Controlled Burn at Brandywine Creek State Park Aims to Boost Native Wildlife and Plant Growth

 DNREC uses controlled, or prescribed, burns to manage meadows and create more suitable habitats for native species like, clockwise from left, the monarch butterfly, common yellowthroat bird, eastern bluebird and orange sulphur butterfly. DNREC Photos

 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is working with the Delaware Department of Agriculture to execute a controlled burn at Brandywine Creek State Park in February or March. This prescribed burn will help manage nearly 30 acres of meadowland near the park’s nature center.

While much of the natural area managed by the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation is forested, Brandywine Creek State Park is known for its vast meadowland views divided by blue gneiss stone walls. The last controlled burn at BCSP was held in 2013.

Prescribed burning is a meadow management technique, which mimics natural fire and is used periodically in place of annual mowing, to halt progression of meadowland so it does not become a forest. Additionally, this controlled burn should encourage the growth of native wildflowers and warm season grasses. This plant growth creates more suitable habitats for nesting grassland birds like the eastern bluebird and common yellowthroat, native pollinator insects like the orange sulphur and monarch butterflies, and other grassland-dependent animals.

The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation is coordinating with DNREC’s Division of Air Quality and the DDA Forest Service to perform the burn on a single day, to be determined by weather, personnel availability and open burning approval. BCSP will be closed on the date of the burn and the exact date will be announced on the park’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, once it is known.

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 Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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DNREC to Close Mulberry Landing Boat Ramp in Sussex County Temporarily for Expansion and Paving of Parking Lot

Mulberry Landing Boat Ramp parking lot will be paved and expanded this month into early March. /DNREC photo.

 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today the March 6 closure of the Mulberry Landing Boat Ramp within the Assawoman Wildlife Area near Bethany Beach for a construction project to enlarge and pave the boat ramp’s gravel parking lot. Construction is scheduled to begin the day of the ramp closure, with the project’s completion anticipated by April 14, dependent on weather.

With the project reflecting the ramp’s increasing popularity with boaters, the upgraded parking lot at the end of Mulberry Landing Road will feature 23 trailer parking spaces and seven car parking spaces.

During construction, the wildlife area will be open for normal use, including pedestrian access to the Observation Tower with vehicle parking available at Memorial Pond within the wildlife area. Signs will be posted to direct visitors away from the construction area.

During the Mulberry Landing Boat Ramp closure, alternative boat launches in the area include Indian River Marina at Delaware Seashore State Park near Rehoboth Beach, Rosedale Boat Ramp near Millsboro, and Holts Landing State Park. All are public use and provide access to Indian River. A ramp certificate is required to launch for any boater whose boat is registered outside of Delaware. Additionally, boaters who launch at Holts Landing should be aware that daily state parks’ entrance fees will resume March 1, and an annual state park pass, a valid surf fishing permit, or payment of the daily entrance fee is required.

For more information about the Mulberry Landing Ramp construction project, contact the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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 nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. 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; Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

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DNREC to Offer Feb. 28 Webinar on Living Shoreline Cost Share Program for Home and Property Owners

Living shorelines use natural materials like native plants, oyster shells, and biodegradable coconut-fiber coir logs to help protect property and as a barrier against shoreline erosion and flood impacts /DNREC photo

 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a free webinar Wednesday, Feb. 28 to introduce property owners to DNREC’s Living Shoreline Cost Share Program, which provides funding that can help Delawareans in selected watersheds install living shorelines using natural materials. The hour-long webinar begins at 10 a.m. and registration can be made up to the start of the webinar presented by the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship in conjunction with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Kayla Clauson, an environmental scientist with DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship, who will provide an overview of the cost share program and discuss how the program aims to assist property owners in select watersheds throughout the state by providing funding to install living shorelines using natural materials. The webinar will highlight the specific project criteria, a timeline of how the program works, financial reimbursement, and as well as provide insight to both landowners and professionals looking to apply for the program.

The Living Shoreline Cost Share program was relaunched in 2023 and expanded to help enable landowners, homeowners’ associations and community boards who qualify join the growing number of Delawareans who are turning to living shorelines to help protect their property in watersheds throughout the state from environmental impacts of climate change and sea level rise.

Living shorelines utilize natural materials like native plants, oyster shells, and biodegradable coconut-fiber coir logs as a barrier against shoreline erosion and flood impacts. Living shorelines also enhance the natural beauty of shoreline ecosystems. The webinar will offer insights into the Living Shoreline Cost Share Program for both landowners and professionals looking to apply for program assistance, summarizing details on project criteria, timelines for installation, and financial reimbursement.

Eligible living shoreline project areas are located within targeted watersheds. Currently, only tidal projects in these watersheds will be considered for cost share assistance. Groups of landowners, HOAs, or community boards are also encouraged to apply for assistance with projects where properties may be adjacent to each other or in shared neighborhood spaces. Learn more at de.gov/livingshoreline.

The webinar also will explain that funding for the Living Shoreline Cost Share Program comes from a collaborative DNREC effort between the Watershed Assessment and Management Section and the Non-Point Source Program for securing funding, specifically the CWA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant and the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant III. Information about both also can be found at de.gov/cheswip.

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: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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DNREC to Assume Management of Deauville Beach

 DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation will assume management of the state-owned Deauville Beach and continue all services currently being provided.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that it will assume day-to-day management of Deauville Beach from the city of Rehoboth Beach for the 2024 season. DNREC and the city of Rehoboth Beach were not able to reach an agreement through negotiations after the city’s current lease of the beach property Deauville Beach expired on June 30, 2023, and mutually agreed to the change.

DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation will assume management of the state-owned beach and continue all services currently being provided including tennis court rentals, beach concession operations and ocean lifeguarding. The division is working cooperatively with the city on a transition plan. The award-winning Delaware State Beach Patrol will provide lifeguard service from Saturday, May 25 through Monday, Sept. 2.

A daily entrance fee will be in effect between March 1 and Nov. 30 annually. The division is currently assessing and reviewing the fee structure.

Deauville Beach was initially leased to the City of Rehoboth Beach by the state of Delaware in 1975. The land will be part of the Cape Henlopen State Park management unit.

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 Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

 Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Spring Pond Trout Season to Open With Youth-Only Day March 2, Followed by Regular Downstate Opener March 3

Rainbow Trout/Photo: Duane Raver

 

After Stocking, Tidbury Pond and Newton Pond Will be Closed To All Fishing from Saturday, Feb. 17 through Friday, March 1

 

Delaware’s 2024 downstate pond trout season will open for youth anglers under age 16 only at 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, followed by the opening of the regular pond trout season for all anglers a half-hour before sunrise on Sunday, March 3, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. Fishing will be allowed on youth opening day from 7 a.m. to a half-hour after sunset and thereafter from a half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset, unless otherwise restricted by local area rules.

Both Tidbury Pond near Dover in Kent County and Newton Pond near Greenwood in Sussex County will be stocked and open for trout fishing, pending pond ice conditions that might prevent either stocking or fishing.

To improve trout fishing for the season openers, Tidbury Pond and Newton Pond will be closed to all fishing from Saturday, Feb. 17 through Friday, March 1 to accommodate trout stocking, eliminate incidental hooking of freshly-stocked trout and allow the trout to adjust to their new waters.

Each pond will be stocked by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife with more than 300 pounds of 12- to 13-inch rainbow trout before opening day, with a second stocking to follow in mid-March. Trophy-sized trout weighing two or more pounds will be included in the stocking as an added attraction for trout anglers.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife has also worked to offer a better trout fishing experience at Newton Pond. Two new 120-foot-long aluminum fishing piers have been installed on the east side of the pond to improve shoreline access for trout and other fishing. The piers are parallel to shore and alleviate the need for anglers to traverse steep slopes in gaining access to the water’s edge.

Trout anglers planning to fish Tidbury Pond or Newton Pond should note the following rules and regulations:

  • A Delaware fishing license is required, unless an angler is exempt
  • A Delaware trout stamp is required through April 1, unless an angler is exempt
  • The daily possession limit is six trout

Proceeds from the purchase of Delaware trout stamps are used to help purchase trout for stocking the next year. This popular fishery is also supported by federal Sport Fish Restoration funds administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that are generated from anglers purchasing fishing equipment.

Delaware’s trout season in upstate streams will open Saturday, April 6 with a youth-only day, followed by the opening of the regular trout season for all anglers on Sunday, April 7.

Delaware fishing licenses and trout stamps are sold online and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license or trout stamp online, visit de.gov/fishinglicense. Additional information about fishing in Delaware, including license and trout stamp requirements, is available in the 2024 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form from 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 nearly 68,000 acres of public land owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. 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; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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