Why Delmarva’s Public Lands Are So Important
- Laura Scharle
- Sep 23
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 23
Not a day goes by that I don’t take a moment to appreciate Delmarva’s public lands. Something in me just feels giddy when I discover a new trail, paddle a marsh creek, or stroll a beach. Public lands give me the freedom and permission to explore–both at home and when I travel.
I get excited when other people visit their public lands too. You hiked Pickering Creek Audubon Center for the first time? Tell me more. You paddled out to the concrete ships at Kiptopeke State Park? I hope you saw dolphins. Your daughter harvested her first deer? You must be thrilled. You went birding at Slaughter Beach? I want details.
But the benefits of public lands go much deeper than just outdoor recreation and adventuring. Public lands mean heritage, memories, conservation, access, community, and so much more. Help honor National Public Lands Day by going on a deep dive with me into the many ways public lands enrich our lives. And afterwards, share your own stories and memories about visiting Delmarva’s public lands for a chance to win some cool stuff (details below).
Preserving Cultural Heritage
Almost every time I am exploring a public, natural landscape–whether it’s a river, shoreline, or forest–I find myself imagining what this landscape looked like a hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, or even tens of thousands of years ago. What was it like to be the first person to ever step foot here? How has the landscape changed? I find it so much easier to think about these things when I’m in a preserved, natural setting. And this may sound silly, but I sometimes feel a personal connection to those that once walked these lands, generations before me. I don’t get that feeling when I’m parked in a parking lot by a strip mall or even in my own neighborhood. Too much has shifted.
Most public land management agencies work hard to preserve the cultural heritage of the lands they oversee. Their preservation efforts protect things like Native American burial grounds, African American heritage, and military history. Without designating public lands, many historic sites and landmarks would be erased or forgotten.
Access
Public lands are key to accessing activities and landscapes that would otherwise be off limits to most of us. State forests and wildlife management areas are crucial to hunters. Public boat ramps and kayak launches provide water access to anyone that isn’t lucky enough to live on the water. If it wasn’t for public lands, fishing, boating, and paddling would only be available to elite, waterfront communities. If we didn’t have public lands, nobody would know what it would be like to hike several miles through the forest.
Natural Resource Conservation
With every acre of land that is preserved and protected from development, our natural resources have just a little bit more chance to thrive. Public lands can be an oasis for wildlife in an otherwise rapidly developing landscape. When we preserve habitats, we support biodiversity and a healthy ecosystem.
And although I already mentioned access, I need to bring it up again. When people have access to our public lands, they develop deep connections with outdoor spaces, ultimately leading to more support and advocacy for conservation. If there were no public lands and people had no way of accessing natural landscapes, they wouldn’t even know it was important to care about the species that call them home.
Sense of Community
While some public lands are great for escaping, well, the public, other lands bring people and communities together. Volunteering, Friends groups, and outdoor events are perfect examples of communities coming together. We take pride in our local public lands and work together to protect and promote them. We buy t-shirts and stickers to display our love for our public lands. Like-minded people come together for events such as the Jane’s Island Paddlefest, Blackbird Creek Fall Festival, the National Outdoor Show, Delmarva Birding Weekends, among many others.
Physical & Mental Health
It’s no secret that spending time outdoors and staying active is good for your health. Public lands provide us with miles and miles of trails to hike, walk, and run. Delmarva’s waterways give us endless places to paddle and fish. Our public beaches and piers offer many opportunities to soak in a good view and escape the stresses of everyday life. Everyone deserves access to a place that brings them peace and good health.
Tourism & Economic Development
Public lands attract visitors. Not just local residents, but people from all over. These are visitors that book places to stay in our small towns and eat in our local restaurants. These are also visitors that are typically respectful of our natural and cultural resources–the visitors you want to come to Delmarva.
Future Generations
It might not be something that most people think about on a daily basis, but I think about the future of our public lands all the time, and how future generations will get to experience our natural and cultural resources. Will my son one day lead his family on a paddling excursion out of Savages Ditch and tell them that the marsh islands were what first sparked his mom’s passion for public lands? Will my grandkids get to see piping plovers nesting on Virginia’s barrier islands? Will your great grandkids be able to hike the 12-mile Algonquin trail through the Pocomoke State Forest? Will someone a hundred years from now visit one of Delmarva’s public lands and still feel connected to those that first got to walk the ground beneath us?
If we work to protect and advocate for our public lands, the answer to all of those questions is yes. For ideas on how you can advocate for our local public lands, check out our advocacy page.
Now I want to hear from YOU! Share a fond memory, a funny story, or a favorite spot to explore on Delmarva. You can submit a photo and a story here, or simply post on social media and tag @delmarvatrailsandwaterways and use the hashtag #DelmarvaTrailsandTales.
If you share your love for Delmarva’s public lands by Saturday, September 27, you’ll be entered into a drawing to win some Delmarva Trails & Waterways swag.
Happy National Public Lands Day!
