Summer Ecotours Launched at Rehoboth’s New Grove Park Dock

Delaware Sea Grant-sponsored tours demonstrate ecotourism benefit generated by new canal access facility

After not encountering a live audience since the pandemic struck in March 2020, David Christopher was eager to appear before the 35 guests onboard with Cape Water Tours for an estuarine ecology-themed boat tour of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Christopher, the marine education specialist with the Delaware Sea Grant College Program at the University of Delaware, brought a variety of wetland plants, marsh soils, oysters, mussels and a fish tank as well as water quality instruments to keep the participants informed and entertained.

The ecotourism trip, sponsored by the University of Delaware’s Sustainable Coastal Communities Initiative (UD/SCCI), was Cape Water Tours “maiden voyage” departing from Grove Park Dock, which opened in early-June to allow public access to the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. Construction of the dock, located behind the Rehoboth Beach Museum at 511 Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, was more than ten years in the making and was undertaken by the non-profit Lewes-Rehoboth Canal Improvement Association (LRCIA).

DESG Community Development Specialist Ed Lewandowski, coordinator of UD/SCCI and an LRCIA board member, was pleased with the inaugural trip and said its goals were satisfied. “LRCIA wanted to demonstrate how Grove Park Dock can support local ecotourism, so this sponsored trip was a wonderful way to help accomplish our mission. Even with the state’s Covid-restrictions still in place, everyone onboard seemed very engaged. Delaware Sea Grant does a great job educating young and old about our coastal environment and participants walked away with a new appreciation and understanding about their role in caring for this important ecosystem. It is clear to me and many others that regularly scheduled tours from Grove Park Dock could enjoy tremendous success.”

Pat Coluzzi, LRCIA board president and a City of Rehoboth commissioner, was not going to miss the first tour leaving from Grove Park Dock and brought friends as well as a bottle of Prosecco to celebrate. “Grove Park Dock was a labor of love for LRCIA and we’re just so excited to finally see Cape Water Tours providing this type of canal experience while creating memories for the families onboard,” she said. Joining Coluzzi were former Rehoboth Beach commissioners Lisa Schlosser and Steve Scheffer, who were both vocal supporters of the dock project. Schlosser enjoyed her first outing ever on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and exclaimed, “This is absolutely wonderful. I’ve been living here over twenty years and I had no idea how beautiful this is!”

A second tour with Delaware Sea Grant- The Inland Bays Oyster Experience: Examining Local Shellfish Aquaculture- is scheduled for August 25th from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. and will also leave from Grove Park Dock. Delaware’s new shellfish aquaculture industry is off to a strong start with both oysters and clams now being grown in the Inland Bays. This tour will feature a visit to one of the open-water shellfish lease areas where participants will have a chance to meet an oyster farmer and learn about the process of growing these tasty bivalves to maturity for the market. Dr. Ed Hale, Associate Professor and Aquaculture/Fisheries Specialist with Delaware Sea Grant, will explain some of the ecological services provided by a robust aquaculture industry and share where the public can purchase locally-produced oysters for their own enjoyment.

Dave Green, owner/operator of Cape Water Tours and Taxi, is excited about expanding his offerings to include trips at Grove Park Dock. “We’ve been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to begin tours on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal from this new launch site. We hope to eventually build a regular calendar of activities at Grove Park Dock. Anyone interested should keep a close eye on our website to learn about new tours that are scheduled.”

For more information about the August 25 tour or to reserve your seat, please visit Cape Water Tours and Taxi.

Article by Ed Lewandowski