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

###

Delaware Receives $120K Grant for American Kestrel Conservation Project

DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Raptor Biologist Jordan Brown holding a banded young kestrel, and an adult American kestrel./DNREC photo.

Delaware has received approximately $120,000 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Wildlife Restoration Program to support the study and preservation of the American kestrel, a species currently listed as endangered in Delaware and the smallest falcon in North America.

The American kestrel, a colorful falcon about the size of a mourning dove, has suffered a decline in population, specifically more than 93% in the Mid-Atlantic. These small but fierce airborne predators have the unique ability to turn into headwinds and hover in place while waiting to dive and capture its prey in mid-air. Scientists theorize their decline involves loss of suitable nesting habitat, pesticide accumulation, climate change and/or new diseases.

This funding facilitates critical conservation measures spearheaded by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, to include placing radio transmitters on the American kestrels this year and building 10 additional bird-monitoring radio towers that will join an international network to detect passing kestrels and other birds to further avian research in the First State.

“This is an exciting new development in our kestrel research,” said Raptor, Grassland and Forest Bird Biologist Jordan Brown with the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife. “We have received permission and funding to place nanotag radio transmitters on kestrels in 2024 to track their movements and survival, and we were also granted funding to build 10 additional Motus Wildlife Tracking System towers to increase detection of Delaware-tagged birds, as well as animals tagged elsewhere.”

The American kestrel was added to Delaware’s endangered list in 2013.

Starting in 2014 to better understand the decline, distribution and populations of these unique birds, DNREC’s Brandywine Zoo began installing kestrel nesting boxes statewide on private and public lands. In 2016, the Division of Fish and Wildlife joined forces with the Zoo and formed the Delaware Kestrel Partnership, which now monitors 79 nesting boxes. The boxes provide opportunities for Division biologists to study the timing and process of egg-laying and hatching, and to catch and band the parents and their young before they can fly. These bands, along with the Motus tags, will allow researchers to understand more about the movements and survivability of these birds.

To monitor American kestrels and other aerial species, Delaware currently has nine Motus radio towers in place across the state to capture data from passing tagged birds.

The first of the 10 new radio towers is slated for installation on Monday, Feb. 5 at the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center near Milford. Delaware Nature Society joined the Delaware Kestrel Partnership in 2017, and currently hosts nine of the kestrel boxes which have supported the successful hatching of 55 kestrel chicks over seven years. They are also donating radio tags to the Partnership to support this research.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife plans to install two more towers on state wildlife areas before spring. The remaining installations will be conducted at a later date, filling in gaps that exist in the current statewide tower network.

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System is an international network that uses automated radio telemetry to simultaneously track numerous aerial species. The system enables a worldwide community of researchers, educators, organizations and citizens to undertake impactful research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals over great distances. The stations are maintained by a community of researchers, organizations, non-profits, governments and individuals sharing a centralized database and management system that all participants use. The Motus towers in Delaware also provide data to researchers worldwide about birds, bats and insects.

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

###

Woman Arrested for Vehicular Assault on a Natural Resources Police Officer

Delaware Natural Resources Police arrested 37-year-old Deanna T. Long of Wilmington, Del. for multiple criminal and traffic offenses following a vehicle pursuit yesterday.

On January 29, 2024, at approximately 5:20 p.m., a state park officer approached an individual sitting in a parked car at Fox Point State Park to advise them that the park was closed. The officer observed a woman sitting in the driver’s seat using a hypodermic needle to inject herself with an unknown substance.

The officer knocked on the car and contacted the woman who then opened the driver’s door to speak to the officer. As the officer was speaking to the driver, she put the vehicle into reverse and accelerated out of her parking spot. The open driver’s door struck the officer throwing him backwards into the front bumper of his patrol vehicle and then to the ground. The officer, assisted by additional police agencies then pursued the woman to a dead-end road in Wilmington where she was taken into custody following a short foot pursuit.

Long was then transported to New Castle City Police Department, where Natural Resources Police officers completed their investigation and charged Long with the following crimes:

Resisting Arrest with Force or Violence and Intentionally Fleeing (Felony)
Disregarding a Police Officer Signal (Felony)
Vehicular Assault Second Degree Driving Under the Influence, Negligence (Class A Misdemeanor)
Possess Controlled/Counterfeit Substance (Class B Misdemeanor) -2 Counts
Driving While Suspended or Revoked (Misdemeanor)
Aggressive Driving (Misdemeanor)
Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (Misdemeanor)
Unreasonable Speed (Violation)
Failure to Stop at a Red Light (Violation)
Improper Passing (Violation)
Remain on Closed Lands Without Written Permission (Violation)

Long was video arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11 and committed to Delores J. Baylor Women’s Correctional Institution on a $5,850 secured bond.

The state park officer was treated for minor injuries at Christiana Hospital and released.

Media Contact: Captain John McDerby john.mcderby@delaware.gov

###

DNREC to Close Part of Cape Henlopen State Park Jan. 16, 17 for Managed Deer Hunt

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that a section of Cape Henlopen State Park will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 16 and Wednesday, Jan. 17 to accommodate a managed deer hunt.

The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation will close the park’s main entrance for the managed hunt, meaning bay and ocean beaches north of Herring Point cannot be accessed by park visitors during this hunt. The Gordons Pond area and lands on the west side of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal will be open as usual.

The managed deer hunt is meant to reduce the deer herd in and around the park, and to lessen environmental impacts on rare plant species and plant communities at Cape Henlopen. The hunts are coordinated by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife and Division of Parks and Recreation.

For more information about hunting in Delaware State Parks, visit https://destateparks.com/Adventures/Hunting.

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

###

Delaware to Solicit Water Quality Improvement Projects With Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding

Virtual Community Workshop Scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 17

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), in conjunction with the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), will begin soliciting for new water quality improvement projects Wednesday, Jan. 17 as DNREC and DPH start to develop 2024 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) project priority lists. Projects must be listed on the CWSRF and DWSRF project priority lists to be considered for funding.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) passed by Congress and signed by President Biden in 2022 boosted funding for clean water and drinking water projects across the country, with those funds provided through the existing State Revolving Fund (SRF) process.

Notices of Intent for SRF wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, and related infrastructure projects must be received by DNREC Environmental Finance by close of business at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 16.

DNREC will hold a State Revolving Loan Fund virtual community workshop at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17 offering a detailed overview of the CWSRF and DWSRF programs. Attendees will get guidance on requesting financial assistance for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure project needs. Pre-registration for the virtual workshop is required.

Workshop attendees also will learn how SRF programs administered by DNREC Environmental Finance can provide a wide range of financial assistance. It will review the one-stop loan application process for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure project assistance, including new funding available under the BIL:

Supplemental funding available to address emerging contaminants and lead service line replacement
Additional subsidies to disadvantaged communities for water infrastructure projects

The workshop also will cover information about planning tools to assist SRF applicants with:

Wastewater, drinking water and surface water matching planning grants
Asset management planning grants
Project planning advances
Planning and design loans

Additionally, the workshop will offer guidance on how and when to submit projects for funding consideration; project ranking criteria; project construction requirements, and how to apply for infrastructure planning grants. Information on the loan and grant programs and applications can be found at de.gov/envfinance.

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 Environmental Finance team administers Delaware’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, making funding available to municipalities, the private sector, nonprofit organizations and individuals. 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

###