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St. Jones Reserve



The St. Jones Reserve component of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) is located on the north shore of the St. Jones River, off Kitts Hummock Road, south of Dover in Kent County and includes a portion of Delaware Bay.

The St. Jones Reserve is on the Delaware Bayshore Byway and includes a Visitor Center and a two-mile nature trail.

The Visitor Center

A modern building sits among trees.

The St. Jones Reserve Visitor Center is open to the public and provides hiking trails, hands-on interactive activities and exhibits, restoration demonstration areas as well as a variety of programs and volunteer opportunities for the community, teachers, students, and families. The Center also supports ongoing research and monitoring, field studies, citizen monitoring programs, and training opportunities for coastal decision makers.

Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR)

818 Kitts Hummock Road
Dover, DE
302-739-6377
Directions

Visitor Center
8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday – Friday (Closed Weekends and Holidays)

The Grounds
Dawn to dusk, 7 days a week

About the Reserve

Map of the Reserve

Visitors are welcome to tour the St. Jones Reserve Visitor Center (offices, displays and fish tanks) and enjoy the wonders of estuaries through our interpretive exhibits. The Center is open weekdays, during regular state business hours.

The grounds are open from dawn to dusk 7 days a week and free of charge. Take note of posted signs during hunting seasons which may result in area closures.

Features

A wooden boardwalk extends out through a tidal marsh that has browned for the season.

The St. Jones Reserve features a two-mile nature trail, a part of the St. Jones Greenway, with a quarter-mile boardwalk over the salt marsh that connects the Reserve with the adjacent Ted Harvey Wildlife Management Area. Hike the trail to earn activities for your Outdoor Delaware Trail Passport.

The facilities at the St. Jones Reserve are designed with state of the art sustainable infrastructure, including a geothermal heating and cooling system, an on-site wetland based tertiary wastewater treatment system and a photovoltaic (solar panel) system.

The meeting spaces in the St. Jones Reserve are available for rental for educational, governmental, natural resources, and non-profit groups.

The Alvin G. Wilson Conservation Demonstration Area provides a living exhibit where people can see a large variety of conservation practices in action.




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