For years, Steve Callanen’s family traveled to Bethany Beach in the summer from Falls Church, Va. And after Steve married Sallie in 1964, he kept the tradition alive by taking their three children to Bethany Beach.
Now they’ve used the equity from their Vienna, Va. home of 26 years to buy a house at Quillens Point in Ocean View. The retired couple still has a lot of spark in their step. They are busy every day, whether attending meetings or workshops or taking sailing trips through the inland bays on Steve’s boat.
Their house overlooks the Assawoman Canal and an area that they have grown to love.
“We chose to live here and we have a tremendous appreciation for what it has to offer,” said Sallie, a retired nurse. “The one thing that impressed me most about Sussex County was accessibility to your councilmen and your county administrator. They don’t always agree with you, but you can get access to the movers and shakers very easily.”
The Callanens’ three children, Eve, 40; Wendy, 39; and Mark, 34, stop by during holidays to visit their parents and enjoy what has become a second home to them.
They stay in the downstairs of Steve and Sallie’s house, which is always ready for their return. Steve and Sallie spend most of their time upstairs in the cozy living room, kitchen and sunroom.
The Callanens did not plan to become entrenched in a dispute involving the state during their retirement, but that’s exactly what happened.
For years the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has been trying to dredge the Assawoman Canal, but work has been spotty. The Callanens saw the dredging going on and decided to investigate. They found out that DNREC wanted to dredge the entire canal, not just a few areas of shoaling. This intrigued Steve, a former research scientist. He decided to investigate. He researched the canal and filed multiple Freedom of Information Act requests to get the information he needed.
He said the real push for dredging is coming from out-of-town boaters who like to boat at any time of day.
“The people that move down here from out of state are not content to boat by the tide schedules,” said Steve. “They expect the state or an organization to dredge the channel.”
But Steve and Sallie worry that changing the channel could devastate the wildlife living there and could affect other areas of the canal by increasing the flow.
Through the process the couple was invited to join the Sierra Club, a group working toward similar goals as the Callanens. They became very active with the club and also became well known in their small community.
Today, Steve serves as chair of the Sierra Club and he is not afraid to talk about it. He can very easily turn a short conversation into a 45-minute discussion on the environmental issues facing Sussex County.
The couple is still living happily in Ocean View and enjoying their adopted home. And, they will continue to work with the Sierra Club to protect the Little Assawoman Bay.
“When we came over here we saw that there still is some open space and we want to protect what’s left,” said Sallie. “We just feel that this is such a beautiful, unique area.”
