Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Sussex County | Delaware

What We Did
Protected crucial habitat for migratory birds and mammals while ensuring this natural area remains open to the public for wildlife observation and recreation.

Our Goal
Connect East Coast communities to the outdoors while supporting local wildlife and climate resilience.

Support Our Work in Delaware

A great blue heron stands in shallow water surrounded by reeds and grasses with trees in the background under daylight.

Prime Hook by the Numbers

254

acres protected

decades of land protection

native species removed from the endangered list

The Prime Hook Story

Trust for Public Land, in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has helped expand the grassland, marshland, and upper woodland areas of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge to protect over 250 acres of sensitive habitat to date.

An acquisition of 22 acres to the Sussex County refuge in 1998 was TPL’s first project in Delaware and also marked the first land added to the refuge in more than a decade. This parcel was important to protecting habitat for native Delmarva fox squirrels, which were removed from the endangered species list in 2015.

In another notable addition, TPL helped the refuge acquire 232 acres in 2001, adding a buffer from busy Route 1, a main roadway to the popular Delaware beach resorts. Overall, the refuge provides habitat for a variety of mammals and migratory birds, supports climate resilience, and offers outdoor recreation for locals and visitors in a tranquil setting.

About This Project

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Birds—and Birders—Are Your Extended Family

Birds are like family—no, really. They appear at memorable times in your life, visit you again and again, and give you a special feeling of connectedness in an otherwise disjointed world. If not relatives, they can definitely feel like old friends: grounding us in place, adding warmth to our experiences, making us smile, and creating a sense of gravity by their mere presence.

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Get in Touch with Our TPL Team

Washington, DC, Office

100 M Street SE
Suite 925
Washington, DC, 20003
(202) 543-7552
[email protected]

George Dusenbury

Vice President Southern Region, Georgia, Florida, and Chesapeake State Director

470-571-1814
[email protected]