Mark’s Score 9.33
There are certain things that define the Delmarva Peninsula, things that make it unique in the country and in the world. The first of these is our vast marshlands and bays both to our east and west. Our history and culture are very much driven by the waterways that surround us, and the low-lying land on which we live. The second is our position in the center of the east coast flyway, one of the world’s most important aviary migration routes. Delmarva’s marshlands are a refuge for local and migratory birds and a source of food and livelihood for its inhabitants.
Our most important marshland is the Blackwater. The Blackwater is the largest wetlands north of the Everglades and contains 1/3 of all of Maryland’s tidal wetlands. In 1933 the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge was established, encompassing over 32,000 acres (13,000 hectares). The refuge’s purpose was to provide a sanctuary for migratory waterfowl. Over the years its mission has expanded to include forest management, recovery of endangered species, suppression of invasive species, and the creation of wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities.
I have been visiting this park since we first moved here in 2015. I live to the west of the park, so if I have time, I like to take the back roads from Vienna. It takes much longer to get to the park than driving through Church Creek, but it is a beautiful drive through farm and marshland. In some places you are only a few inches above sea level and there are a couple of one lane bridges. You also pass the Bucktown General Store, where Harriet Tubman was fatefully hit in the head with a lead weight.
There are a number of hiking trails in the park. My two favorites are the Key Wallace and Woods Trails. The Key Wallace Trail takes you through drier and higher woodlands and farmland. The Woods Trial is just off Wildlife Drive and a bit wetter than Wallace. The park also has an excellent visitor center, which you need not visit at all, if you are going to drive along Wildlife Drive. But at the beginning of Wildlife Drive there is a kiosk where you are supposed to leave $3 under the honor system. If you don’t have the right change, then you can get change at the visitor’s center.
I last visited the park in late January. They had just finished a controlled burn of the marsh grasses along Wildlife Drive. But it did not detract from the beauty of the place. I don’t know what it is, but I find the open vistas of marshland to be awe inspiring, and you get many open vistas along Wildlife Drive. I especially love it in the winter, there is something magical about the park under a steel grey winter’s sky. On such a day, it is usually just me, the open water, and a lone eagle or two. On such a day, you realize how small and insignificant you really are.
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