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Sussex County Land Trust History of Acquisitions & Easements & Major Events

• December 2002 to February 2003: State of Delaware Department of Agriculture Foundation Matching Grants Program Round 8: $300,000 raised by SCLT, matched by SCC, matched by State and Federal programs, leveraging $1.8M, preserving 933 acres in Sussex County.
   

• March 2003: Partnership with TNC on Oyster Rocks Road whereby SCLT holds fee simple title to 43 acres along the Great Marsh. TNC holds a conservation easement on the property. We purchased the property for $600,000 with funds from SC Open Space funds.
   

• June 2003: Bayside Conservation Easement approved by US Army Corps to hold the conservation easement on approximately 280 acres of wetlands along Drum Creek in the Assawoman Bay area of the inland bays. This is a donated easement, with a $50,000 endowment and use of their Nature Center. In addition, they have pledged $500/unit for 1700 units, for a total of $850,000.
   

• March 2004: Declared by SCC “Land Preservation Month in Sussex County”
   

• March 19, 2004: Race for Open Space 5K at Junction and Breakwater Trail and Inaugural Ball, presented with a check for $50,000 by Caldera Properties for Wolfe House renovations, raised $75,000; net 35,000 for Wolfe House renovations
   

• March 19, 2004: Announcement by Secretary of DNREC, John Hughes, of partnership between State of DE and SCLT to renovate the Wolfe House, a historic home situated at the beginning of Junction & Breakwater Trail connecting Rehoboth Beach & Lewes.
   

• April 2004: Partnership announced with TNC on Ponder Tract -908 acres of one of the largest forested areas remaining on the Delmarva Peninsula, what an important endeavor. The SCLT Board agreed to pledge $1M, of which $250,000 was from private funds and $750,000 was from SC Open Space Fund. This Tract represents an opportunity for public access once restoration is completed and allows the Nature Conservancy to leverage funds 13 times over with private, federal and state funding sources.
   

• May 2004: Peninsula Conservation Easement approved by US Army Corps to hold the conservation easement on approx. 230 acres of wetlands along the inland bays. They have also made a tremendous commitment to open space by pledging $1000 per lot, for 1404 lots, totaling $1.4M, of which $50,000 is set aside for conservation easement monitoring.
   

• June 30, 2004: $1.5M pledge to partner with State of Delaware to purchase four parcels from Delaware Wildlands, totaling approximately 650 acres. (Later this pledge of $1.5M was asked to be transferred by the State to the Tunnell Tract. SCLT is still recognized as being instrumental in securing these lands for preservation.)
   

• February 2005: State of Delaware Department of Agriculture Foundation Matching Grants Program, Round 10: $125,000 raised by SCLT, matched by SCC, matched by State and Federal programs, preserving 502 acres in Sussex County.
   

• March 19, 2005: Race for Open Space & April 16, 2005 Land Trust Ball, raising $120,000 of private funds of which the net proceeds of $75,000 was used to benefit conservation programs in Sussex County.
   

• December 2005: The Cannon Tract, totaling 37 acres currently being farmed, with upland forest and wetlands along Pepper Creek was approved for purchase for $1.3M, using SC Open Space funds.
   

• February 2006: State of Delaware Department of Agriculture Foundation Matching Grants Program, Round 11: $350,000 raised by SCLT private funds, matched by SC Open Space funds, matched by State and Federal programs, leveraging $1.1M, preserving 499.9 acres in Sussex County, over and above the Ag Foundation purchases in Sussex that year.
   

• December 2006: Partnership with the State of Delaware, The Conservation Fund and Sussex County to preserve Tunnell Tract $1.5M to be paid in three $500,000 installments. Northeast of Redden State Forest and Southwest of Milton, this contiguous parcel to already protected lands totals 755 acres.
   

• January 2007: Partnership with The Nature Conservancy to purchase the conservation easement on The Burton Tract, 149.9 acres located on Hudson and Carpenter Road using $428,000 of SC Open Space funds.
   

• May 2007: State of Delaware Department of Agriculture Foundation Matching Grants Program, Round 12: $105,000 raised by SCLT, $300,000 pledged by SCC, matched by State and Federal programs, leveraging $1.1M, preserving 214 acres in Sussex County, over and above the Ag Foundation purchases in Sussex that year.