A youngster boards a DNREC airboat in the touch-a-boat area at the 2024 Water Family Fest at James Farm Ecological Preserve in Ocean View. Touch-a-boat and other attractions including rain garden development, wetlands exploration, a beekeeping demonstration, and a native plant sale again highlight the annual event co-sponsored by DNREC and the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays /DNREC photo.

Annual Community Water and Nature Event to be Held at James Farm Ecological Preserve in Ocean View

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Center for the Inland Bays (CIB) are partnering again to host Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale. The family-friendly, free admission event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 3 at James Farm Ecological Preserve, located at 30048 Cedar Neck Road, Ocean View.

Since 2019, Water Family Fest highlights the work done by DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship and CIB toward benefiting Delaware’s natural resources and environment – including managing and monitoring wetlands, improving water quality, engaging community members, and overseeing, protecting and enhancing recreational shorelines and other natural resources.

Water Family Fest visitors can enjoy exhibits from more than 35 nature-based organizations and non-profits while participating in outdoor recreational and educational fun activities. Exhibitors offer a variety of environmental topics to explore, including shellfish, buffers, beaches, wetlands, beekeeping, local authors, rain gardens and native plants, which will be sold at the event by local nurseries. Family and children’s activities such as clay crafts, nature games, insect identification, a reading nook are other attractions for the event.

For the second year, Water Family Fest will include a “touch-a-boat” area, a kid-friendly experience where families can view from up close and board several DNREC boats used in field work. An airboat from the Division of Fish and Wildlife, a shallow-drive boat and a larger Shoreline and Waterway Management Section boat from the Division of Watershed Stewardship, along with a US Coast Guard rescue boat (tentative), all are expected at the event. DNREC staff will be circulating within the area to answer questions and explain what the boats are used for within DNREC programs.

Food vendors to be at the event are Grotto Pizza, Bountiful Bowls, and Bethany Brewing. The Dragonfly Trinity band will also be playing at the event’s main stage. Nurseries participating in the festival are Inland Bays Garden Center, Coastal Tributaries, and East View Farms. Sponsors of the event are Freeman Institute, Annie Powell Coldwell Banker Realty, Sussex Conservation District, Del-Coast Design & Build, and Ashton Pools.

Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale is held as a rain or shine event. Parking for attendees is located across the street from the James Farm Ecological Preserve’s main entrance. Overflow parking will be available at G&E Hardware (30264 Cedar Neck Rd, Ocean View).

More information about the Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale can be found on the DNREC website.

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 Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities.  For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

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

###

One focus of the revised 2025-2035 Delaware Wildlife Action Plan is on the state’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need, including (clockwise from left) several species of shorebirds, the bog turtle, and the Monarch butterfly seen in its larval stage as a caterpillar. /DNREC collage

Focus on Keeping Today’s Wildlife from Becoming Tomorrow’s Memories

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is beginning an update of the Delaware Wildlife Action Plan for the next 10 years, kicking off a process that will include federal, state and non-government conservation partners, along with wildlife experts, key stakeholders and the public. The theme of the plan focuses on keeping today’s wildlife from becoming tomorrow’s memories.

Despite being the country’s second smallest state, Delaware is home to a wide range of wildlife. The state has diverse habitats, from the Atlantic Ocean coast to the Piedmont border with Pennsylvania and Maryland. More than 2,800 fish and wildlife species call Delaware home. In 2015, 689 of the state’s species were listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the 2015 Wildlife Action Plan.

This 10-year conservation plan, produced by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, guides the management of the state’s wildlife and their habitats. Over the next six months, the 2025 revision will reassess the status of all Delaware fish, wildlife and plant species. It will update the SGCN list, evaluate their key habitats, identify current and future threats these species face, and outline conservation actions needed to keep these species from becoming rarer and more costly to conserve.

The wildlife action plan provides a template for helping Delaware fulfill its responsibility to conserve varied fish and wildlife species and their natural habitats for future generations. It helps protect endangered, threatened or rare wildlife and those that are common.

Delaware’s revised wildlife action plan also fulfills a federal mandate that enables the state to receive conservation management funding under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s State Wildlife Grant program. Each state must revise their wildlife action plan every 10 years to maintain eligibility for the funding – which in Delaware’s case provides an historic opportunity to reverse the decline of many important wildlife populations and the loss of key habitats.

To aid in this effort, the Division of Fish and Wildlife will use data from surveys, monitoring, and research collected over the last 10 years to evaluate and update species and habitat distribution, abundance, and population status, as recommended in the 2015 wildlife action plan. This information will be used to identify limiting factors, habitat requirements, and other key SGCN data to address emerging threats – such as new diseases or invasive species, or the long-term impacts from climate change expected to pose threats in the coming years.

Although the Division of Fish and Wildlife leads the project, the plan is meant for anyone interested in the state’s wildlife species and habitat conservation and management. The plan presents an opportunity to collaborate with leading scientists, conservationists and private landowners. Together, they can help ensure that Delaware’s wildlife populations continue to thrive or bounce back from environmental threats that might have displaced them or put them at risk, such as loss of habitat from climate change and sea level rise.

DNREC will seek input for the plan through a series of public information sessions planned for late July and early August, with the dates soon to be determined. Until then, comments are welcomed throughout the plan’s revision process and can be made to DEWAP2025@delaware.gov. Later this summer, draft versions of the revised plan also will be available for review as they are completed ahead of the plan’s publication in early fall.

For more information on the Delaware Wildlife Action Plan, and to stay up to date on the revision process, including the upcoming information sessions, visit de.gov/dewap.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

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

###

Piping plover chicks foraging on a Delaware Beach. The species is federally listed as “threatened” and DNREC seeks volunteers to monitor
and help protect the plover and other species in need of assistance as their numbers try to rebound on the East Coast. /Photo: Jessica McNulty

Important Effort Helps Protect State’s Endangered and Threatened
Shorebird Species Including Piping Plovers and American Oystercatchers

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is seeking volunteers who want to help protect Delaware’s beach-nesting birds – which include federally-listed threatened piping plovers and state-listed endangered American oystercatchers. Potential volunteers are invited to join a training session held by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 3 at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Officers Club Mess Hall.

Volunteers who act as monitors are an important and valued component of the Division of Fish and Wildlife’s conservation efforts for Delaware’s beach-nesting bird species. Stationed on the boundaries of the birds’ nesting areas, volunteers explain to beachgoers the importance of closing sections of the beach to prevent human disturbance thus helping increase the nesting success of the birds.

The May 3 volunteer training session will begin with light refreshments and a slideshow presentation, followed by a discussion about the beach-nesting bird monitoring program, and how volunteers can help to ensure that these shorebirds are not disturbed while nesting and rearing their chicks during the summer months. Weather and time permitting, the group will finish the training session by venturing out to the Point at Cape Henlopen to look for piping plovers and other shorebirds likely to be feeding on the tidal flats. Binoculars will be available for use, but volunteers are encouraged to bring their own optics if they have them.

Submission of an interest form prior to the training is encouraged so supervisors can prepare enough material, but volunteer walk-ups can also receive training to become beach-nesting bird monitors and submit the form afterward. Park entrance fees will be waived for volunteers attending the training.

For more information on the training, about beach-nesting birds, or about volunteer monitoring efforts, visit de.gov/pipingplovers or email DNREC Coastal Waterbird Biologist Kat Christie and her team at deshorebirds@delaware.gov.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

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

###

A mother and son enjoy a successful “Take A Kid Fishing!” outing at Dover’s Silver Lake. /DNREC photo

Full Schedule of Fun Fishing Adventures Ahead for Young Anglers

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control invites budding anglers ages 6 through 15 along with their parents, grandparents or guardians to join DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife aquatic resource educators and learn how to fish at an upcoming “Take a Kid Fishing!” event.

“Take a Kid Fishing!” outings are offered by DNREC from spring into summer, primarily at the DNREC Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) near Smyrna but also at other locations throughout the state. The events are free of charge to all participants. All fishing equipment also is provided at no charge for use at the events. To ensure that enough supplies are on hand for each Take-A-Kid Fishing! adventure, preregistration is required at de.gov/takf.

Take A Kid Fishing! events will be held as follows throughout spring and summer:

• Tuesday, April 22, 9 a.m. to noon, AREC, Smyrna
• Thursday, April 24, Noon to 3 p.m., AREC, Smyrna
• Thursday, May 29, 5 to 7:30 p.m., Silver Lake Park, Dover
• Saturday, June 7, 9 a.m. to noon, AREC, Smyrna
• Thursday, June 12, 9 a.m. to noon, AREC, Smyrna
• Friday, June 20, 9 a.m. to noon, AREC, Smyrna
• Thursday, June 26, 5-7:30 p.m., AREC, Smyrna
• Sunday, June 29, 9 a.m.-noon, Bellevue State Park, Wilmington
• Thursday, July 10, 9 a.m.-noon, AREC, Smyrna
• Thursday, July 17, 5-7:30 p.m., AREC, Smyrna
• Saturday, July 19, 9 a.m.-noon, Lums Pond State Park, Bear
• Thursday, July 24, 5-7:30 p.m., Silver Lake Park, Dover
• Saturday, Aug. 2, 9 a.m.-noon, AREC, Smyrna

“Take a Kid Fishing!” teaches young anglers fundamental fishing skills and conservation concepts, including catch-and-release. Along with the angling experience, the free fishing events also feature activity stations and prizes. Parents, grandparents and guardians are encouraged to pack refreshments and a picnic lunch when taking part in in a Take A Kid Fishing! event.

Individuals 16 years of age and older who accompany “Take a Kid Fishing!” participants and engage in fishing themselves must have a current Delaware fishing license and a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number. Delaware recreational fishing licenses are sold online and by license agents statewide. License-exempt anglers, including Delaware residents 65 and older, may obtain a free FIN number online or from a license agent where recreational fishing licenses are sold. Online services available at DigitalDNREC include fishing license sales, FIN number access, and a list of participating license agents. Young people under age 16 are exempt from license and FIN requirements.

More information for anglers young and older, including the 2025 Delaware Fishing Guide, can be found on the DNREC website. The guide is also available in printed form from authorized license agents throughout the state.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

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

###

DuPont Nature Center offers visitors a closeup look at the center’s resident diamondback terrapin. These turtles are at risk from pollution by ingesting potentially harmful microplastics, habitat loss and as bycatch by recreational anglers and crabbers. /DNREC Photo

Visitors to the DuPont Nature Center near Milford are invited to celebrate Earth Month by attending special programs in April while enjoying the views of Mispillion Harbor and learning more about the Delaware River and Bay. A facility of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the center will host three public events for Earth Month free of charge, with no registration required:

• Earth Day Slaughter Beach Cleanup, Tuesday, April 22 (Earth Day), 10 a.m. The DuPont Nature Center will host its annual Earth Day Cleanup at Slaughter Beach, encouraging volunteers to walk the beach and help our environment. The cleanup will start at the Slaughter Beach Pavilion, 359 Bay Avenue, Milford. Trash bags, gloves, and a limited amount of trash pickers will be available.

• Delaware Wildlife Action Plan, Wednesday, April 23, 4 p.m. In honor of Earth Month, DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Environmental Program Manager Anthony Gonzon will present a lecture on the Delaware Wildlife Action Plan. This plan plays a critical role in our understanding of, and protection for our state’s threatened and endangered species, and the work DNREC does to support them.

• Storybook Saturday, Saturday, April 26, 11 a.m. Bring the kids for a special Earth-Day themed Storybook Saturday program at the center. Participants will enjoy reading a fun book that connects to the importance of protecting our planet and then making a craft with recycled materials.

For more information about these programs, or the DuPont Nature Center, call 302-422-1329. To join DNREC in celebrating Earth Day throughout the month of April, visit de.gov/earthday.

Located east of Milford near Slaughter Beach and operated by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, the DuPont Nature Center overlooks Mispillion Harbor, where the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek meet to flow out into the Delaware Bay. Open April through September, the center offers field trips, tours and other educational programs and events for schools, community groups, families and the general public. The surrounding estuary habitat includes more than 130 species of birds, fish, shellfish, and other animals, including horseshoe crabs and shorebirds.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on more than 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

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

###