THE FWCCSP RECORD

Friends of White Clay Creek State Park Newsletter

Volume 3, No.1
April 2000

Executive Committee:

President: Andy Urquhart 239-2471

AUrqu@aol.com
Vice-President: Frank Rawling 738-0913
rawling@wserv.com
Treasurer: Kyle Bottorff, 239-9828
KBottorff@herc.com
Secretary and Newsletter Editor:
Dick Benson, 410-398-4180
rbenson@dol.net
Projects Committee Chair:
Tom Hallenbeck,
610-274-1345,
hallentj@msn.com

Current Project Leaders:

Trail Watch: John Thomas, 456-3242

Adopt-a-Bighway: Dee and Dick Benson,
410-398-4180
Park Benches: Andy Urquhart, 239-2471
Advocacy: Andy Urquhart, 239-2471
501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Status: Frank Rawling,
738-0913
Reforestation: Al Zverina, 239-5046, and
Christa Stefanisko, 369-1933
Birder's Guide: Mark Keese, 455-1076, and
Gene Hess, 738-4690
Birding Festival: Frank Rawling, 738-0913
Trail Improvement Work: Wendel Cassel,
737-3319
Website: Rick Hall, 831-1295, and
Kyle Bottorff, 239-9828

Calendar of Events
May 1 - Executive Committee Meeting
May 6 - Delaware Migratory Songbird Festival at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge
May 7 - Delaware Migratory Songbird Festival at WCCSP
May 20 - Trail Work
June 3 - Trail WorklNational Trails Day
June 5 - Executive Committee Meeting with the Advisory Board
June 15 - Quarterly Membership Meeting
July 4 - Newark Liberty Day at Carpenter Recreation Area
July 15 - Trail Work
August 7 - Executive Committee Meeting
August 19 - Trail Work
September 11 - Executive Committee Meeting
September 16 - Trail Work
September 21 - Quarterly Membership Meeting
September 17- Newark Community Day (rain date Sept. 24)
October 9 - Executive Committee Meeting
October 21 - Trail Work/Make-A-Difference Day

Meeting Schedule Reminder

The next meeting of the Friends will be on June 15 at 7:00 PM at the Nature Center.

Annual Meeting
The third annual meeting of the Friends of White Clay Creek State Park was held at the
Judge Morris house on March 16, following refreshments and tours of the house. The
only item of business was the election of officers: President, Andy Urquhart; Vice­
President, Frank Rawling; Treasurer, Kyle Bottorff; Secretary, Dick Benson. Andy
acknowledged the important contributions by retiring secretary Mark Keese. The rest of
the meeting was a talk by Charles Salkin, Director of Parks and Recreation for the State of
Delaware, who described projects underway and those planned for White Clay Creek
State Park.

Delaware Migratory Songbird Festival

Saturday, May 6, 7:30 AM-5:00 PM, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

To double your enjoyment, join in the fun on the first day of the Festival at Bombay Hook
National Wildlife Refuge (BHNWR). A full day of events is planned begirming with bird
walks at 7:30am.
BHNWR

2591 Whitehall Neck Road

Smyrna, DE

Sunday, May 7, 7:30 AM-5:00 PM, White Clay Creek State Park

Come join us for the second day of the Migratory Songbird Festival. It will be a fun day
with bird walks, a wild flower and folklore walk, and a talk on migrating songbirds. Just
where are they for the 8 months of the year when they are not here?
,

Schedule for Sunday, May 7:

7:30 AM-10:30 AM - Bird walks. Meet at the Nature Center.

11:00 AM-12:00 PM - Nature Center. Talk on "Neotropical Songbird Migration"

by Jeff Gordon, President, Delmarva Ornithological Society; Tour Leader,
Victor Emanuel Nature Tours; member ofFWCCSP.

1:30 PM-2:30 PM - Wild Flower and Folklore Walk. Meet at the Nature Center.
Leader, Julie Smith, WCCSP Staff.

3:30 PM-5:00 PM - Bird walks. Meet at the Nature Center.

Birder's Guide
Under the expert authorship of Mark Keese and Gene Hess, our guide to bird-finding in
White Clay Creek State Park has been printed. Copies will be available at the migratory
songbird festival at the park on May 7. After the festival copies of the guide will be
available at the park office. For novice birders or for experienced birders who are not
familiar with the park, this guide should be a great help in finding some of our special
birds. Mark and Gene have done an outstanding job on this, our first publication.

Membership Report
At the beginning of2000 the Friends group had 141 members. To date, 121 (86% of the
members up for renewal in the year 2000) have renewed their memberships. Special
thanks for showing your continued support of the White Clay Creek State Park and the
Friends group. During the first quarter of 2000 we added 13 new members, bringing the
total membership to 154 (ifa111999 members renew in 2000). This represents a 9%
increase in membership. The continued growth of the organization is a testament to the
strong support in the community for a Friends group and an indication of the strong
organization that we have put together in the last two years. We are looking forward to
continued growth, both in membership and in activities throughout the year.

Membership Renewal
Membership renewals for the year 2000 are now past due. If you have not already done
so, please renew your membership by sending a check ($15 family, $10 individual, $5
student) to, ''FWCCSP, P.O. Box 9734, Newark, DE 19714." Make checks payable to
Friends of White Clay Creek State Park. New members who joined the group after
September 30, 1999, are not required to submit dues to remain members through March
2001. This will be the last issue of the FWCCSP newsletter sent to members who have
not renewed their membership. If you have any questions about your membership status,
please call Kyle Bottorff (Treasurer) at (239-9828) or e-mail (kbottorff@herc.com.
 \

Treasurer's Report
Revenues for the first quarter of 2000 were $1134.11, and expenditures were $550.05 for
a net surplus of $584.06. Revenue was derived from member dues, unrestricted
contributions, and contributions for the park bench project. Expenses mainly consisted of
costs associated with membership mailings, bench making and reforestation project
supplies, annual corporation fees, and charges for changing the Friends Certificate of
Incorporation to comply with the 50 1(c)(3) tax-exempt requirements.

Adopt-a-Highway
OUf thanks to FWCCSP members Dee and Dick Benson, John and Maggie Thomas, Ruth
Sands, and AI and Joan Zverina who, on March 11, picked up 22 bags of trash along
Foxden Road, our designated route in Delaware's Adopt-a-Highway program. This much
trash had been discarded by motorists along this one-mile-long road since our last pickup
in October. Although the program requires pickups only twice a year, Dee and Dick
Benson schedule them more often than this because of the high volume of litter that
accumulates in just a few months. The date of the next pickup will be announced at the
quarterly members meeting on June 15.

Trail Watch
The Trail Watch program is continuing to provide important montWy monitoring and
minor maintenance of our trails, while also alerting the park staff of any major conditions
requiring their attention. John Thomas recently succeeded Christa Stefanisko as Trail
Watch leader. New volunteers will be needed if additional trail monitoring is identified or
replacements are required for current trail-watchers. If interested, contact John Thomas at
456-3242, or e-mail himatjt@ravenet.com. Excessive littering has been observed in
some areas such as the Frisbee course at Carpenter. We encourage all members to be
advocates for a clean park by their example of removing trash (remember the carry­
in/carry-out policy) and by reminding others to do the same.

Trail Work and Clean-Up

This year started with a new project to schedule a day each month for repair and re­
routing of trails, as well as clean-up of debris in areas of the park. Needed work is
identified by and coordinated with park personnel and the state trail specialist, David
Bartoo. The first project relocated major sections of the popular but badly eroded
Preserve Loop Trail farther away from the creek, connecting it with a new bridge
constructed by the park staff. Later, two workdays were spent at the Judge Morris
property, one removing junk and debris in vicinity of trails, and the other re-routing a trail
section to higher ground. The most recent work on April 15 commemorated Christina
River Cleanup Day by removing tires and other debris deposited by flooding along the
creek from Hopkins to Chambers Rock roads. MontWy work days are scheduled for the
rest of the year, and if you are not currently on the contact list for the this project and are
interested in helping, call Wendel Cassel at 737-3319, or e-mail himatWillrog@aol.com.
 We thank the following volunteers who participated in Friends' trail work and
clean-up activities since the first of the year: Charlie Adams, Melanie Arnold, Cara
Bottorff, Kyle Bottorff, Juliet BottorfI, Andrea Cassel, Michael Cassel, Wendel Cassel,
Steve Crawford, Joan D'Alonzo, Dave Dauerty, Charlie Gaines, David Haldeman, Rick
Hall, Tom Hallenbeck, Ron Martin, David Preston, Ken Steller, Jim Stroup, Andy
Urquhart, and Keith Weaver.

Kestrel Boxes
Coinciding with the migration season, David Haldeman, Jack Hill, John Thomas, and
Andy Urquhart have made and installed 6 nesting boxes for kestrels at selected locations
in the park. A seventh box is to be installed on one of the barns. The project is designed
to attract more kestrels to the park this year (kestrels are very attractive small falcons).
Now we are watching to see who moves in, so be on the lookout for these beautiful
visitors!

Volunteer Hours
Even during the normally slow winter season, the Friends have been very active getting
organized and doing volunteer work for the park. During January, February, and March
we recorded 160, 152, and 260 hours, respectively, for a total of 572 hours for the first
quarter of 2000. This is a strong record of support for the park. Thanks to all our
volunteers!

Park Bench Program Wins Award

Our program to make and place rustic wooden benches in the park won special
recognition as an outstanding project at a Friends of Parks forum in Dover on March 8.
For this we owe thanks to our volunteers Tom Braatz, Jack Hill, John Thomas, Gary
Stefanisko, and Andy Urquhart. Park Superintendent Nick McFadden's help has also
been critical to the success of the project, especially with the installation effort. Looking
ahead, wood for six additional benches has been purchased and is currently drying in the
barn at the park. We will be working to complete these benches and place them in the
park in the late spring or summer.

Advocacy
As part of a broad coalition of environmental and civic organizations, volunteers Dorothy
Miller and Andy Urquhart are continuing to represent the Friends in efforts to encourage
the state to preserve as much open space as possible. Recently, this has benefited the park
through many acres of new land being added. A recent addition to the park of233 acres
purchased from the Hallock du Pont trust was announced in the News-Journal on April
27. Please remember always to thank your representatives for their past foresight in open
space preservation, and encourage them to continue the good work.
Reforestation
As previously announced, the first tree planting in our reforestation project has been
deferred until the fall. In the meantime there is still plenty of activity. Al Zverina is
developing plans for the project and is working with the state to resolve questions about
plant sources. Also, Christa Stefanisko and Andy Urquhart have been writing proposals
seeking a grant to cover expenses for the first phase planting, which will be two acres of a
field in the Possum Hill section of the park.

Activity Leaders Needed

We would like to consider arranging some recreational activities for the members of the
Friends. For example, last fall we attempted a trip to Hawk Mountain but were foiled by
two successive rainy weekends. A number of other ideas have been suggeste~ such as a
trip to the Delaware Bay shore to observe the huge numbers of shorebirds stopping there
to consume horseshoe crab eggs or a trip to the White Clay Creek's Stroud Water
Research Center. What we need are individuals to suggest such activities and to lead
them. Any takers?