MidAtlantic fun: The Petersen Urban Wildlife Refuge

People who live in Delaware tend to be a little sensitive about the size of their state. It’s understandable: it is small and not everyone realizes its significance – or even statehood for that matter (I’ve had people ask me if Delaware is a town in New Jersey). Things have improved a bit now that Joe Biden is working in the White House, but I have a feeling that many of us could still justify sporting our “Dela-where?” t-shirts. For a lot of people the word Delaware conjures up nothing more than 12 miles of I-95 with a toll at either end.

This post isn’t meant to extol Delaware’s virtues as a tourist destination generally (although it does have them and that might have to be a subject of a future post), but rather to let those of you who are cruising through on your way to other places that there happens to be a great urban nature preserve that’s just minutes from the bustling highway that you think is the state’s only reason for existing. It’s an ideal spot to stretch your legs, let your kids run around, and maybe see some foxes, hawks, or even a bald eagle.

The Russell W. Petersen Urban Wildlife Refuge is 212 acres of protected urban wetland along the Christina River just outside downtown Wilmington. It is named after an environmentalist and former governor of Delaware who helped realize the Coastal Zone Act of 1972, which protected Delaware’s inland bays and waterways by banning heavy industry along them. Last fall, the DuPont Environmental Education Center opened in the refuge. Owned by a private development corporation, it is staffed and run by the Delaware Nature Society, a premier environmental and educational organization in the state of which I am a proud member.

During the first week of February, I took advantage of a lull between storms that left a total of three feet of snow over much of Northern Delaware (and had the kids out of school for an entire week) to pay a visit.

The place is a fascinating intersection of the industrial and the natural. Freight trains thunder over a sculptural bridge that spans the river.

To the north, the banks and churches of Wilmington stretch skyward. Not too far in the distance traffic hums by, the murmur of cars and trucks punctuated by the cries of Canada geese landing in the marsh.

On the day we were there, fox footprints dotted the snow.

A small botanical garden, which is beautifully landscaped and in warmer weather has series of stone-line paths and waterfalls, is a delightful place to play. Tommy and Teddy made do in the snow, playing on the artful sculptures designed to look like fallen trees and overseen by a metal owl.

We also admired the statue of Governor Petersen, who presides over all holding his binoculars (as a former president of the National Audubon Society should) and wished we had shovels to clear the snow from the paths.

Inside the education center you can get information on what types of wildlife have been spotted recently.

There are also several interactive exhibits. One shows a map of the marsh. Push different buttons and you can see the various flora and fauna that inhabit the place and where they have been sighted. Another exhibit offers the chance to learn about the human history of the marsh, from the very first people who inhabited it through the present day. Particularly interesting were the photos from just a few years ago showing the veritable junkyard that lined the river. It’s always amazing how quickly nature can reclaim even the most blighted areas.

The snow kept off us off the boardwalk that normally serves as a viewing spot for all kinds of wildlife. But we did get to see it from the lovely third floor room, which has windows all around and a balcony. The building still smells of the Western Red Cedar used to build it and is so bright and open to the environs that it’s almost like being outdoors.

This is a four-season kind of place – small enough that it will be great to bring the boys back so that they can compare the snow-covered landscape with the pale greens of early spring and the tall grass of summer. We’ll want to come back with binoculars at a time when we can cover every inch of the boardwalk, peering into the water to spy tadpoles, frogs, dragonflies, and maybe even a snapping turtle.

The Petersen Wildlife Refuge and DuPont Environmental Education Center are worth a visit if you live in the area. But I also recommend them as a pit stop for anyone who is trekking up or down I-95 en route to Philadelphia or Washington D.C. The area would make a lovely spot for picnic or just a place to stretch your legs. A walking path links the center with the Wilmington riverfront, leading all the way over to the train station (the one that Joe Biden so famously traveled to Washington from every day while he was in the Senate). Should you choose to walk it there are a variety of restaurants and lots of interesting industrial remnants to admire like gantry trains painted in a variety of primary colors.

But my favorite part of the whole place may be the bridge that stretches up to the education center. It’s a great place to admire the view or run headlong into the river wind.

The Petersen Refuge is easily accessible from Interstate 95 (don’t take the 495 bypass around Wilmington). The outside area is open daily from dawn to dusk; building hours are available on the website. The Delaware Nature Society offers a variety of different educational programs at the center, including day programs and summer camps.