DOVER – Following an investigation, DNREC Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit arrested a Frankford man June 1 and charged him with illegal dumping after evidence from trash found on Blueberry Lane near Frankford led ECU officers to the suspect.

Carlos A. Valencia, 28, was charged with causing or contributing to the discharge of solid waste material. Valencia was also wanted on two capiases out of Justice of the Peace Court 3 in Georgetown, where he pled guilty to the illegal dumping charge and received a $500 fine along with an order to clean up the trash.

To report possible environmental violations, members of the public are encouraged to call DNREC’s 24-hour Environmental Emergency Response Line at 800-662-8802.

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

Vol. 47, No. 129

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DOVER – The public’s art appreciation is sought in voting for favorite entries now online in the 2017 artistic rain barrel contest sponsored by DNREC’s Watershed Assessment and Management Section within the Division of Watershed Stewardship. DNREC sponsors the contest as a fun way to educate the community on the benefits of using rain barrels to reduce stormwater runoff and improve water quality.

Eight local artists and 10 entries from youth or groups of young people were selected to paint creative designs on their rain barrels. Online voting continues through Friday, June 9 for selecting this year’s winning rain barrel artworks.

DNREC chose the artists based on their applications and designs. After being selected, the artists had five weeks to paint and return their barrels. All artistic rain barrels in this year’s contests are now on display for public viewing at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover through July 18.

Five adult finalists and five youth finalists will be determined by online voting. The five student finalists will have their rain barrels displayed to be voted on by Delaware State Fair visitors for determining the grand prize winner, while the adult grand prize winner will be chosen by a panel of judges. Results for the youth rain barrel contest will be announced, and the grand prize winner of the adult contest will be recognized, on Governor’s Day (Thursday, July 27) at the fair.

Following the contest, the artistic rain barrels will be dispersed for display at local events, businesses, schools, churches and with local governments. Businesses, organizations and non-profit groups interested in displaying an artist’s rain barrel, please contact Sara Wozniak at mailto:sara.wozniak@delaware.govor 302-382-0335.

Rain barrels are used to collect and store water from roofs and downspouts for future uses such as watering lawns, gardens, and house plants; cleaning off gardening tools; and washing your car. Rain barrels are also important for the environment because they help reduce water pollution by decreasing the amount of stormwater runoff reaching Delaware’s streams and rivers.

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

Vol. 47, No. 128

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Reminder for the week: Paddle boards are vessels – and boating regulations apply

DOVER – To achieve public compliance 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 May 22-28 made 3,335 contacts with anglers, boaters and the general public, including 620 vessel boardings for boating safety and fishing regulation compliance checks, issuing 70 citations. Officers responded to 69 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 May 23, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers presented information on Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police careers and common native wildlife in Delaware during a “Hero Week” event hosted by the Marshall Elementary School near Newark.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Incident of note:

• On May 23, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers cited Roland Naylor, 54, of Smyrna for a commercial fisheries violation of possession of undersized oysters. Naylor was released with an order to appear in Kent County Justice of the Peace Court 7 at a later date.

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

Fisheries Conservation: Recreational: Unlicensed fishing (11)*, Fishing in a closed area of a state wildlife area (1)*, possession of undersized blue crab (6), over the limit recreational crab pots (1), tending more than two recreational crab pots (1), improperly marked recreational crab pot (2), and no recreational crab pot bycatch reduction device (2).
Commercial: Possession of undersized oyster (1).

Boating and Boating Safety: Operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets (9), no life jacket on a child age 12 or younger as required by law (5), no boating safety certificate (8), failure to observe slow-no-wake zone (3), water skiing (tubing)-improper lookout (1), unregistered vessel (2), equipment violation- no sound producing device (2), and equipment violation- no fire extinguisher (2).

Other: Trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area (11)*, swimming in a prohibited area – state owned pond (1), and damage division property (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 paddle boarders – especially those new to the popular sport – to review Delaware’s boating laws and regulations and how they apply to paddle boards before heading out on the waterways.

So what is a paddle board? A paddle board is configured similarly to a surfboard, but usually longer and thicker. The operator of a paddle board stands upright on the board and propels it through the water using a long paddle.

The United States Coast Guard and the State of Delaware recognize a paddle board as a vessel when operated outside the confines of a surfing or swimming area. Therefore, many of the same vessel requirements for personal flotation devices, visual distress signals, sound producing devices and the use of a navigational light during low light conditions apply when paddle boards are operated in Delaware waters.

A paddle board less than 16 feet in length* must meet the following safety equipment requirements when operated in Delaware waters:

• All paddle boarders must have a United States Coast Guard-approved life jacket on board.
• Any child age 12 and younger must wear a USCG-approved life jacket at all times while on a paddle board.
• Paddle boarders must carry a whistle, horn or some other sounding device capable of making an efficient sound signal.
• When operating between the hours of sunset and sunrise, paddle boarders must carry a visual distress signal – an electric distress light or flares – suitable for night use. This applies to all boards operated on coastal waters and directly-connected waters (bays, sounds, harbors, rivers, inlets, etc.) which are two miles wide or wider.
• When operating between the hours of sunset and sunrise, a paddle boarder also must have an electric torch or lighted lantern showing a white light ready at hand for use as a navigation light, which must be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision.

*Paddle boards longer than 16 feet may have additional safety requirements.

For access to the online Delaware Boating Handbook and other safe boating information, please click Delaware Boating Safety, or contact Delaware Boating Safety Coordinator Lt. John McDerby at 302-739-9913 or email john.mcderby@delaware.gov.

Like Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Delaware-Fish-Wildlife-Natural-Resources-Police.

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

Media contact: Lt. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386.

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YORKLYN – Revitalization milestones will be on display from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, June 4, during the first Yorklyn Day festival at the former NVF manufacturing site in Yorklyn. The event will highlight site remediation – including toxics removal and flood mitigation – along with new trails and amenities, and plans for continued redevelopment.

“We are making tremendous progress in transforming Yorklyn into a residential, commercial, conservation and recreation area, while also removing a century of contamination,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “We are turning the area into a revitalized, vibrant hub of activity that retains its historic character and provides the kinds of amenities that will help drive economic growth while improving the quality of life for residents and visitors alike.”

• Already completed is the new Yorklyn Bridge Trail, located in the bullseye of the revitalization effort. It will surround a new flood mitigation wetland, which is slated to begin construction later this summer.
• The Yorklyn Bridge Trail now also connects to the CC Arts/Snuff Mill Trail, which also will be open to the public on Yorklyn Day. The trail connects the former NVF site with the historic Garrett Snuff Mills and the Center for Creative Arts. The centerpiece of the trail is the restored foundation of one of the Snuff Mills, dating back to the 1800s.
• In addition, the Oversee Trail, with beautiful, scenic views, is planned to be open in the next several days.
• Coming soon, a connection between the Yorklyn Bridge Trail and the Auburn Heights Trail loop, the first trail section completed in 2012, will be under construction in late summer 2017. This connection will include a renovated historic bridge behind the former Marshall Brothers Paper Mill on Benge Road.

What is not readily seen, but critical in the revitalization effort is the environmental remediation that continues. The former NVF manufacturing facilities in the area of Red Clay Creek are undergoing a massive environmental cleanup of nearly a century of historic contamination in soil, groundwater, sediment and surface water. In the process of remediating harmful contaminants from soils, a series of wetlands and flood mitigation measures will be created to reduce severe flooding that has resulted in significant economic impacts to the valley. In addition, restoration of the cross-stream that flowed through the facility will improve water quality and help to protect fish and other organisms in the Red Clay Creek.

DNREC’s Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances’ Site Investigation and Restoration Section (SIRS) is leading the remediation of the Brownfield site, including removal, treatment and disposal of hazardous materials from inside demolished buildings, removal and disposal of soil containing hazardous levels of zinc and lead, groundwater recovery and treatment, and monitoring of Red Clay Creek surface water and sediments. The private property owner has funded asbestos removal and building demolition. To date, more than 200 tons of contaminated materials have been removed from the interior of demolished buildings.

During the recent soil removal effort dubbed the “Big Dig,” more than 325,000 pounds (over 162 tons) of zinc have been removed from soils beneath the former manufacturing facility that now won’t contaminate the Red Clay Creek. Removing the zinc-contaminated soil eliminates the source of contamination to groundwater, and will thus minimize the time needed to operate the groundwater zinc recovery/treatment system. On average the treatment system recovers 600-700 pounds of zinc per month from the groundwater beneath the site. Since 2008, approximately 75,000 pounds of zinc has been recovered from groundwater and been kept from discharging to Red Clay Creek.

The partnership includes private developers, neighboring organizations and DNREC’s Divisions of Parks & Recreation, Waste & Hazardous Substances, Watershed Stewardship and Water. Partners include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the EPA, local, state and federal legislators, business developers and strong support from neighboring property owners, as well as conservation and recreational organizations in the Yorklyn area. The collaboration is one of the most inventive undertaken in Delaware and serves as a national model for other similar projects.

To date, almost $8 million dollars of state funding has been spent to remediate the site, in addition to $1.6 million from FEMA for property acquisition, more than $800,000 in private loans from EPA and State HSCA funds to assist in asbestos removal and building demolition, and additional private funding for building demolition and restoration of an onsite office building.

Vol. 47, No. 127

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DOVER – Do you know a Delaware student who is working to make a difference for the environment? The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is encouraging teachers, classmates, parents, club or group leaders and others whom a youth’s efforts might have impressed to nominate these students for the 2017 Young Environmentalist of the Year Awards. Nominations must be based on actions or projects which have taken place between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017.

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, June 23, 2017. A winner will be chosen from each of the following categories:

• Elementary for students in grades 1-4
• Middle School for students in grades 5-8
• High School for students in grades 9-12

The Young Environmentalist program honors Delaware students whose actions have resulted in the protection, restoration or enhancement of Delaware’s natural resources through one or more of the following means:

• Demonstrating Environmental Stewardship
• Initiating an Innovative Project
• Increasing Public Awareness
• Demonstrating Environmental Ethics

This is the 24th year for the Young Environmentalist awards program, which was established by colleagues and friends in honor of Dr. Edwin H. Clark II, who served as Secretary of DNREC from 1989 until 1993.

Each category winner will receive a certificate, gift card and prize pack in recognition of his or her contribution to the community.

Winners will be honored in a special ceremony on Governor’s Day at the 2017 Delaware State Fair Thursday, July 27.

Nominations may be submitted by U.S. mail to Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, or by email to joanna.wilson@delaware.gov.

For more information, including nomination forms, please visit the Young Environmentalist of the Year nominations page or contact Joanna Wilson at 302-739-9902 or email joanna.wilson@delaware.gov.

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