The drive to Cape Henlopen State Park is under two hours from Baltimore, Philadelphia, or anywhere in Delaware or the Eastern Shore.

REECH operates out of the Park’s Nature Center and one of its Youth Camp facilities.

Indoor programs take place at the Nature Center’s auditorium, and can accommodate up to 60 participants. Most programming takes place in the park, exploring the environment.

Participants stay in dorm-style housing, with 15 beds per room. Separate bathhouse facilities (toilets and showers) and a mess hall are located within the youth camp facility. Participants must provide their own bedding, towels and toiletries.

The REECH facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. A beach wheel chair is also available to provide some access for most of the field programs.

Meals are catered and served buffet style. Dinner includes a hot entrée and salad. Breakfast is cold cereal and bagels/toast. Lunch is sandwiches and fruit. If a child has any dietary restrictions (allergies, vegetarian requests), please let us know as soon as possible. We will do our best to accommodate all requests. Refrigerator space is available for medications or other items.

No food is allowed in the dorm rooms.

Participants are responsible for cleaning the dorms and mess hall and for picking up their own trash. Park staff clean the restrooms daily.

REECH offers a custom hands-on, learning experience over a 2-day, 1-night period. Students collect samples, take measurements, make observations, and record data, with the goal of understanding how well the coastal ecosystem is functioning. The following Delaware state standards are addressed:

LS2.A – Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
LS2.B – Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
LS2.C – Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience
LS2.D – Biodiversity and Humans

Below is a sample REECH schedule:

Registration for REECH is made through the Cape Henlopen State Park Seaside Nature Center.

REECH programs take place in April.

Fees, Group Size, other Requirements

Program fees are $70 per participant. Two teachers can attend for free, and additional adults/chaperones are $35 each. This includes all programming, dorms, and 3 catered meals. Park entrances fees are waived for all vehicles (busses and accompanying vehicles). A minimum $500 deposit is required.

Maximum total group size: 60
Minimum total group size: 20
For grades 7 and 8

Step 1
Contact the Nature Center at (302) 645-6852 with the following information:

• Name of Group Coordinator and contact information (phone and email)
• Name of School and mailing address
• Number of participants and grade, and number of teachers/chaperones
• Special needs of participants

Step 2
Schedule will be determined

Step 3
Confirmation will be delivered and deposit ($500 minimum) required 30 days before the program. Checks may be made payable to Cape Henlopen State Park

If written notice of cancellation is received 30 days prior to your program, we will issue a complete refund, minus a $30 administrative fee. If the cancellation is received 14 to 29 days prior to the start of the program, 50% of the deposit will be refunded, minus a $30 administrative fee. All cancellations of 13 or fewer days before the start of the program will result in a forfeiture of the entire deposit, with a $30 administrative fee.

Two scholarships are available to schools.

The Jim O’Neill Scholarship is available to any public, private or parochial school within the state of Delaware.

The Thatcher Education Fund is available to all schools in Delaware.

Please contact the Seaside Nature Center at (302) 645-6852 for more information about REECH scholarships.