DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife today announced the winning entries in the 2017/18 Delaware Hunting Photo Contest. First place was awarded to Angela Garcia of Smyrna for “At the End of the Day,” featuring her husband Paul and son Dominic on their boat during a hunting trip in Little Creek.

The second place winner was “Son and Father,” taken by F. Neil Dougherty, of Hockessin, showing family friends Dr. Dan Elliott and his son Joseph Elliott at the end of a successful hunt at Raymond Neck.

Entries receiving honorable mention were:

• “Rehoboth Bay Ice Fog,” by Justyn Foth of Viola, featuring his uncles and friend hunting in Rehoboth Bay
• “Patience is a Virtue,” by Charles Burton of Milton, featuring his Chesapeake Bay retriever Ruby Bay near Gordon’s Pond
• “Tranquility,” by Taylor Deemer of Lewes, featuring Samantha Broadhurst with a kayak full of decoys at Collins Pond

The winning photo will appear on the cover and inside the 2018/2019 Delaware Hunting & Trapping Guide. The hunting guide will be available in July 2018 online, at the DNREC license desk in Dover and from hunting license agents statewide.

Three judges – Division of Fish & Wildlife Director David Saveikis, and local photographers Jesse Baird and Rebecca Hoover, both DNREC employees – reviewed the entries and narrowed them to the top five. Photographs were judged relative to the contest theme of “A Day Afield” and for composition and technical criteria.

“The Division’s annual hunting photo contest provides a great opportunity for hunters to capture and share their hunting experiences, which can inspire other hunters to enjoy, photograph, and share their hunting experiences in Delaware’s great outdoors,” said Director Saveikis.

For more information about future Division of Fish & Wildlife photo contests, please visit de.gov/fwphotos, or contact Jennifer Childears at 302-739-9910, or email jennifer.childears@delaware.gov.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Project proposals from government entities are due by March 28

DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Watershed Stewardship and Office of Environmental Finance, and the Delaware Division of Public Health are now accepting project proposals from state, county and municipal governments, and conservation districts for matching grants for wastewater, surface water, and drinking water project planning. Proposals must be received by 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 28, 2018.

Eligible projects include planning, preliminary engineering, and feasibility analysis of wastewater and/or drinking water projects; stormwater retrofits; green technology practices; stream and wetland restoration projects; small watershed studies; master surface water and drainage plans; and other source water pollution control projects.

Wastewater Planning Grants assist with wastewater infrastructure project planning and design necessary to submit a loan application for funding consideration. Surface Water Planning Grants support projects and activities that focus on reducing surface water runoff and improving water quality in impaired watersheds. Drinking Water Planning Grants help municipal water systems prepare for large, often costly projects such as troubleshooting source water quality and proposing solutions, reconfiguring water plants to optimize treatment, and determining water main size and locations, among other activities.

Grant applications up to $50,000 will be considered with a one-to-one cash match requirement. Up to 10 percent of the grant funds may be used for administrative costs. There is an annual cumulative grant award cap of $100,000 per successful applicant per fiscal year.

The Wastewater, Drinking Water, and Surface Water Matching Planning Grant programs are set-asides in the state’s Clean Water and Drinking Water Revolving Funds. Projects will be recommended for funding by the Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council through a competitive grant process.

Project guidelines and applications are posted online, and proposals must be submitted by email (less than 10 MB), as follows:

• For a Wastewater Matching Planning Grant, click Wastewater Matching Planning Grant, and email Greg.Pope@delaware.gov.
• For a Surface Water Matching Planning Grant, click Surface Water Matching Planning Grant, and email James.Sullivan@delaware.gov.
• For a Drinking Water Matching Planning Grant, click Drinking Water Matching Planning Grant, and email Heather.Warren@delaware.gov.

For more information, please contact Greg Pope, Environmental Finance, at 302-739-9941; Jim Sullivan, Division of Watershed Stewardship, at 302-739-9922; or Heather Warren, DHSS Division of Public Health, at 302-744-4739.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 48, No. 46

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WILMINGTON – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation and the Delaware Zoological Society will open the Brandywine Zoo for the season with a weekend of festivities from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Saturday, March 10, and Sunday, March 11.

Visitors can tour the zoo’s “Curiosity Learning Stations,” and learn from zookeepers what the animals did during the winter season, including finding out if the zoo’s red panda took a trip, guessing which avian changed the color of her feathers, and discovering whether the bobcat picked the Eagles to win the Superbowl.

“The opening of the Brandywine Zoo is a rite of spring, and a time for fun and education for kids of all ages,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “There are more than a hundred animals to be seen and programs to enjoy throughout the season. The Brandywine Zoo is a true Delaware gem – a serene yet wild place set in beautiful Brandywine Park. I encourage everyone to come and visit Delaware’s only zoo.”

The Brandywine Zoo is managed by the Division of Parks & Recreation with the support of the Delaware Zoological Society. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), and is one of over 200 accredited zoos and aquariums in North America, a distinction that marks its commitment to providing excellent care for animals.

“The start of a new season at the Brandywine Zoo is always an exciting time,” said Michael T. Allen, Executive Director of the Delaware Zoological Society. “We are delighted to welcome visitors to the zoo to learn more about our mission of conservation and education. While we don’t have any big announcements yet, stay tuned for some new animals that will be joining us later in 2018.”

The Brandywine Zoo opened in 1905 in Brandywine Park in Wilmington, and is located high above the banks of the Brandywine River. Its residents include red pandas, condors, river otters, burrowing owls, pygmy goats, llamas, rheas, the capybara (the world’s largest rodent), and other mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians native to the Americas, and the temperate areas of Asia. A total of 125 animals live at the zoo, although several are not on exhibit and reserved for the Travelling Zoo program. Many of the animals are rescues, unable to be returned to the wild. The zoo has a small petting zoo area, and offers frequent close encounter programs where visitors may meet animals up- close. The schedule for special events, daily programs, education workshops, and spring, summer and holiday camps, is on the zoo website. The zoo is fully accessible.

For more information, visit www.destateparks.com/attractions/brandywine-zoo/ or www.brandywinezoo.org.

Vol. 48, No. 45

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

DOVER – DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin has issued a Conciliation Order By Consent to Perdue Foods for multiple violations of the company’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. The order totals an administrative penalty of $77,300 and an associated $7,601 assessment for expenses associated with the Department’s investigation.

Perdue Foods operates a poultry processing facility in Georgetown and has a wastewater treatment plant onsite to treat the process and sanitary wastewater generated at the facility. Perdue Foods has a NPDES permit that places certain restrictions and limitations on the amount and concentration of various pollutants that may be discharged from the treatment plant to Savannah Ditch.

From May-July 2015, Perdue Foods exceeded the effluent limits found in their NPDES permit on several occasions. Violations included noncompliance with concentration and/or loading limits for ammonia, total nitrogen (a nutrient), and enterococcus bacteria. Effluent violations from the facility added excess volumes of pollutants in the form of nutrients and potentially harmful bacteria to the state’s surface waters, and contributed to the impairment of the state’s waterways.

Perdue took steps to enhance its treatment capability and address the immediate issue of the nutrient-rich effluent, while also working to address the source of the issue. Action taken by the company helped limit the duration and extent of the upset. Perdue has not been in violation of these parameters since then.

To offset a portion of the penalty from DNREC, Perdue has chosen to perform an Environmental Improvement Project in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy, for which the company will convert 39 acres of farmland into forest. This will significantly reduce the loads of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants going into the Broadkill River from the property to be converted.

The penalty order can be found on the DNREC website at http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/Info/Pages/SecOrders_Enforcement.aspx.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 45

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Reminder for the week: Wildlife area visitors encouraged to know and follow rules

DOVER – To achieve public compliance with laws and regulations through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between Feb. 19-25 made 1,286 contacts with hunters, anglers, boaters and the general public, issuing 63 citations. Officers responded to 49 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public. An increased Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police presence continued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area and Michael N. Castle Trail.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police in the Community

• On Feb. 22, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers presented information on hunting, fishing, and boating and displayed the Operation Game Theft trailer at the Future Farmers of America career fair at Smyrna High School.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Incidents of note:

• On Feb. 20, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested Reina K. Dickerson, 56, of Harbeson for one count each of driving a vehicle under the influence of a drug and following a motor vehicle too closely near Milton. Dickerson was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution to await arraignment.
• On Feb. 20, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested Tina Dempsey, 38, of Leipsic for one count each of possession of drug paraphernalia and trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area, and two counts of possession of cocaine near Dover. Dempsey was arraigned at Kent County Justice of the Peace Court 7 where she was released on a $400 unsecured bond pending a future court date.
• On Feb. 23, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested Leonard J. Karpen, 43, of Middletown for three counts of unlicensed fishing following an investigation into illegal charter boat fishing near Lewes. Karpen was arraigned at Sussex County Justice of the Peace Court 3 where he pled guilty, was fined $405, including court costs and released.
• On Feb. 24, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested an individual for multiple deer hunting violations near Newark. The following press release was issued in regards to the incident: DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrest Newark man on multiple deer hunting violations.
• Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested multiple individuals for dumping on state wildlife areas in Kent County. The following press release was issued in regards to the incidents: Arrests made for dumping on state wildlife areas.

Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:

Wildlife Conservation: Possession of unlawfully taken antlerless deer (7), possession of unlawfully taken antlered deer (1), transport unlawfully taken antlered deer (1), and transport unlawfully taken antlerless deer (4).

Fisheries Conservation: Commercial: Unlicensed fishing (3). Recreational: Unlicensed fishing (3).

Boating & Boating Safety: Operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets (2), and failure to observe slow no wake (1).

Public Safety: Possession of marijuana-civil (4)*, possession of cocaine (2), possession of drug paraphernalia (2), following a motor vehicle too closely (1), driving under the influence of a drug (1), and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a person prohibited (8).

Other: Damaging state property on a wildlife area (1), dumping/littering on a state wildlife area (1), trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area (20)*, and license forgery or misrepresentation (1).

*Includes citation(s) issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting and boating laws and regulations. Citizens are encouraged to report fish, wildlife and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030 or online at http://de.gov/ogt.

Are you AWARE?
Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind visitors to state wildlife areas, fishing piers and boat launching facilities that these areas are closed to the public from sunset to sunrise unless a person is actively and lawfully engaged in fishing, hunting or boating in accordance with state regulations and individual wildlife area rules. Individuals not meeting these requirements who are found in these areas between sunset and sunrise face fines up to $100 for trespassing after hours.

Also, all state wildlife areas are designated carry-in, carry-out for trash. Dumping trash on state wildlife areas is an environmental crime. Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police encourage residents and visitors to report violations. Calls can be made anonymously to 1-800-523-3336. In order to protect our wildlife areas and enhance their enjoyment for the many visitors who follow the rules, we strictly enforce state regulations, as well as Delaware criminal law.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DEFWNRPolice/.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Twitter, https://twitter.com/DE_FW_NRPolice.

Contact: Sgt. Brooke Africa, 302-382-7167, or Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913