Inside Last Week’s Celebration of Ard Na Gréine’s Preservation in Lewes

By [email protected]Local News September 21, 2026

If you've been following conservation news around Lewes, you may already recognize the name Ard Na Gréine and our various coverage of this massive win for our beautiful area of Coastal Delaware.

Earlier this year, the 88-acre family farm was permanently preserved after years of consistent, insistent, and relentless work by Sussex County Land Trust and a long list of community partners.

On August 19th, our team had the opportunity to attend a special gathering right on the property, where local leaders, conservation partners, and supporters came together to celebrate what it took to protect these 88 acres and officially begin planning for their future.

Celebrating Ard Na Gréine Right on the Farm

There was something especially fitting about celebrating this milestone on the land itself.

Sussex County Land Trust hosted the gathering at Ard Na Gréine on Donovans Road in Lewes, bringing together the people and organizations involved in making its permanent preservation possible.

The property is considered one of the last remaining large tracts of open space east of Route 1 in the Lewes area.

As you've probably noticed if you live here or visit regularly, this part of Sussex County has changed considerably as new communities, businesses, and infrastructure have arrived.

That makes protecting a property of this size particularly significant and important for generations of locals, visitors, and families to enjoy.

The preservation effort began in 2019, and Ard Na Gréine officially went under contract in 2023. Years of fundraising, coordination, and conservation planning followed before the project was officially completed in 2026.

Now, those 88 acres are permanently protected and can never be developed into anything other than the preserved open space that it currently serves as.

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Attending the Celebration

Our team was excited to be invited to join Sussex County Land Trust and its partners for the August 19th celebration.

The morning brought together federal, state, and local elected officials, project funding partners, Sussex County representatives, and members of the Sussex County Land Trust Board of Trustees and staff.

Among the leaders who participated in the program were U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester, U.S. Senator Sarah McBride, Governor of Delaware Matt Meyer, and Sussex County Land Trust Board Chair Ring W. Lardner.

The program included remarks from project partners and elected officials, along with a commemorative group photograph celebrating the people who helped make the preservation possible.

For our team, getting to attend also offered a chance to see firsthand the property we've previously shared with you on the blog and to be there as Ard Na Gréine moved into its next chapter.

We also covered this event via a reel that can be found on the Living In Coastal Delaware Instagram page.

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Why These 88 Acres Matter for Lewes

To understand why Ard Na Gréine has received so much attention, you have to look at where it is.

The farm sits east of Route 1 in the Lewes area, where large undeveloped properties are becoming increasingly rare.

Ard Na Gréine also has deep agricultural roots. The property has been connected to the Wells family for generations and has been part of the family's history for more than 70 years.

Linda Miller, a member of the Wells family, served as caretaker of the property for 21 years.

Permanent preservation means the property can continue supporting agriculture and open space rather than eventually being converted for another use.

It also protects natural resources and creates the possibility for carefully planned public access in the future.

A project of this size didn't come together through the work of one organization.

Sussex County Land Trust worked alongside the Miller family and several public and private partners to secure the property and permanently protect it.

Those partners included:

Sussex County Council
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
Longwood Foundation
Greater Lewes Foundation
Private & anonymous donors

Private donors contributed $1.25 million toward the effort, and their generosity is a huge reason as to how this success was possible.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service provided funding for an Agricultural Land Easement, helping protect the property's agricultural use.

DNREC supported a recreational easement along the perimeter of the property, which connects to the Georgetown-Lewes Trail area and could play a role in future public access.

That public access isn't available yet, but it is part of the bigger conversation now beginning around the property's future.

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Preservation Is Only the Beginning

One of the most important parts of the August 19th event was what it set in motion next.

Along with celebrating the completed preservation, Sussex County Land Trust officially launched the master planning process for Ard Na Gréine.

If you're hoping to eventually explore the property yourself, that doesn't mean the farm is becoming a public park immediately.

Ard Na Gréine remains an active farm and is not currently open to the public. The existing driveway off Donovans Road remains private access.

Instead, the master planning process will consider how the land could be used over time while balancing its agricultural purpose, natural resources, conservation needs, and opportunities for passive recreation.

Future public access will require careful planning, and the Land Trust has previously indicated that community input is expected to be part of that process.

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About the Sussex County Land Trust

If you're not already familiar with Sussex County Land Trust, the organization has been working to protect open space and natural resources across the county since 2001.

Its mission is centered on safeguarding the land and resources that make Sussex County special, with a long-term vision of creating a connected network of natural and cultural places that people can enjoy.

That work includes protecting agricultural land, natural areas, historic properties, and recreational spaces through direct ownership, conservation easements, partnerships, and other preservation tools.

SCLT has also made collaboration a major part of its approach.

Many of its projects are completed alongside landowners, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and local communities, which allows the Trust to combine resources and protect properties that might otherwise be difficult to preserve.

Ard Na Gréine Joins a Growing Network of Protected Spaces

The timing of the celebration is also meaningful for Sussex County Land Trust itself.

The organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026.

SCLT was founded in 2001 with a mission to protect the natural, cultural, agricultural, and recreational resources that help define Sussex County.

Since then, it has helped preserve more than 6,400 acres through partnerships, land acquisitions, conservation easements, and community support.

Its portfolio now includes properties throughout Sussex County, from Oyster Rocks and the Delaware Botanic Gardens lands to Hopkins Preserve, Forest of the Broadkill, Chase Oaks Preserve, and Ard Na Gréine.

Ard Na Gréine became the 15th property in SCLT's current portfolio when it was acquired in 2026, with the land protected through a combination of ownership and conservation easement.

The organization's larger vision is to create a connected network of natural and cultural places throughout Sussex County that can be protected while also creating opportunities for recreation, education, and public access where appropriate.

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What Comes Next for Ard Na Gréine

For years, the big question surrounding Ard Na Gréine was whether these 88 acres could be permanently protected.

Now that they are, the question becomes what comes next.

The master planning process will begin answering that, including how farming and conservation can continue on the property and what passive recreation and public access could eventually look like.

Whatever that final plan becomes, the August 19th gathering marked an important turning point. Ard Na Gréine is no longer a property that conservation partners are working to save. It's protected land whose long-term future can now be planned with preservation at the center of the conversation.

And for those of us who live in, work in, or simply love Coastal Delaware, we'll be watching to see what the next chapter brings!