Sussex County Land Trust celebrates preserving 88-acre farm in Lewes

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“Ard Na Gréine” in Gaelic means “the rise that catches the sun.”

It’s also the name of an 88-acre scenic farm located in Lewes. It’s filled with green crops, has a view of a clear skyline and is seemingly untouched by development that the city has seen over the years.

The land is one of the few open spaces remaining east of Route 1 in the fast-growing Sussex County. Now, it is permanently protected from that growth. The Sussex County Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization, officially preserved the land earlier this year.

The group celebrated the effort at the farm Wednesday with local, state and federal officials. Attendees included U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride, U.S. Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Gov. Matt Meyer, state Sen. Russ Huxtable and members of the Sussex County Council.

The Ard Na Gréine farm is one of 15 total pieces of land purchased and preserved by the land trust, with the group managing about 1,400 acres of land total.

The land trust purchased it for about $8.5 million. That money came in part through funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the Sussex County Council, the Greater Lewes Foundation, the Longwood Foundation and private donors.

“The teamwork and cooperation that brought us here is remarkable. It demonstrates what can happen when government, nonprofits, philanthropy, land owners and community partners work together toward a common goal,” Ring Lardner, the Sussex County Land Trust board chair, said at the event. “And ultimately, that goal is simple: to safeguard the land and resources that make Sussex County special for generations to come.”

Gov. Meyer spoke at the event, and said that although Sussex County’s growth is something to be proud of, it can destroy open space.

“We need more housing, we need economic opportunity, we need infrastructure that can support a growing population,” Meyer said. “But more importantly, we need farms, forests, wetlands, clean water and open spaces. Those things are not in conflict if we’re smart about how we grow.”

Meyer said during his time as governor, the state has preserved more than 1,000 acres of land, with half of it being in Sussex County. He also noted state funding efforts and policy dedicated to land preservation, like House Bill 450, which was signed into law in July. Part of that bill requires 1% of a DelDOT transportation impact fee to go toward preserving open space. The state contributed about $2 million to preserving Ard Na Gréine.

“This is what conservation looks like when a community decides something is worth saving and then puts [its] head down and does the hard work to get it done. We’ll be your partner to do much more of this,” he said.

Sussex County Council President Doug Hudson also spoke at the event, and said the council was happy to contribute to the project as part of the county’s goals of protecting land.

“Over the past eight years, since I was first elected, we’ve invested $23.4 million to help preserve land, and nearly 4,000 acres throughout the county has been preserved,” Hudson said. “Those aren’t just acres on a map. They’re working farms, forest, wildlife habitat, open spaces that will continue to define Sussex County.”

Ard Na Gréine’s future

The farm had been owned by the Wells family for decades prior to preservation. It was originally bought by the grandparents of Linda Miller, the farm’s heir. She has taken care of the property for more than 20 years.

“Linda Miller wanted it preserved like it was when she was 3 years old,” Sara Bluhm, executive director for the Sussex County Land Trust, told WHYY News. “She remembers coming here as a child, and definitely saw the growth in the area and really just felt that she wanted this to remain untouched.”

Preserving Ard Na Gréine was a long process for the land trust — nearly seven years. The organization recently celebrated its 25-year anniversary, meaning the preservation project took more than a quarter of its lifetime to complete. Bluhm said it took a long time to raise the funds to purchase the property at the $8.5 million asking price, but that the land is priceless.

“[Miller] could have made a lot more money in the end if she had sold it to a developer. So she certainly had that donor mindset and we’re forever grateful,” Bluhm said.

Next, the organization intends to create a master plan for Ard Na Gréine’s future. That plan aims to honor the farm’s agricultural heritage, protect natural resources, meet the land trust’s conservation commitments and create recreational opportunities.

Bluhm said about 55 acres of the farm must remain agricultural as part of a USDA easement. However, a DNREC easement on the perimeter of the property will make room for recreational additions.

According to Greg Patterson, DNREC secretary, the farm is valuable partially because it is adjacent to a stream connected to Canary Creek and the Great Marsh Preserve.

“It adds ecological significance to the property and will help protect habitat and water resources in this coastal region,” Patterson said.

Patterson also said the farm has the opportunity to connect with the existing nearby trail network, as it touches the Georgetown-Lewes Trail. According to Bluhm, the master plan will determine what these recreational trails will look like.

Bluhm said the organization plans to engage in community sessions to gather feedback from residents. Those sessions could happen as early as next spring. The perimeter trail and a master plan must be completed within five years, but Bluhm said it should be completed before the deadline.

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