By Brian Gilliland

LEWES — While he remains hopeful that the archaeological contents of the Wolfe Neck Site will be made public, Chief Brad KillsCrow of the Delaware Tribe of Indians said he favors secrecy and security right now, while negotiations with government agencies continue.

Since 1978, the site — currently closed to visitors  but adjacent to Cape Henlopen State Park — has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Plus, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control confirms that it contains “Native American and post-contact historic period” archaeological areas. It also includes a Sussex County spray irrigation system.

Sussex County leases the land from DNREC, which has accepted Federal Highway Administration funding toward a trail project there.

This makes the administration the lead federal agency on the project, meaning it is tasked to provide “stewardship and oversight,” according to Nancy Singer, an FHA spokesperson.

The process it is stewarding is a review of the U.S. Antiquities Act, which requires that impacts to archaeological sites be considered in federal projects.

Ms. Singer confirmed that this proposal is still in the initial design phase, one portion of which is completing ongoing studies of the area, It also means that the administration is responsible for conducting negotiations with the tribes, talks that cannot be delegated to state or local agencies, she said.

“While there are currently no tribal lands in Delaware, the Federal Highway Administration consults with two tribes that have ancestral ties to the area: the Delaware Nation and the Delaware Tribe of Indians,” headquartered in Oklahoma, Ms. Singer said.

Both she and Chief KillsCrow added that the agency and his tribe have been in regular contact and that negotiations continue.

The chief said his primary goal is protection of the location and that he supports efforts to evaluate its historical significance.

The Delaware Antiquities Act sets the preferred stewardship of any such archaeological sites as protected in their place, and Delaware Code mandates the involvement of the state Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs when human remains are found.

However, since at least 2019, DNREC has confirmed that “no unmarked human burials or skeletal remains have been discovered at Wolfe Neck.”

The planned walking trail is a single track about 6 miles long and 3.5 feet wide, built of stone aggregate and dust. Up to 11 boardwalks 5 feet wide are also proposed, as well as a wildlife viewing area.