But the truth is...

That fawn is almost certainly exactly where it's supposed to be.

Mother deer intentionally leave their babies hidden for long periods while they feed nearby. The fawn's job is to stay still, stay quiet, and wait. Mom's job is to stay away until it's safe to return.

Unfortunately, we see the heartbreaking consequences of unnecessary "rescues" every year.

Healthy fawns are taken from the wild and brought to rehabilitators dehydrated, stressed, malnourished, injured from improper handling, or suffering from aspiration after being fed the wrong things. Some don't survive the stress alone. Others lose the chance to be raised by the one creature best equipped to care for them—their mother.

If a fawn is curled up quietly, appears alert, and has no obvious injuries, please leave it alone.

Do not touch it.
Do not feed it.
Do not move it.
Do not pose for photos with it.

The greatest act of kindness is often doing nothing at all.

However, if the fawn is continuously crying for hours, wandering aimlessly, covered in flies, visibly injured, weak, or has ears that are curled and dehydrated, then it's time to contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately.

Please help us spread the word. Share this post. Talk to your friends and neighbors.

Every fawn that stays with its mother has the best possible chance at life.

Sometimes the best rescue... is no rescue at all. 🦌❤️

05/31/2026

Special opportunity to enjoy a night out of food, fun, and music at ShawneeCraft Brewery while supporting the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area!

05/29/2026

This is a great option for hikers and bikers to see more of the park as well as paddlers!

The River Runner Shuttle is back in action! 🚐🚣‍♀️

Provided through a partnership with MCTA, this shuttle is free for riders. Hikers, bikers, and paddlers can enjoy an easy-to-use shuttle to many different points along the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River and McDade Recreational Trail.

To utilize the shuttle, visitors should park at their end point and take a ride to their starting point up. This allows for an easy, round-trip adventure without worrying about shuttling vehicles back and forth.

Visitors are responsible for loading their own gear before boarding the shuttle.

Pets are permitted on the shuttle as long as they are friendly, under control, and on a leash at all times. Pups love their river trips too!

The River Runner provides service on Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend.

For more information on the shuttle and to look at a schedule of stops, visit www.gomcta.com/trip.php



Image: A section of the 2026 River Runner shuttle map and schedule.
Photo/ Monroe County Transit Authority

05/18/2026

Celebrate America 250 with a uniquely American story! Come hear a real-live story of an Appalachian Trial thru-hiker! An adventure many of us dream of taking but few make it happen. Jeff Mitchell is one who made it happen!!

Thursday, June 11th from 6:30-8:00 PM
Shawnee Inn & Golf Resort
100 Shawnee Dr
Shawnee-on-Delaware PA 18356

For this presentation, Jeff will describe his Appalachian Trail hike, including the beautiful landscapes and the people he met along the way, their stories, and the lessons they taught him. The trail, and its incredible community, erased the cynicism that is all too common in today's world and restored Jeff's faith in both humanity and himself.

Jeff Mitchell is an outdoors author and attorney, presently serving as the Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney. He has written Hiking the Endless Mountains, Backpacking Pennsylvania, Paddling Pennsylvania, Hiking the Allegheny National Forest, and Backpacking New York. His latest book, Lessons Beyond the Horizon, is a memoir detailing his experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2022. Jeff has also thru-hiked the Colorado Trail and completed Vermont's Long Trail. Jeff's next book, Take to the Sky, which is about the Colorado Trail, should be published later this year.

A limited number of copies of Lessons Beyond the Horizon will be for sale at the event, and Jeff will be donating all proceeds to the Friends of Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

This is a public event for all!
Members and under 18 are always free.
Non-members are respectfully asked for a suggested donation of $5 per person.

Registration is now open! Go to https://friendsofdewanps.org/appalachian-trail-talk pre-register for the event. It saves time on arrival and lets us know how many people to expect, but is not necessary. You may also drop us a note to [email protected] to let us know you will be coming and the size of your group, if others are coming with you.

05/18/2026

Please join us on June 7th from 11AM to 2PM at the Van Campen Homestead about 2 miles south of Millbrook Village on Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGRA). The Van Campen Homestead is centered around the historic house built by Abraham Van Campen circa 1732 and consists of outbuildings, the Calno and Depue cemeteries, the Benjamin Van Campen House circa 1840, and the "Van Kamps" fort of the French and Indian War.

The Friends are supporting a group of individuals and Van Campen family members that have two goals - to raise funds to restore and to preserve these historic resources for generations to come and to eventually hold events there similar to other events throughout the DWGNRA, such as Van Campen Inn Day (note that the VC Homestead is NOT the Van Campen Inn) .

The Friends of the DWGNRA have set up a web page for accepting donations for these preservation efforts. Please visit our website under Projects or go directly to the donation page at https://friendsofdewanps.org/van-campen-homestead for further updates or to make a donation now. We look forward to seeing you there!

05/15/2026

We invite you to come to hear author David Pierce present a local history of the failed Tocks Island Dam project. The event takes place Saturday May 23rd, from 10-11AM at Smithfield Beach in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Dave's journalism background, project research, and local knowledge gives a unique view of the Tocks Island Dam project presenting the local history as the focus.

The Tocks Island Dam project by the US Army Corps of Engineers is the reason we have the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area today. After acquiring the land to build the dam to create a reservoir that would stretch from Port Jervis NY to just north of Shawnee-On-Delaware NJ (~37 miles) with a recreation area surrounding it, the project was cancelled. That left 70,000+ acres of land that was handed to the National Park Service to become the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

We will be walking from Smithfield Beach south to Tocks Island as Dave fills us in on the history of the project and of the land as we walk along.

Members of the Friends of DWGNRA and under 18 are free
Non-members are welcome for a suggested donation of $5 each

Please note that Smithfield Beach is a $10 per car fee area. If you do not have a park pass, you may want to consider packing a lunch for a picnic after the walk. Or car pool from a free parking area, like the HQ building or Hialeah Picnic Area.

It saves time on arrival and lets us know how many people to expect, but is not necessary. Go to https://friendsofdewanps.org/tocks-island-walk-talk-1 to register. You may also drop us a note to [email protected] .

04/30/2026

This is a great opportunity to help our park look its best!

04/13/2026

Last week's program, "America's Greatest Recovery: The Civilian Conservation Corps Project" was a success!

Thank you to everyone who came out to support us and learn about the CCC!

Shout out to the presenter, Wood, for sharing his knowledge through a wonderful program.

Interested in other Friends of DEWA programs? Keep an eye on our event calendar and page! Link to both are in our bio.

12/19/2025