Digging Starts for New Park
On March 29, 2012, Elizabeth River Project celebrated the groundbreaking of its largest restoration site to be open to the public

"It is a dream come true and it is clearly a blessing for the City of Portsmouth,"
Portsmouth Mayor Kenneth Wright told the crowd of more than 150 sponsors, partners and volunteers.

Unlike anything in the area, Paradise Creek Nature Park is a forty-acre park-in-progress in the heart of a working harbor. This is the cornerstone project of a unique and innovative 250-acre conservation success story that will benefit everyone involved...business and industry, environmental groups and the public.

Providing the only public access to Paradise Creek, the park will also be a model for restoring the larger river and the Chesapeake Bay one creek at a time. 

The 40 acres for the park has been purchased, a final design is complete, and landscaping to remove invasive species and re-plant with native species is underway. On the same day as the Groundbreaking, VA Port Authority dedicated 11 acres of new wetlands. Along with kicking off Phase I Construction of the park, Elizabeth River Project agreed to hand the reins over to the City of Portsmouth by December opening this to the public as Portsmouth's third largest park!

Explore the details of Paradise Creek Nature Park using the links at left. Discover more about the many features you will be able to enjoy and learn how you can take part in the development of this historic accomplishment!