Former Delaware governor Russell Peterson had a dream, and after years of hard work that dream is now a reality called the DuPont Environmental Education Center. The Center is a crossroad both literal and figurative. It is at the intersection point of I95 and several other highways in Wilmington DE, and it is the meeting place between the natural environment and human artifice. "It's a great place, and people are discovering it everyday," said Catherin Coin, wife of Greg Coin, a writer for the Examiner. The DEEC proves that people don't always need to drive out of town for a half-hour to find a calm, contemplative area where they can unwind and enjoy the company of the marsh-grass and birds.

This stretch of the Christina River is very rich in its history, from the Lenape Indian's residence since 10,000 BC, to the Swedes settling around what is now Wilmington in 1638. Sustenance and economy have ridden on the river for millennia. During the industrial age, Harlan & Hollingsworth Co. put the Christina to work, becoming the nation's largest producer of iron ships in the 19th century. There, H&H built the Bangor in 1845, the first American iron merchant ship made for deep-sea use.

I should mention – I learned all of these facts and more in one of the DEEC's interactive exhibits, so there is plenty to explore and learn throughout the Center. That is what they're all about.

That being said, while some people prefer taking all this and that data about species of plants and animals and history and tying it into their experience of nature, others like leaving it all to the senses. But, the information is there should you choose to peruse it or not. As for me, I found it worthwhile just to sit and observe the darting of minnows in the shallows.

"I am inspired that humans and wildlife do not have to live apart," says Lesley Bensinger, Education Coordinator. "We're on the edge of over 200 acres of tidal marsh. It's a valuable wetland area." Lesley works with the DE Nature Society, providing classes and seminars for which students can get school credit. So the DuPont Environmental Education Center is truly a hub of teaching, both in classroom and on the marsh.

Written by Erik Yount. Photos by Errol Webber.