By Noah Zucker

Gov. John Carney celebrated Earth Day Downstate by visiting two popular outdoor recreation areas in Kent County on Thursday.

“If you think about the challenge over the last year we’ve faced with COVID-19, we’ve learned to appreciate things that we took for granted before,” he said. “One of those things is our parks and our natural environment here in Delaware because they became the places where we could be safe (while socializing).”

The governor began his day at Killens Pond State Park in Felton, where the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control recently completed construction of a footbridge,  a $2 million investment that included a federal government match of $1 million.

Before the new structure was built, hikers in the park would have to walk along a busy road to access many of the trails.

“What better way to kick off Earth Day than celebrating the centerpiece of Killens Pond State Park, this beautiful 66-acre pond, (and) by walking along this new elevated walkway,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin. “It provides safe passage for cyclists and pedestrians and will bring 25,000 annual visitors off the narrow shoulder of Killens Pond Road, which often has fast-moving vehicles.”

He added that the “walkway also better connects those walking around the pond, who are staying in the campground, to the park’s nature center.”

Gov. Carney, who likes to fish but said he isn’t very good at it, used to visit Killens Pond annually.

“When my two boys, who are in their mid-20s now, were much younger, we used to come here every year with the boys and other families in our neighborhood to enjoy this amazing park,” he said. “It was always a lot of fun.”

A few hours later, the governor, the secretary and the rest of their junket visited the St. James Reserve in Kitts Hummock, where the Delaware Department of Transportation was promoting the Delaware Bayshore Byway, recently adopted into the National Scenic Byway program.

“Today, we celebrate a Delaware treasure becoming a national treasure,” said Steve Borleske, chair of the Delaware Bayshore Byway Management Committee. “It showcases over 100 miles of Delaware’s beautiful coastline. It connects many coastal communities and natural attractions.”

He thanked DelDOT and the rest of the state government for their support.
“DelDOT started the byway program in 2000 and has been a very strong supporter and active participant in the program since. The state now has six scenic byways,” Mr. Borleske said. “Route 9 was designated a scenic byway way back in 2007.”

In his younger years, the governor remembered using Del. 9 to escape beach traffic.

“When I was much younger, a little bit after 1970, when I was in college, I used to like to go to the beach, as most Delawareans do,” he said. “I used to jump onto Del. 9 to avoid the traffic.”

He admitted that he “didn’t do it as an attraction to see this part of our state.”

But more recently, Gov. Carney said he’s come to appreciate the byway for its beauty, as well as its environmental and historical significance. He pointed out that the byway also goes past the John Dickinson Plantation, near Dover, where the Founding Father once lived.

He and Mr. Garvin also took the opportunity to comment on Earth Day as a whole.

“It is 50-plus years on since the first Earth Day in 1970, when I was in the eighth grade,” the governor said. “I think about how far we’ve come and how focused we are, … across the political spectrum, on keeping the natural environment part of our lives.”

Mr. Garvin joked that it’s not really a holiday at DNREC.

“The rest of the world celebrates Earth Day on April 22, but at DNREC, every day is Earth Day,” he said.

“Last year was the 50th anniversary of both Earth Day and DNREC, and unfortunately, we were not able to celebrate it the way we would have liked to,” Mr. Garvin said. “It’s so exciting that (in 2021) we’re able to celebrate Earth Day safely but a little bit more together than we have in the past.”