DOVER, Del. (Sept. 9, 2025) – The Office of the State Veterinarian within the Delaware Department of Agriculture has confirmed the first two cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Delaware horses this year. The onset of symptoms in these cases occurred between Aug. 31-Sept. 1.

The cases include:

• 4-year-old Standardbred gelding, Kent County, euthanized
• 7-year-old Standardbred mare, Kent County, euthanized.

WNV and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) are diseases transmitted via mosquito bites, generally in summer and fall, with a peak period for disease transmissions from mid-August to mid-October.

Signs of infection in horses include fever (although not always present with WNV), anorexia, head pressing, depression or behavior changes, wobbling or staggering, weakness, blindness, convulsions, muscle spasms in the head and neck, or hind-limb weakness. If owners notice any of these signs in their horses, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. Humans can also be infected with WNV and EEE, but transmission requires a mosquito bite, and the virus cannot be directly transmitted between horses or between horses and people.

Animal health professionals with formal training in diagnosing or recognizing animal diseases and pests of horses and livestock are required to report suspected or confirmed cases of WNV and EEE to the Office of the State Veterinarian within 24 hours. Examples of animal health professionals include, but are not limited to, veterinary medical professionals, diagnostic laboratorians, biomedical researchers, public health officials, animal health officials, trained technicians, zoo personnel, and wildlife personnel with such training.

Horse owners can take several additional steps in the barn and around the farm to help protect horses from mosquito bites. Horses should be kept inside during dawn and dusk, peak hours for mosquito activity. Topical insect repellents labeled for use on horses may be applied. The wind generated by fans installed in horse stalls can also help deter mosquitoes. Old tires and containers should be disposed of, and standing water should be eliminated. Water troughs or buckets should be emptied, cleaned, and refilled every 2-3 days to remove mosquito eggs or larvae.

With the first hard freeze, the mosquito season should end; however, the State Veterinarian urges horse owners to contact their veterinarians to ensure they add the WNV and EEE vaccines to their annual vaccination schedule for 2026 to help protect their horses and other equines. Neither disease has a specific drug treatment, and EEE infections in horses are fatal in 70-90 percent of cases and 30 percent of WNV cases.

The public is reminded to continue taking precautions to avoid mosquito bites, including:

• Wearing light-colored clothing such as long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors in mosquito-prone areas
• Applying insect repellent containing 10- to 30-percent diethyltoluamide (DEET) in accordance with label instructions
• Avoiding mosquito-infested areas and times of peak mosquito activity around dusk, dawn, and night.

Delaware residents and landowners should also eliminate standing water on their property that might have been there for four or more consecutive days, which can act as a mosquito breeding habitat.

For more information about WNV or EEE:

• To report suspected cases of human West Nile Virus or Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, contact the DPH Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology (OIDE) at 302-744-4990 during regular business hours from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday; 888-295-5196 outside of normal business hours; fax: 302-622-4194; or email reportdisease@delaware.gov.
• Animal health questions should be directed to the Delaware Department of Agriculture at 302-698-4500. Ask for the Poultry and Animal Health Section.
• For mosquito biology/ecology and control services, contact the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Mosquito Control Section at 302-739-9917. For requests for mosquito relief in upstate areas from Dover to the north, contact Mosquito Control’s Glasgow field office at 302-836-2555. For mosquito relief requests in downstate areas south of Dover, contact Mosquito Control’s Milford field office at 302-422-1512.

Tree Giveaways Also Planned for This Fall

Nine applicants will receive a combined $173,000 in funding from the Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative (TEDI) to plant 12,055 trees in the spring of 2026.

TEDI, which works with Delaware conservation partners, including the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Department of Agriculture’s Delaware Forest Service aims to plant 1 million trees by 2030. To date, more than 350,000 trees have been planted by various partners across the state utilizing a multitude of funding sources.

“TEDI has a goal of a million trees for Delaware’s million residents because of everything they do for us,” said DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson. “From an environmental perspective, trees pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which means they combat climate change. Trees in urban areas provide shade, reducing the heat island effect and lowering energy costs.”

Projects awarded funding include:

• Delaware Nature Society (Hockessin)
• Mount Cuba Center (Hockessin)
• Delaware Wild Lands, Inc. (Odessa)
• Delaware Center for the Inland Bays (Rehoboth Beach)
• Skyline Middle School (Red Clay Consolidated School District)
• West Park Place Elementary School (Christina School District)
• Friends of Bellevue State Park (Wilmington)
• University of Delaware (Newark)
• Village of Ardentown (New Castle County)

Robert “Blake” Moore of the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension said the funding will help advance the organization’s Kranz Farm food forest tree project.

“That project will support a variety of wildlife, as well as provide water quality and climate carbon sequestration and storage benefits,” he said.

In addition to funding the tree-planting projects, the TEDI program will also fund nine giveaways this fall in an effort to deliver a total of 2,250 trees directly to Delaware residents in all three counties. Event dates and locations are posted on the de.gov/tedi webpage and on DNREC’s Calendar of Events, hosted by the following partners:

• Sept. 20: University of Delaware Cooperative Extension (Milford)
• Sept. 26: New Castle County (Glasgow Regional Park)
• Oct. 3: New Castle County (Rockwood Park)
• Oct. 11: Delaware Botanic Gardens (Dagsboro)
• Oct. 11: Kent Conservation District (Dover)
• Oct. 11: New Castle Conservation District (Newark)
• Oct. 11: Sussex Conservation District (Georgetown)
• Oct. 18: DNREC Blackbird Creek Fall Festival (Townsend)
• Nov. 1: City of Dover (Dover)

Additional funding opportunities, as well as a list of nurseries that carry native trees, tips on tree care and a tree tracker can be found by visiting de.gov/tedi webpage. Delawareans can help TEDI reach its goal by adding details about newly planted trees on their property into the TEDI tracker.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy uses science, education, policy development and incentives to address Delaware’s climate, energy and coastal challenges. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contact: Michael Globetti, Michael.globetti@delaware.gov or Jim Lee, JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov

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CLAYTON, Del. (Aug. 27, 2025) — The Delaware Forest Service’s Wildland Fire Crew is planning a controlled burn just west of Clayton beginning this evening in response to a fire involving approximately 200 hay bales.

A controlled burn of the hay is necessary to stop the blaze’s spread, said State Forester Kyle Hoyd, and could last as long as 24-30 hours. Without a controlled burn, Delaware Forest Service fire experts believe the pile could smolder and burn for weeks.

Smoke and odors will likely occur in the area during the incident, which was discovered Wednesday morning. Officials with the Delaware Department of Agriculture and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are monitoring the situation, with DNREC and the Clayton Fire Company providing assistance and support for the controlled burn.

DNREC recommends that area residents keep windows and doors closed, as well as turn off air conditioning systems that draw in outdoor air, if smoke is prevalent, especially if they have respiratory issues.

Spring-Summer Rainfall Recharges State’s Water Supply and Reservoirs

Acting on guidance from the State’s Water Supply Coordinating Council (WSCC) and the Governor’s Drought Response Committee, Governor Matt Meyer today lifted Delaware’s drought watch almost 10 months after it went into effect due to prolonged drought conditions brought on by low precipitation levels throughout the state in 2024.

The WSCC, chaired by Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Greg Patterson, recommended that the drought watch be lifted after confirming that precipitation, soil moisture, streamflow and groundwater levels have returned to normal seasonal conditions, particularly in New Castle County.

“Lifting the drought watch is welcome news after nearly a year of dry conditions, and I want to thank every Delawarean who did their part to conserve water,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “With rainfall returning to normal, our state is in a much stronger position heading into the fall. While water conditions have improved, we should carry forward the lesson that water is one of our most precious natural resources, and it’s up to all of us to use it wisely.”

The drought watch was declared by then-Gov. John Carney in late October 2024, at a time when the state’s reservoirs and water supplies typically get a recharge after heavy spring and summer use. Instead, six straight months of below-normal precipitation led to the drought watch which continued well into 2025 as rainfall for Delaware was below average for much of the state during the first half of the year. Only after several months of above-average rainfall – which continued into June and was topped by frequent thunderstorms and weeks of almost nightly rainfall in July – did the WSCC convene and vote to recommend that Gov. Meyer lift the drought watch.

In making the recommendation, the council – whose membership comprises the State Climatologist’s Office, DNREC, the Delaware Department of Agriculture, the Delaware Division of Public Health, the Delaware Geological Survey, the Delaware River Basin Commission and others, noted that rainfall for July was almost 5.2 inches, or an inch above normal for the state at this time of year.

“The continuous monitoring that has gone on since last fall has shown conditions gradually improve as a result of constant rainfall this year, which finally made up for the very long dry spell people may remember from last summer,” said Secretary Patterson. “While water conservation is always a good practice, we are finally out of the indicators of a possible drought.”

Department of Agriculture Secretary Don Clifton expressed how the recent spike in rainfall came at an ideal time for getting Delaware agribusiness beyond what was a worrisome drought watch for farmers across the state: “Recent rainfall events have helped recharge the soil and groundwater reserves we rely on for agriculture,” he said. “That has put our farmers in a much better position as we head into the height of the growing season.”

While the drought watch was in effect, WSCC membership, particularly from the University of Delaware Center for Environmental Monitoring & Analysis, Delaware Geological Survey and DNREC, collaborated on a new website for monitoring drought conditions in the state in almost real time. Delaware’s Drought Resources and Awareness website provides updates on a regular basis as drought conditions persist, with reporting that includes precipitation measurements by county and municipality, and what those levels represent for Delaware as drought conditions persist.

The site also includes links to DGS Water Conditions Report, the US Drought Monitor, and Delaware’s Water Supply Coordinating Council, which is charged with planning and managing Delaware water supplies to ensure they can meet peak demand during times of water shortage. For more information about water conservation and drought preparedness, visit de.gov/drought or explore the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Water manages and protects Delaware’s water resources.
For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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HARRINGTON, DE – The Delaware Standardbred Breeders’ Fund (DSBF) congratulates the winners of the $110,000 Finals at Harrington Raceway. Kat’s Fancy, trained by Carlo Poliseno and driven by Cody Poliseno, claimed the Jack Walls Memorial 3-Year-Old Filly Trot in 1:59.4. Primo Maschio, trained by Walter Callahan and driven by Trae Porter, won the Governor Ruth Ann Minner 3-Year-Old Colt Pace in 1:53.1. Yale, trained and driven by Art Stafford Jr., secured the Hal Belote Memorial 3-Year-Old Colt Trot in 1:59.4, while Valentina Station, trained and driven by Eddie Dennis, captured the Ben Stafford Jr. Memorial 3-Year-Old Filly Pace in 1:56.3.

For more information, contact: Mark Short at Mark.Short@delaware.gov.