White Clay Creek Preserve

The 2,072-acre White Clay Creek Preserve is in southern Chester County, three miles north of Newark, Delaware. The White Clay Creek Valley, which forms the core of the preserve, varies from steep to gradually falling terrain with some flat bottomlands, all drained by the creek. White Clay Creek Preserve shares boundary with White Clay Creek State Park of Delaware.  Because White Clay Creek possesses outstanding scenic, wildlife, recreational, and cultural value, it has been designated by Congress as a National Wild and Scenic River and shall be preserved in free-flowing condition for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations.  Species most commonly found in wooded acreage are hickory, white ash, black walnut, tulip tree, sycamore, black cherry, and red, white, and pin oak as canopy trees.  Understory species include Norway maple, flowering dogwood, ironwood, and slippery elm.  Large stands of black walnut are common in the flood plain areas. White Clay Creek Preserve possesses some of the richest woodlands and open marshes in Chester County, with almost 700 known species of plants.