DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation will host a public open house to enable the public to comment on the latest update of the Auburn Valley Master Plan, which outlines proposed strategies for the former NVF site in Yorklyn and surrounding areas.

The open house will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 18, at the Center for Creative Arts, 410 Upper Snuff Mill Row, Yorklyn, DE 19736.

In 2011, DNREC worked with the community and several partners to create the Auburn Valley Master Plan, a unified vision for Yorklyn and its surrounding areas. That version of the master plan outlined several options for redevelopment of the former NVF site and showed conceptual trail connections to the surrounding community.

Since then, DNREC has continued to work with partners and neighboring properties on designs and refinements of key components of the plan, and is now ready to solicit comments from the public at the open house.

Visitors at the open house are invited to view the proposed plan and provide comments to DNREC program staff.
For more information on the open house, contact Matt Chesser, Division of Parks & Recreation, 302-739-9235 or matthew.chesser@delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No.124

DOVER – In honor of Earth Day, volunteers are needed to assist with planting native tree seedlings in pots from 9 – 11 a.m., Saturday, April 23 at the St. Jones Reserve, 818 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, DE 19901. More than 500 seedlings – including loblolly pine, tulip poplars and red and silver maples – will be planted in pots by volunteers, then cared for in a greenhouse by Reserve staff until ready to go into the ground this fall for a restoration project.

“On National Estuaries Day (Sept. 24), these seedlings will be planted at the Blackbird Creek Reserve, north of Smyrna,” said Maggie Pletta, education coordinator with the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR), which includes the St. Jones and Blackbird Creek Reserves. “By putting the seedlings in pots now and then planting them as more mature seedlings in the future, we’re promoting volunteer participation in habitat stewardship by preserving an ecologically-valuable area along the Delaware Bayshore.”

While garden trowels will be provided for working with the seedlings, volunteers are encouraged to bring their own gloves. The potting event will be held outdoors, and volunteers asked to dress appropriately for the weather and in clothing conducive to a dirty job. Volunteers must be at least 13 years old to participate, and those between the ages of 13 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Preregistration for the event to pot seedlings at the St. Jones Reserve is required by contacting Maggie Pletta at 302-739-6377 or Margaret.Pletta@delaware.gov. Volunteers are encouraged to register in advance to ensure that enough potting materials are available on the day of the event.

For information on the Reserve’s volunteer program and other happenings there, please visit de.gov/dnerr or find us on Facebook at Delaware NERR.

The St. Jones Reserve and the Blackbird Creek Reserve are two components of the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR), a cooperative program between the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Delaware Coastal Programs and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. As one of 28 National Estuarine Research Reserves protecting over 1.3 million acres of coastal and estuarine habitat across the country, DNERR serves as a place-based living laboratory and classroom to support local coastal research and long-term monitoring while advancing estuary literacy and generating meaningful experiences for all kinds of people interested in learning about, protecting and restoring the Delaware’s estuarine and coastal areas.

This project is 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, click Delaware Bayshore.

Media Contact: Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 125

HARRINGTON – More than 100 Delaware middle school students, teachers and volunteers from across Delaware came together today for Delaware’s 22nd Annual Junior Solar Sprint, a competition in which students build and race solar-powered model cars. DNREC’s Division of Energy & Climate partnered with the Delaware Technology Student Association to organize this year’s event at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington.

Over the past few months, the student racing teams have worked with classmates and teacher advisors to build model cars powered by solar photovoltaic cells, or solar panels. Today, the sun-driven racers competed for top speed in time trials, as well as for awards in engineering and creative design.

“Solar photovoltaic technology allows us to harness the abundant energy from the sun for a clean, lasting power source,” said DNREC Deputy Secretary Kara Coats. “Students may use solar power every day without realizing it, in objects like watches and calculators. Junior Solar Sprint challenges students to think about ways solar energy can play a larger role in our lives by providing electricity for transportation and buildings. Watching young people working in teams and using technology is very rewarding but this isn’t just a fun competition, it is readying a new generation to take control of their future.”

“Solar photovoltaic capacity in Delaware has grown almost 3,000 percent since 2008, from 2.3 MW capacity to 71.8 MW capacity. Solar and other forms of clean energy allow Delawareans to achieve the quality of life they desire while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting our environment,” Deputy Secretary Coats added.

The Junior Solar Sprint competition is part of a national program geared toward environmental awareness and sponsored by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program. It encourages students to engage in problem-solving, teamwork and creative scientific thinking to solve environmental challenges.

At this year’s Junior Solar Sprint, participating schools were: Beacon Middle School, Lewes; Milford Central Academy, Milford; Postlethwait Middle School, Camden; Holy Cross Middle School, Dover; Gauger-Cobbs Middle School, Newark; H.B. DuPont Middle School, Hockessin; Sanford School, Hockessin; and Springer Middle School, Wilmington.

Race Results

The top five teams in time-trial races were:

• First place: Sanford School, Car #16
• Second place: Sanford School, Car #17
• Third place: Holy Cross Middle School, Car #8
• Fourth place: Springer Middle School, Car #20
• Fifth place: Springer Middle School, Car #21

The top five teams in design were:

• First place: Springer Middle School, Car #21
• Second place: Springer Middle School, Car #20
• Third place: Holy Cross Middle School, Car #8
• Fourth place: H.B. DuPont Middle School, Car #5
• Fifth place: Postlethwait Middle School, Car #14

About Solar Photovoltaic Energy in Delaware
Solar technologies and other renewable energy technologies reduce our country’s reliance on foreign oil, and provide a clean and infinite source of energy to meet growing demands while minimizing risks to resources and human contributions to climate change. In addition, a growing solar industry stimulates Delaware’s economy by creating jobs in solar products manufacturing and installation.

For more information on renewable energy programs administered by the Delaware Division of Energy & Climate, visit www.energy.dnrec.delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No. 126

Conservation partnership with Delaware Chapters of National Wild Turkey Federation helped secure acquisition

WESTERN SUSSEX COUNTY – With the Delaware spring turkey hunting season in full swing, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife – in “calling out” to the future of the increasingly popular sport – today announced the recent acquisition of 650 acres of sprawling woods and fields in western Sussex County as part of the Midlands Wildlife Area. The newly-named West Tract expands the Midlands Wildlife Area, which sits within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, to more than 4,000 acres – all managed for wildlife habitat and public hunting. This year – if a hunter’s name was drawn in a preseason public lands turkey hunting lottery – that would include the opportunity for bagging a gobbler in some of Delaware’s best wild turkey habitat.

Funding for the acquisition of the West Tract at Midlands Wildlife Area came from the Delaware Open Space Fund and a private donation from a key conservation partner, the Delaware Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), whose mission is to promote Delaware’s hunting and land preservation heritage to the benefit of native wildlife, including the wild turkey.

“Conserving this substantial tract is part of the ongoing landscape-level initiative to protect the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, a collaborative effort involving federal, state and local governments alongside non-government conservation partners such as the National Wild Turkey Federation,” said Division of Fish & Wildlife Director David Saveikis. “It is fitting that this acquisition was made possible with the help of one of our long-term conservation partners, the Delaware Chapters of the Wild Turkey Federation – which history will credit for having worked with the Division in the early 1980s to reestablish Delaware’s wild turkey population as one of the state’s great success stories for wildlife conservation.”

The donation from NWTF’s Delaware chapters stems from the organization’s ongoing national initiative, “Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt,” intended to protect and enhance 4 million acres of upland habitat, introduce 1.5 million new people nationwide to the sport of hunting and create hunting access to 500,000 acres of land nationwide. The Delaware chapters have drafted a strategic plan for their role in the initiative that involves working with the Division of Fish & Wildlife and other agencies over the next decade to conserve or enhance 11,000 acres of wildlife habitat in the First State, help maintain hunter numbers at current levels and create 1,000 acres of new public hunting access.

The timing of the Midlands acquisition fits perfectly with NWTF’s local and national initiative’s goals, noted Bob Eriksen, a certified wildlife biologist retired from the organization: “The acquisition of a large tract of land of this quality occurs rarely in Delaware – and this property is already ideal wild turkey habitat, consisting of mature hardwoods interspersed with agricultural fields,” Eriksen said. “This property, along with other public lands in Sussex County, provides a great chance to begin development of a landscape level program to enhance habitat by connecting well-managed public and private lands and creating a core area of suitable habitat. Expanding the public land base assures the future of not only wild turkey habitat, but also additional wildlife habitat that helps secure our hunting tradition.”

Tom Spangler, past chairman of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Delaware Board of Directors, said NWTF’s Delaware members are committed to supporting “Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt,” by actively fundraising from annual banquets for projects such as the Midlands acquisition. “Facing the overall loss of habitat across the country, we are determined to do our part to ensure that more habitat is preserved for future generations here in Delaware,” Spangler said. “On behalf of the NWTF’s Delaware Board of Directors, I’d like to thank our membership for their support on this purchase, and encourage them to continue their efforts to meet our conservation goals.”

The new Midlands tract includes older growth hardwood trees, relatively undisturbed wetlands along a stream, a portion of the Pepper Branch tributary to the Broad Creek and Nanticoke River system, and some actively farmed agricultural lands. Sussex County Wildlife Area Manager Rob Gano said the leased farm fields have been reconfigured to allow for future wetland restoration work along a ditch system and to create space for future tree and warm season grass plantings.

“We have the opportunity to establish early successional habitat – maintained grasslands and young forest areas that provide food and cover for wildlife – along the edges of the farmed fields,” Gano said. “The addition of this tract also allows for enhanced public access, helps protect water quality and conserves the landscape in rural western Sussex.”

Established in 1973 to perpetuate populations of wild turkeys on suitable ranges for the use and enjoyment of the American people, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. The NWTF is actively involved in wild turkey research and promotes sportsmanship ethics, hunting safety, wildlife conservation and conservation education on public and private lands for its more than 250,000 members as well as the entire hunting community. For more information, visit www.nwtf.org.

The Delaware Chapters of the NWTF raises more than $10,000 annually and allocates more than $7,000 annually in NWTF funding in partnership with the Division of Fish & Wildlife for conservation, law enforcement, land management, research and a variety of projects, as well as programs for youth, women, and disabled persons. For more information on NWTF-DE, visit www.nwtf.org/delaware.

In 1990 the Delaware Land Protection Act established the Delaware Open Space Program to oversee the protection and purchase of state lands as fish and wildlife areas, parks, state forests, nature preserves and cultural sites.

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

Vol. 46, No. 123

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Mosquito Control Section urges Delaware residents to “Fight the Bite!” by helping reduce local mosquito production on their residential, commercial or industrial properties through good water sanitation practices.

This effort involves regularly draining or changing unneeded sources of standing water that are stagnant for four or more consecutive days – or better yet, preventing water accumulation in the first place by upending, removing or storing indoors any outdoor containers that can hold water. “Mosquito Control & Your Backyard,” a new video on DNREC’s YouTube channel, includes more information on these good water sanitation practices.

Of the 57 mosquito species known to live in Delaware, 19 are problematic for people, either by biting or potentially transmitting mosquito-borne illnesses, or both. From early May through the first hard freeze in the fall, two of these species – the common house mosquito (Culex pipiens), a native species, and the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus), an invasive species first found here in 1987 – are common where people live, work or recreate in urban and suburban settings. In addition to their annoying bites, these mosquitoes are of particular concern due to their potential to carry and transmit illnesses, with the house mosquito a known carrier of West Nile virus, and the Asian tiger mosquito a possible Delaware vector for West Nile, chikungunya and Zika viruses.

“At this time, we have no evidence in Delaware that local Asian tiger mosquitoes have served as vectors to transmit Zika or chikungunya viruses to people,” said Delaware Mosquito Control Administrator Dr. William Meredith, DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife. “However, science suggests that if local Asian tiger mosquitoes bite a returning traveler who has an active case of either of these viruses, those mosquitoes could become carriers and transmit Zika or chikungunya to those they bite next, with the potential to spread the viruses among humans and local mosquitoes.”

“The larvae of both the house mosquito and the Asian tiger mosquito can grow in a variety of containers holding water in our backyards, so the best way to control both of these species is by eliminating such standing water,” Dr. Meredith said. “Due to the hard-to-reach and often hidden aquatic habitats where they deposit eggs that hatch into larvae, as well as the behaviors of adult mosquitos, Asian tiger mosquitos pose a particular challenge to control through our chemical insecticides or biological measures alone.”

DNREC YouTube Channel Video: “Mosquito Control & Your Backyard”During mosquito season, property owners are urged to do their part by cleaning debris from clogged rain gutters and emptying water from corrugated downspout extenders; frequently changing water in birdbaths; draining unused swimming pools and kiddie wading pools; and by preventing or draining standing water from outdoor containers such as discarded tires, cans, buckets, flower pot liners, children’s toys, unprotected water cisterns, upright wheelbarrows, uncovered trash cans, upturned trash can lids, open or lidless dumpsters, plugged or undrained boats, sags in tarps covering boats or ATVs, or other water-holding containers.

In comparison to many other mosquito species, common house mosquitoes and Asian tiger mosquitoes have short flight ranges of only a few hundred yards from where they hatch, but even this short distance can be enough to infest a neighborhood. Common house mosquitoes are most active at dusk and dawn, but will also feed throughout the night. Asian tiger mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters, but also feed at dusk and dawn.

“By practicing good water sanitation on their properties, residents will be helping themselves and their neighbors too – and the best results come from community-wide participation,” Dr. Meredith said, noting that means involving county or local municipal governments, homeowner or civic associations, property management groups or maintenance corporations as well as individual property owners in this common cause. “In the fight against house mosquitoes and Asian tiger mosquitoes, we’re all in this together – and every little bit helps.”

“Zika transmission continues to spread to new countries and the best way for people to protect themselves from Zika or any mosquito-borne illness is to prevent mosquito bites during travel abroad and during Delaware’s mosquito season. It is possible that local transmission could occur either from mosquito bites once the season starts, from sexual transmission or from mother to baby during pregnancy,” said Division of Public Health Medical Director Dr. Awele Maduka-Ezeh. “Taking precautions to stop mosquitoes from breeding around your home and preventing bites is the best protection.”

To report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes and request local relief, call Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County

For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, including more information about how to prevent or get rid of standing water that produces mosquitoes, call the field offices or the main Dover office at 302-739-9917, or visit de.gov/mosquito.

For more information about Zika and other mosquito-borne illnesses in humans, please contact the Delaware Division of Public Health at 302-744-1033 or 888-295-5156. Facts and information on Zika and mosquito control also are available at the following links:

• English: http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaq.pdf
• Spanish: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqsp.pdf
• Haitian Creole: http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/zikafaqhc.pdf

DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section provides statewide services to about 945,000 Delaware residents and 7.5 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya and Zika virus. Throughout the warmer months, Mosquito Control monitors and treats mosquito populations that emerge from wetland areas throughout the state, including ditches, stormwater ponds, wet woodlands and coastal salt marshes, using EPA-registered insecticides. These insecticides have been determined by EPA to pose no unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment when professionally applied. The Section also works year-round on water and marsh management projects designed to reduce mosquito populations, and provides the public with information on dealing with mosquitoes, from reducing backyard mosquito production to avoiding mosquito bites. For more information, call 302-739-9917 or visit de.gov/mosquito.

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

Vol. 46, No. 122