Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve & Scenic Byway Boardwalk

About Abbotts Mill Nature Center

The 110-acre Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve, located in Slaughter Beach, DE, was donated to Delaware Nature Society (DelNature) by the Marvel Family of Milford, DE, in 1989 for the purpose of education and preservation. DelNature has connected people with the natural world to improve our environment through education, conservation, and advocacy since 1964. DelNature Staff at nearby Abbott's Mill Nature Center in Milford have engaged thousands of Delmarva students, families, and adults in hand-on, experience field studies at our Marvel Preserve since 1981. In March 2019 the Marvel Scenic Byway Boardwalk was officially added to the Preserve, allowing our ~8,600 annual visitors direct access to observe the saltmarsh's natural wonders firsthand. Nesting Osprey can be viewed from accessible binoculars on the boardwalk's raised observation platform, or cross the street and help flip over stranded Horseshoe Crabs (just not by their tail) on the shores of Slaughter Beach. The Marvel Scenic Byway Boardwalk is open to pedestrians and bikers alike, with a bike fix-it station installed at Marvel Drive, a public beach access road directly across from the Preserve. Funding for the boardwalk was provided in partnership by DelDOT, DNREC, The Town of Slaughter Beach, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Delaware Ornithological Society, and Milford Lions Club 22-D. Every May and June DelNature Staff at Abbott's Mill Nature Center lead an annual volunteer Horseshoe Crab spawning survey at Slaughter Beach, in partnership with 25 other beaches in DE & NJ. Call Abbott's at 302-422-0847 or visit www.delawarebayhscsurvey.org for more information.