OCEAN VIEW — The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays has recently received a $200,000 grant from the Longwood Foundation.

The organization said it will use the grant to create a regionally significant environmental-education experience at the James Farm Ecological Preserve, near Ocean View.

A transformation of the 150-acre nature preserve has been years in the making, according to a news release. Planned upgrades include realigning the existing trail system to both adapt to sea level rise and create a more naturally immersive visitor experience, installing interpretive signs to educate visitors about the preserve’s ecosystems and history and new maintenance facilities that will provide storage and workshop space.

This additional funding from Longwood will support the next round of improvements, which will expand education opportunities for people of all ages and abilities, support growing visitation to the preserve and allow the center to better fulfill its mission through outreach to a wider, more diverse audience.

The project is a joint effort between the center and Sussex County, with the county committing nearly $300,000. Sussex County, along with George & Lynch, also contributed in-kind services for the Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restroom recently installed at the site. The property is owned by Sussex County and managed by the center.

Planned improvements are part of the second phase of the center’s master plan for the preserve, which also includes the construction of a three-season building that will bolster environmental-learning experiences.

For more information or to donate to the center’s capital campaign, contact Development Coordinator Anna Short at 226-8105, ext. 702, or ashort@inlandbays.org. For more about the center, go here.