Nanticoke River Watershed

Nanticoke River
© David W. Harp

Why the Conservancy Selected This Site
The Nanticoke River watershed, in the heart of the Delmarva Peninsula, remains in exceptional condition. When Captain John Smith explored the rivers of the Chesapeake Bay in 1608, he discovered the gentle, meandering Nanticoke River, which he named after the Native Americans who lived nearby. Much of the 725,000-acre watershed is still undeveloped and large stands of intact forested wetlands exist along the river. Flowing from southern Delaware southwest through Maryland's Eastern Shore, the Nanticoke River is one of the Chesapeake Bay's most productive tributaries. Freshwater from the river mixes with saltwater from the ocean, creating tidal and freshwater wetlands that teem with life.

Threats
Today the Nanticoke River faces increasing pressures. Increasing development continues to threaten significant natural areas throughout the 725,000-acre watershed. Stream channelization and dredging disrupt aquatic habitats and destroy wetlands. Nutrient and sediment-laden runoff from agriculture and other sources affects water quality and wetland functions.

Plants
The Nanticoke River harbors more rare plants than any other landscape on the Delmarva Peninsula, including pitcher plants, box huckleberry, spreading pogonia orchid, wild lupine, reindeer moss, Parker's pipewort, seaside alder and reversed bladderwort.

Animals
The Delmarva fox squirrel is one of the rare animals that makes its home here. Rare amphibians include the carpenter frog. And, the forests and shallow marshes of the Nanticoke River provide important habitat for numerous birds, including bald eagles and Peregrine falcons. Many species of neotropical songbirds, including warblers such as American, rely on the watershed's forests during their annual migrations and nesting.

Our Conservation Strategy
The Maryland/DC and Delaware Chapters of The Nature Conservancy are collaborating across state boundaries to protect an additional 50,000 acres within the watershed. The Nanticoke project is directed out of an office in Seaford, Delaware, providing opportunities to build local trust and community partnerships throughout the region.

To preserve the natural areas of the Nanticoke, The Nature Conservancy works with a variety of public and private partners, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, The Conservation Fund, state government agencies in Maryland and Delaware, and local land trusts such as the Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy. New initiatives will encourage and aid farmers, timber companies and other landowners to protect their land from development and use economically and environmentally compatible practices that will help ensure the long-term conservation of the Nanticoke River Watershed.

What TNC Has Done/Is Doing
Approximately 18% of the watershed is currently protected through various programs including the Conservancy's work with partners. The Maryland/DC and Delaware Chapters are working with partners to protect an additional 50,000 acres. The Conservancy owns and manages several preserves totaling 1,500 acres.

The Middleford North Preserve in Sussex County: There are more than two dozen rare species in this stretch of the River where since 1992, the Conservancy has preserved more than 440 acres in the heart of the watershed.
With cosponsors, TNC established the Nanticoke Rural Legacy Area in Maryland where state funding is now available to protect a 13,600-acre greenbelt of farms, forests and important natural resources around the historic waterfront town of Vienna.
Workshops provide local landowners with information on their options to protect their land from development through easements and other tools.
Volunteer Weed Watchers monitor sites in the Nanticoke for new infestations. Volunteers are needed to help control weeds at Plum Creek in Maryland, September 11, 2003.
Habitat restoration is occurring at Dorchester Pond, a unique Delmarva bay wetland preserve.
Two major scientific research projects on wetlands in the watershed in collaboration with the Smithsonian and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Long-term protection of the Nanticoke will require cooperation among visitors, local residents, businesses, farmers, and government. The Conservancy is working closely with local communities throughout the watershed, providing lasting protection to a region where people and nature remain inextricably linked.