DOVER (Jan. 8, 2013) – For the 2013 Governor’s Week of Service from Jan. 11 to 21, the DNREC Divisions of Fish and Wildlife and Parks and Recreation are looking for volunteers to help with winter projects at state wildlife areas and state parks.

“Part of our state’s great quality of life revolves around our precious natural resources,” said Governor Jack Markell. “The week of service provides an opportunity to work together preserving and maintaining places that make our state a better place to live, work and raise a family.  It’s part of what makes Delaware a state of neighbors.”

“Every year, thousands of volunteers dedicate time to protect and improve our treasured natural resources,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “These volunteers provide essential services, solve emerging challenges, and supplement the efforts of DNREC staff to enhance our parks and shoreline, our waterways and wildlife areas, our recreational trails and parks, and help clean up our rivers, bays and beaches. During Governor Markell’s annual Week of Service, we recognize these volunteers and encourage more Delawareans to come out and join them.”

• DuPont Nature Center Winter Work Day* will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 12 at the DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, 2992 Lighthouse Road, east of Milford. Directions are available by clicking on the calendar of events at www.fw.delaware.gov/volunteers.

A variety of projects will be available during the nature center’s first Winter Work Day, including deck maintenance, Hurricane Sandy parking lot cleanup, beach cleanup, and roadside/marsh trash clean-up. Work gloves andtools will be provided, but volunteers may also bring their own. Volunteers under the age of 18 must provide a parental consent form, which also can be found on the website.

For more information or to sign up for these projects, please contact Lynne Staub at 302-735-3609 or email lynne.staub@delaware.gov. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to pre-register with contact information in case of inclement weather leading to postponement.

The DuPont Nature Center is open winter hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, please call 302-422-1329, or visit www.dupontnaturecenter.org.

• Lums Pond Nature Center Renovation Days will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 12; 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14; 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Jan. 15; and 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16, at Lums Pond State Park near Bear. Volunteers are encouraged to wear work clothes and bring water. All supplies will be provided.

On Jan. 12, volunteers will clear out displays and furniture from the Nature Center, prep and dust walls for painting and begin painting the ceiling. From Jan. 14 to Jan. 16, volunteers will complete the ceiling and paint the walls.

Lums Pond State Park is located at 1068 Howell School Road, Bear. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.https://volunteer.delaware.gov

• Cedar Swamp Winter Cleanup* will be held from 9 to 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 12 at the Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, with volunteers meeting at the check station parking lot on Collins Beach Road, east of the Smyrna/Townsend area. Directions are available by clicking on the calendar of events at www.fw.delaware.gov/volunteers or View Map.
  

Multiple projects will be available during this cleanup, including roadside trash cleanups and invasive plant removals. Work gloves and tools will be provided, but volunteers may also bring their own. Volunteers under the age of 18 must provide a parental consent form, which also can be found on the website.

For more information or to sign up for these projects, please contact Lynne Staub at 302-735-3609 or email lynne.staub@delaware.gov. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to pre-register with contact information in case of inclement weather leading to postponement.

• Fresh Pond Trail Maintenance will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, Jan. 13, with volunteers meeting at the main parking area for Fresh Pond, located in Delaware Seashore State Park near Ocean View.

Volunteers will remove invasive plants and shrubs, natural debris and any litter that impedes Fresh Pond Trail in order to improve trail safety and recreational access. Volunteers are encouraged to dress for the weather, including long pants and closed-toes shoes, and to bring work gloves and water.

Delaware Seashore State Park is located off Delaware Route 1, Ocean View. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.https://volunteer.delaware.gov

• Cape Henlopen State Park Trail Project* will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 19, with volunteers meeting at the Glade Road Access point for Junction and Breakwater Trail, located off the Rehoboth Little League Parking lot near Lewes.

The main project focus is to improve safety and trail enjoyment along the Junction and Breakwater Trail. Project participants will help remove shrubs and undergrowth at intersections that are posing visibility and safety risks along this popular and heavily used bike and pedestrian trail. Volunteers are encouraged to dress for the weather, wear closed-toed shoes, and bring work gloves and water.

Cape Henlopen State Park is located at 15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.https://volunteer.delaware.gov.

• Brandywine Creek State Park Weed Warriors Project will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 19, with volunteers meeting in the main parking lot at Brandywine Creek State Park.

Volunteers will be pulling up and cutting invasive wine berry, which will be composted down to provide places for some of the local birds to land and shelter. Volunteers are encouraged to dress for the weather, including long pants and closed-toes shoes, and to bring work gloves and water.

Brandywine Creek State Park is located at 41 Adams Dam Road, Montchanin. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.https://volunteer.delaware.gov

• White Clay Creek State Park Weed Warriors Project will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 20, with volunteers meeting at the White Clay Creek State Park entrance on Nine Foot Road, off Thompson Station Road across from Deerfield.

Volunteers will be pulling up and cutting invasive plants to help native plants continue to grow and provide good food sources for the native animals. The invasive plants will be composted down in small piles to provide places for local birds to land and shelter. Volunteers are encouraged to dress for the weather, including long pants and closed-toes shoes, and to bring work gloves and water.

White Clay Creek State Park is located off Thompson Station Road in Newark. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.https://volunteer.delaware.gov

• Cedar Swamp’s Bye Bye Boxwood* project will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 20 at the Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area with volunteers meeting at the Vogel Tract off Collins Beach Road east of the Smyrna/Townsend area. Directions are available by clicking on the calendar of events at www.fw.delaware.gov/volunteers, or View Map.
  

Ornamental boxwood shrubs are degrading native wildlife habitat at this Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area site by outcompeting native plants and taking over the understory. Volunteers will be using hand saws, pruners and loppers to remove the shrubs and open the understory. Work gloves and tools will be provided, but volunteers may also bring their own. Volunteers under the age of 18 must provide a parental consent form, which also can be found on the website.

The Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area is located east of Smyrna/Townsend area.

For more information or to sign up, please contact Lynne Staub at 302-735-3609 or email lynne.staub@delaware.gov. Volunteers are strongly encouraged to pre-register with contact information in case of inclement weather leading to postponement.

For information on other volunteer opportunities with the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, visit www.fw.delaware.gov/volunteers.

For more information on other volunteer opportunities with the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation, please visit www.https://volunteer.delaware.gov

*These projects also are part of DNREC’s Bayshore Initiative, a landscape approach to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat, increase volunteer participation in habitat stewardship projects, enhance low-impact outdoor recreation and ecotourism opportunities, and promote associated environmentally compatible economic development. For more information on the Bayshore Initiative, click Delaware Bayshore .

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