Fourth Street Preserve

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Lewes, DW
Fourth Street Preserve

30 acres in Lewes, DE permanently protected 🌱 Restoring habitats + building trails. Open Spring 2027

08/24/2026

A little progress update:

While we had hoped to welcome the community to the Preserve in late Fall 2026, our updated opening timeline is now Spring 2027. Important site, infrastructure and restoration work is still underway, and we want to allow the time needed to complete this work before opening the Preserve for public access.
In the meantime, plenty is happening at the Preserve! 🌿

Over the coming months, our volunteers and project partners will continue:
🌿 Removing invasive species
💧 Continuing hydrology studies
🌳 Removing fallen and hazardous trees
🥾 Preparing the landscape for future trails and public access
🌱 Planting more than 700 native trees, shrubs and plants this fall

We know many of you are eager to experience the Preserve, and we appreciate your patience and continued enthusiasm as this work moves forward. And there will be opportunities to be part of it! We'll be sharing details soon about our fall volunteer planting efforts and hope you'll join us. 🌱

08/15/2026

Calling all Junior Preserve Scouts! Don't forget to stop by our table tomorrow at the Farmer's Market - we'll be there from 9 am - 12 pm. Participate in one of our activities and get our official kid approved bookmark for your remaining summer reading.📚

08/12/2026

Meet the animals of our brand-new Preserve Pal Packs! Each of these creatures calls the Fourth Street Preserve home.🦌🦅🐇🦊

Our limited, symbolic animal adoption kits will be available in person this Saturday, August 15th at the Historic Lewes Farmer's Market. Adopt one...or all four of our forest friends and help restore the Fourth Street Preserve!

Every Preserve Pal Pack helps fund habitat restoration, native plantings, trails, and the future of Delaware's first urban forest. 100% of proceeds support restoration efforts.

Stop by the Friends of the Fourth Street Preserve table to learn about what our group is working on, choose a Preserve Pal to bring home, enjoy hands-on nature activities, and learn how you can be part of this incredible community effort.💚

08/11/2026

Just one of many fungi in the preserve. These fragile mushrooms, commonly known as "bonnets" are from the large genus Mycena. They feature small bell-shaped caps, thin stems, and white spore prints. One of nature's biggest recyclers, they are mostly recognized as decomposers of dead plant.🍄‍🟫

08/08/2026

Something WILD is coming to the Lewes Farmers Market Kids Day next Saturday, August 15! We're getting ready to unveil something we've been working on that will let forest friends big and small support the Preserve in a fun, meaningful and adorable way. 🦊🦌🦅🌿 Stay tuned... we'll be sharing more details this week!

Be sure to stop by our Friends of the Fourth Street Preserve table to learn more about what we're up to, and we'll have some kid-friendly, hands-on nature activities... and a few freebies too!

08/03/2026

Have you shared your name ideas for our eagle family yet? We're extending the contest deadline to August 15th - so be sure to click on the link here to submit before then.

https://fourthstreetpreserve.org/event/help-name-the-first-family-of-the-fourth-street-preserve/

Finalists will be chosen in late summer for voting & the 3 winning names will be announced at The Preserve opening event in Fall 2026!🦅

08/01/2026

You may have noticed we've officially changed our social media name from Open Space Alliance to Fourth Street Preserve!

When we launched our campaign to permanently protect this special place, Open Space Alliance represented the community effort to save it. Now that the Preserve is protected and entering its exciting next chapter, our name reflects the place we've all worked so hard to preserve.

Don't worry—it's the same accounts, the same team, and the same love for nature. Thanks for being part of the journey! 💚

07/29/2026

🌳 Woodland or Forest? What’s the Difference? 🌲

Looking at the Fourth Street Preserve today you'll see a beautiful, heavily wooded landscape—but did you know there's a difference between a woodland and a forest? The key is the canopy—the leafy layer formed by the tops of the trees.

🌿 Woodlands have more widely spaced trees and an open canopy, allowing plenty of sunlight to reach the ground. This creates a mix of trees, grasses, shrubs, and other plants that thrive in both sun and shade.

🌲 Forests have a denser, more connected canopy, with tree branches that overlap and create a shadier environment. A healthy forest develops layers—from the canopy high above to the understory and forest floor below—creating habitat for a diverse array of plants and wildlife.

So, what is the Fourth Street Preserve? Today, it's a heavily wooded landscape—but through restoration, thoughtful stewardship, and time, our goal is to help it evolve into a healthy, thriving urban forest. 🌳

Restoring a forest isn't something that happens overnight. It's a process of nurturing native plants, removing invasive species, protecting wildlife habitat, and allowing nature to do what it does best: grow.

We're excited to watch the Fourth Street Preserve grow into the forest we envision—and we're grateful to everyone helping make that future possible. 💚

🌿Woodland today. Forest tomorrow.🌲

07/09/2026

Did you know? 🦅 Our young bald eagle is still wearing its juvenile plumage. During its first year, bald eagles are almost entirely dark brown, with just a few scattered white flecks near their belly and around their wings. Around six months after leaving the nest, they'll begin to molt, gradually developing lighter brown feathers before eventually gaining the iconic white head and tail of an adult.

It's incredible how much the eagle will change over the next few years. And don't forget—you can help name our Fourth Street Preserve eagle family by visiting our website under the Events link! 🦅

07/02/2026

A first look at what's to come! Last week, the first of several planned message boards and kiosk stations was installed along Fourth Street at one of the future entrances to the Preserve.

Once the Preserve opens, these kiosks will serve as hubs for trail maps, upcoming events, wildlife information, and the latest Preserve updates. If you're walking by, be sure to stop and take a peek inside!

Address

P. O. Box 110
Lewes, DW
19958

Telephone

+13026440107

Website

https://fourthstreetpreserve.org/

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