"Tocks Island: Dammed If You Do" Presented by David C. Pierce

Join us on December 11^th at 7:30 PM, via Zoom, for a Delaware River Greenway Partnership Heritage Lecture on the history of the Tocks Island dam controversy and the project that led to the creation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

The Delaware River is the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi. This was almost not the case as a massive dam, planned for just north of the Water Gap, was authorized by Congress in 1962. As a result, thousands of area residents lost their homes and other properties to government acquisition. David Pierce will share the fascinating story of the fight to defeat the Tocks Island dam during the dawn of the modern environmental movement. Starting with one local citizen, a grassroots coalition was able to bring attention to, and ultimately, stop the dam and change the course of local history.

David C. Pierce is an author and retired journalist who has extensively researched the Tocks Island Dam project and the creation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.  His book, Tocks Island: Dammed If You Do, The Homegrown Movement that Defeated the Delaware River Dam, recounts the contentious and heart-wrenching history of the federally approved dam.

A 1974 graduate of Stroudsburg High School, Pierce earned his bachelor’s degree from Goddard College in Vermont. His journalism career included work at the Alaska Public Radio Network, the Kodiak Daily Mirror, the Hamburg Sun, the Springville Journal, and the Pocono Record.

His work has been recognized by several journalism organizations including the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, which awarded him the G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service in 2004. In 2003, he was named a fellow of The Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at the University of Maryland.

In 2017 and 2018, Pierce served as a summer interpretive ranger for the National Park Service at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. He currently sits on the board of Friends of the DWGNRA. Pierce resides in Smithfield Township with his wife, Mary, and they have four children.

About DRGP

The Delaware River Greenway Partnership (DRGP) periodically sponsors lectures about different aspects of the cultural, recreational, and natural heritage of the Delaware River. An environmental nonprofit, DRGP supports the Delaware River Scenic Byway, the Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic River, the Delaware River Water Trail, and the Delaware River Heritage Trail.

If you enjoyed our Heritage Lectures, please donate https://delawarerivergreenwaypartnership.org/index.php/donate.

To view previous lectures visit https://www.youtube.com/@delawarerivergp