A MerI c A's BAcKyArD trap Pond State Park Laurel, Delaware a r eCIPIe n t oF l a n d a n d Water ConserVatIon F u n d 2010 Gr a n t MonIe s (for a nature center and inter- pretive programs), the 2,100-acre Trap Pond State Park is the largest surviving fragment what was once a massive cypress swamp. The region is home to the northernmost natural stands of bald cypress in the East. The 90-acre pond was created in the late 1700s to power a sawmill during the harvest of large bald cypress from the area. The federal government later purchased the pond and surrounding farmland during the 1930s, and the Civilian Conservation Corps began to develop the area for recreation. Trap Pond became one of Delaware's first state parks in 1951. 74 Parks & Recreation F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 2 w w w . N R P A . O R G w w w. a m e r i c a S b ac K ya r D . O r G