What would a new Delaware River national park look like? Map details proposal for 1st time.

A newly launched map reveals for the primary time intimately the controversial proposal to create a nationwide park across the Delaware River, from the Delaware Water Hole north almost to the New York state border.

The plan to re-designate the Delaware Water Hole Nationwide Recreation Space as a full-fledged nationwide park made a resurgence final yr and has been met with resistance from residents, outdoor organizations and native governments who’ve mentioned they should know extra concerning the proposal and its potential impacts. Any change in designation would require an act of Congress.

The map was supplied to lehighvalleylive.com on Friday by the Alliance for the Delaware River Nationwide Park and Lenape Protect, a committee of the Sierra Membership’s Pennsylvania and New Jersey chapters and different teams. The proposed boundaries break what’s now the 70,000-acre nationwide recreation space into two principal sections.

• MORE: See the map in full element

The Delaware River Nationwide Park portion would cowl 9,760 acres principally alongside the riverbanks in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, beginning a few miles north of the water hole and lengthening simply south of Milford, Pennsylvania. There are two spurs totaling 1,330 acres to include the Raymondskill and Dingmans creeks and waterfalls.

The outlying 56,000 acres can be the federal Lenape Protect, the place backers say searching would nonetheless be allowed — addressing a serious criticism from opponents.

The Delaware Water Hole itself, the place I-80 and the Appalachian Path wind via a move minimize by the river, can be cut up between the federal park and state lands, a lot as it’s now.

The Delaware Water Hole Nationwide Recreation Space is inside a few hours of New York Metropolis and Philadelphia. The federal parklands drew an estimated 4 million guests in 2021, similar to the Grand Canyon or Acadia.

(Can’t see the map? Click on right here.)

The Sierra Membership and environmental teams have promoted the re-designation as a solution to defend the native surroundings, protect Native American historical past and archeological websites, and enhance the native economic system for the 5 Pennsylvania and New Jersey counties surrounding the park. (The Nationwide Park Service has taken no stance on the proposal.)

“There’s nothing that can defend and protect the environmental, cultural, social, and historic integrity of the outlined Delaware River Nationwide Park and Lenape Protect and improve financial alternative in our area greater than this proposed designation,” the alliance mentioned in its information launch accompanying the map.

Outside organizations have opposed the concept based mostly on reductions to searching grounds. One environmental group has questioned if nationwide park standing will lead to river-harming improvement outdoors the park.

A bunch of residents has mobilized in opposition, cautious of the parkland’s historical past. The Delaware Water Hole Nationwide Recreation Space was created half a century in the past when the federal authorities seized non-public property for a dam challenge that was by no means accomplished. Earlier than the map’s launch, some brazenly questioned if it may occur once more, regardless of assurances that it could not.

Reacting to the map, No Nationwide Park organizer Sandy Hull, who lives in Sandyston Township on the New Jersey facet, mentioned extra questions stay.

“That is nothing greater than strains on paper. The place is the environmental impression assertion? Financial impression assertion? Agricultural impression assertion?” Hull advised lehighvalleylive.com. “This can be a depressing try and quiet the opposition and it’s not working.”

Our journalism wants your assist. Please subscribe as we speak to lehighvalleylive.com.

Steve Novak could also be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com.