National Park Service (NPS) Director Chuck Sams visited Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey and Pennsylvania recently as part of a cross country tour during National Park Week. 

Sams visited the park as the staff is gearing up for a busy summer season, finalizing a significant wetland restoration project and tackling road repairs on the busiest route in the park. The Earth Day visit coincides with National Park Week’s  Park Action day, when the park highlights how is actions impact the health of the environment.     

Sams began his tour of the 70,000-acre national recreation area with a drive along the historic Old Mine Road while enroute to the Watergate Wetland Restoration Project on the New Jersey side of the park.

This $10 million project will restore 20 acres of wetlands and nearly a half-mile of stream, as well as 60 acres of native plants surrounding the wetlands and stream. The project is scheduled to be completed late this year.  By restoring natural conditions, the ecology of the entire area will be improved, including re-establishing native vegetation, improving the coldwater trout fishery and bird habitat, and reducing damage from flooding. While visiting the construction site, Director Sams assisted the crew by planting a native shrub and moving turtles out of a pond in the active work zone to keep them out of harm’s way.  

During the drive on Old Mine Road, one of the oldest commercial roads in the country, he visited Minisink National Historic Landmark and was briefed by members of the park’s resource management and maintenance teams on historic structures, maintenance challenges, natural and cultural resources, and how the park works with Tribal partners to ensure that sensitive cultural and archeological resources are protected.  He also met with staff from the park’s law enforcement and emergency services team and discussed wildland fire, search and rescue, emergency response, and dive team operations  

Throughout the visit, Sams met with park partners and employees from all disciplines, including the park’s interdisciplinary Summer Operations Team which was formed in 2021 in response to a surge in visitation in 2020.  The team is comprised of supervisors from each park team involved in park operations during the “busy season” from spring through fall, and a management liaison. The team collaborates year-round to plan, communicate, execute, and evaluate a flexible, cross-disciplinary approach to operations that focuses on offering high quality recreational opportunities and visitor experiences while protecting park resources, visitors, and employees. 

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area experienced a 27% increase in visitation over the past 3 years and was the 10th most-visited national park in 2020 with 4.1 million visits and the 15th most-visited unit in 2021 with 4.3 million visits.  

For more information on Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area call (570) 426-2452; visit our website at www.nps.gov/dewa; or follow us on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/DelWaterGapNPS and Instagram at  www.Instagram.com/DelWaterGapNPS.  

Photo: NPS Image/E.Halloran:  National Park Service Director Chuck Sams planted a native shrub at the Watergate Wetland Restoration Project site on the New Jersey side of the park on Earth Day.  Also pictured, Kristy Boscheinen, Project Manager (left) and Anna Grismer, Biological Technician (right).