Discover Delmarva: Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center

ALLEN, Md. — Down a country road, the Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center spans more than 500 acres. The preserve is the cornerstone of Richard Hazel’s dream: a place where kids from every walk of life come together, find common ground, and experience the beauty of nature.

“I think he saw that there was a need for a place like this in the community, a place where people could come to connect to the outdoors,” said Jim Rapp, the center’s director. His mission is to carry on Hazel’s legacy.

That starts with access. Rapp says the center doesn’t charge the groups that use it. “User groups aren’t charged a nickel,” he said. “I’ve had groups call and say, ‘Oh, can we make a donation?’ No. My instruction has been, put that money back into your group.” Most visitors are organized groups, from scouting troops to schools, preschool through university.

Hazel, who once ran Salisbury’s Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, died in 2008. Before then, he made sure his land would be protected. A conservation easement monitored by the Lower Shore Land Trust covers the entire property. “Nobody could build homes out here, subdivide it, sell it off,” Rapp said. “So it’s gonna be part of the environment here, hopefully forever.”

Nearly 5 miles of trails wind through the habitat of an array of wildlife, including land turtles. “Almost all our other turtles here are aquatic or semi-aquatic. But these guys aren’t aquatic,” Rapp said. “So the Hazel property here is a beautiful habitat for them.”

The quiet is part of the draw. “When you’re out here, you really don’t hear anything but nature. You don’t hear machinery,” Rapp said. With very little artificial light, groups have even held stargazing parties. In spring, he says, “you can hear the buzz from 100 feet away” when the bees and butterflies are out.

Season after season, nature flourishes on the land Richard Hazel protected for future generations to enjoy.