DOVER – DNREC Secretary David Small and Kitts Hummock residents gathered Thursday at the small community on central Delaware’s Bayshore to encourage volunteer signups for the 2016 Delaware Coastal Cleanup, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 17 at more than 50 sites statewide.

Sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the cleanup spans the First State’s 97-mile eastern coastline and includes Delaware River and Bay and Atlantic Ocean shorelines as well as wetland and watershed areas.

“With Delaware’s annual Coastal Cleanup, we know we are making a difference. Not only are we cleaning up trash from our beaches, waterways and watershed areas, we are raising public awareness about trash disposal and recycling,” Secretary Small said. “In addition, the data our volunteers gather helps identify the source of debris and focus efforts on reducing or eliminating it, both locally and internationally.”

Preregistration is open on the Delaware Coastal Cleanup page on the DNREC website, and is strongly encouraged to ensure enough supplies are packed for each site. Preregistration will close Monday, Sept. 5.

“Many of our sites need more volunteers, especially some of our smaller sites along the Delaware Bayshore and in our wildlife areas,” said Delaware Coastal Cleanup Coordinator Joanna Wilson. “The success of the Coastal Cleanup depends on a diverse group of volunteers, from civic organizations, youth groups and businesses to individuals and families, and we want to encourage both new and veteran volunteers to come out and join this important effort Sept. 17. And, it’s a great day outdoors in some of Delaware’s most beautiful and unique places!”

Some of this year’s sites that need additional volunteers are:

New Castle County

• Augustine Beach Wildlife Area – impoundment and boat ramp sites south of Delaware City*
• Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area – Collins Beach Boat Ramp and Thoroughfare Neck Road sites, northeast of Smyrna*

Kent County

• Little Creek Wildlife Area/Port Mahon Road, east of Dover*
• Big Stone Beach and Bennetts Pier, on the Delaware Bayshore near Bowers Beach/Frederica*

Sussex County

• Nanticoke Wildlife Area – Phillips Landing, on the Nanticoke River near Laurel*
• Slaughter Beach near Milford
• Boat Hole/Love Creek, near Lewes*
• Lewes Public Boat Ramp*
• Lewes Beach
• Dewey/Indian Beach
• Bethany Beach
• South Bethany Beach
• Delaware Seashore State Park – 3Rs Road, Keybox Road, North and South Indian River Inlet sites
• Fenwick Island

*Unique smaller sites that especially need volunteers

Popular sites that do not need additional volunteers include Cape Henlopen State Park sites and Rehoboth Beach.

Delaware’s Cleanup is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest annual clearing of trash from coastlines and lakes by volunteers. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world help each year to rid the environment of marine debris and collect detailed information on the types and quantities of refuse they find. This information is recorded on data cards and forwarded to the Center for Marine Conservation, which compiles data for all of the cleanups held in the country and around the world. This information helps identify the source of the debris and focus efforts on eliminating or reducing it.

The Delaware Coastal Cleanup is sponsored by DNREC, which organizes the event, recruits volunteers, distributes supplies, ensures trash removal and tabulates all data collected. Co-sponsors are Edgewell Personal Care/Playtex Manufacturing, which provides gloves, and Waste Management, which hauls trash and recyclables. The Ocean Conservancy supplies trash bags, data cards and brochures on marine debris.

For more information about the Ocean Conservancy and the International Coastal Cleanup, visit www.oceanconservancy.org.

For more information about the Delaware Coastal Cleanup, please call Joanna Wilson, Delaware Coastal Cleanup coordinator, at 302-739-9902.

At the 2015 Delaware Coastal Cleanup, 1,492 dedicated volunteers collected 7.8 tons of trash from 50 sites along Delaware’s shorelines and tributaries. About one-quarter of that trash – mostly aluminum cans and plastic bottles – was recycled. Volunteers’ more unusual finds included a raincoat, a hair dryer, a wig, a perfume bottle, a can of Sterno, a tent, two propane tanks, a bow and arrows, a bike pedal, a dog leash and more than 20 bags of dog waste, a smoke detector, a recliner, a metal bed frame, light bulbs, a paint roller and paintbrush, ceiling tiles, a mop head, trash cans, a sink, a toilet seat, carpet pieces, batteries, a rusty fire pit, a microwave, plastic and wood fencing, a teacup, chopsticks, tiki torch holders and four shot glasses, one of which was still full.

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

Vol. 46, No. 316

DOVER – Online volunteer registration opened this week for the 30th annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 17. Sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the cleanup spans the First State’s 97-mile eastern coastline and includes river and ocean shorelines as well as wetland and watershed areas. This year, more than 50 sites in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties are targeted for volunteers to scour and make cleaner.

Volunteers are strongly encouraged to preregister at the Delaware Coastal Cleanup webpage on the DNREC website to ensure enough supplies are packed for each site. Preregistration will close at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6.

At last year’s Coastal Cleanup, 1,492 dedicated volunteers from civic organizations, youth groups, businesses and families collected 7.8 tons of trash from 50 sites along Delaware’s shorelines and tributaries. About one-quarter of that trash – mostly aluminum cans and plastic bottles – was recycled. Volunteers’ more unusual finds included a raincoat, a hair dryer, a wig, a perfume bottle, a can of Sterno, a tent, two propane tanks, a bow and arrows, a bike pedal, a dog leash and more than 20 bags of dog waste, a smoke detector, a recliner, a metal bed frame, light bulbs, a paint roller and paintbrush, ceiling tiles, a mop head, trash cans, a sink, a toilet seat, carpet pieces, batteries, a rusty fire pit, a microwave, plastic and wood fencing, a teacup, chopsticks, tiki torch holders and four shot glasses, one of which was still full.

Delaware’s Cleanup is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest annual clearing of trash from coastlines and lakes by volunteers. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world help each year to rid the environment of marine debris and collect detailed information on the types and quantities of refuse they find. This information is recorded on data cards and forwarded to the Center for Marine Conservation, which compiles data for all of the cleanups held in the country and around the world. This information helps identify the source of the debris and focus efforts on eliminating or reducing it.

For more information about the Ocean Conservancy and the International Coastal Cleanup, visit www.oceanconservancy.org.

For more information about the Delaware Coastal Cleanup, please call Joanna Wilson, Delaware Coastal Cleanup coordinator, at 302-739-9902.

Vol. 46, No. 273

NEW CASTLE COUNTY – DNREC Secretary David Small encourages volunteers to join the 25th annual Christina River Watershed Cleanup along the river and several of its tributaries on Saturday, April 9 from 8 a.m. until noon at 15 sites throughout northern New Castle County. The City of Newark site will hold its cleanup beginning at 7:30 a.m., and Brookhaven Park will begin at 9 a.m.

“For 25 years, dedicated volunteers have devoted a Saturday morning to helping beautify our northern waterways in the Christina River Watershed Cleanup,” said Secretary Small. “Clearing debris from the Christina River Watershed not only improves the landscape for residents and visitors to enjoy, it improves the health and quality of the river and its tributaries, the primary sources of public water supply for New Castle County residents and businesses. The work these volunteers do is important, and we thank them for it.”

In honor of the Christina Cleanup’s 25th anniversary, Brandywine Creek State Park, The Nature Conservancy and Delaware’s own First State National Historical Park will host cleanup locations at Thompsons Bridge, Rocky Run and Smithbridge, respectively. This year’s cleanup will be dedicated to the memory of longtime Cleanup Committee member, Dorothy P. Miller of Newark.

The annual cleanup will be held rain or shine. Since the cleanup began in 1992, more than 360 tons of tires, appliances, household items, and plastic and styrofoam have been cleared from the Christina River, White Clay Creek, Naamans Creek and other tributaries. More than 13,000 volunteers have filled trash bags along Churchmans Marsh, White Clay Creek State Park, the City of Wilmington and various other locations.

DNREC has been a sponsor and an integral part of the Christina River Watershed Cleanup since its inception. Specifically, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife provides planning support in addition to staff, boats, and specialized equipment to transport volunteers and discard trash from remote locations. The cleanup of the river within the city of Wilmington benefits DNREC’s ongoing marsh restoration work at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge.

For a complete list of cleanup sites with directions and to register, visit www.ChristinaRiverCleanup.org or call 302-307-2757. Volunteers are encouraged to register for one of the 15 sites by Friday, April 1 so adequate supplies can be provided to each site captain. Due to insurance requirements, volunteers under the age of 16 must have adult supervision.

For safety and efficiency, participants are encouraged to wear brightly-colored clothing, long sleeves and pants, boots or water-resistant shoes, hats, heavy-duty gloves and sunscreen. Waders or hip boots are helpful for the City of Wilmington, Hale-Byrnes House and Churchman’s Marsh-Christiana sites. Additional jon-boat- work boats are still needed for Wilmington’s Riverfront. All participants must wear a life jacket while on board any boat.

Volunteers will receive a 2016 Christina River Watershed Cleanup t-shirt designed by Ramiro Lopez-Villalobos, a senior at Delcastle Technical High School. The 2016 event marks the 11th year for the cleanup’s T-shirt design contest, which is open to New Castle County students in 7th-12th grade. Ramiro’s winning design takes a more modern approach to a traditional cleanup t-shirt design element, the great blue heron.

More than 40 organizations and businesses sponsor the cleanup each year. In addition to DNREC, primary sponsors include: Christina Conservancy, Noramco Inc., Artesian Water Company, Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Delaware City Refining Company, Horizon Services Inc., BASF – The Chemical Company, GE Aviation, Dow Chemical, Veolia Water, Delmarva Power, Kenny Family Foundation and SUEZ in Delaware.

For more information on DNREC’s programs, visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No. 101

DOVER – This year’s DNREC-sponsored 29th annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup held on Sept. 19 drew 1,492 volunteers, who collected 7.8 tons of trash from 50 sites along more than 80 miles of Delaware’s waterways and coastline stretching from Wilmington to Fenwick Island. About one-quarter of that trash – aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles – was recycled this year.

DNREC organizes the annual cleanup with co-sponsors including: the Ocean Conservancy; Delmarva Power, which donates t-shirts; Edgewell Personal Care/Playtex Manufacturing Inc., which donates gloves; DelDOT, which donated safety vests for roadside sites; and Waste Management, which hauls trash and recyclables collected by volunteers.

“We think it’s fantastic that each year this event attracts a huge number of people who want to do something positive for the environment,” said Matt Likovich, spokesman for Delmarva Power, which has sponsored Coastal Cleanup for 24 consecutive years. “We appreciate the volunteers’ time and energy in helping to clean up our beaches and riverbanks.”

“In addition to marring the natural beauty of our beaches and waterways, trash can be dangerous to marine life and unhealthy for water quality,” said Delaware Coastal Cleanup Coordinator Joanna Wilson. “Each year, the Coastal Cleanup helps make a difference for marine life and water quality – and it’s the hundreds of dedicated volunteers, many of whom come back year after year, who make the Cleanup possible.”

Some of the more unusual items found during this year’s cleanup were a raincoat, assorted underwear, numerous flip-flops, a rubber swim cap, a hair dryer and flat iron, a wig, more than a dozen pairs of sunglasses, a perfume bottle, a housekey on a ring, boat seat cushions, a can of Sterno, a tent, two propane tanks, a bow and arrows, a bike pedal, a dog leash and more than 20 bags of dog waste, beach chairs, a boogie board leash, an umbrella holder, children’s sand shovels and toys, a smoke detector, a recliner, a metal bed frame, four dozen condoms, light bulbs, a paint roller and paintbrush, ceiling tiles, buckets, plastic storage containers, a mop head, trash cans, coat hangers, a sink, a toilet seat, carpet pieces, batteries, lawn chairs, a rusty fire pit, flower pots, stakes, zip ties, a microwave, plastic and wood fencing, a teacup, chopsticks, tiki torch holders and four shotglasses, one of which was still full.

Some items were notable in their numbers. Statewide, volunteers picked up 20,410 cigarette and cigar butts, an increase of 1,533 from last year’s total of 18,877. The number of fishing-related items also increased from 989 last year to 1,317 this year, including more than 100 crab pots, nearly 500 yards of fishing line and 226 fishing nets and pieces; volunteers also found fishing rods, reels, lures and hooks. Balloons decreased, from 1,214 last year to 458 this year. Other items included 1,064 fireworks, 424 shotgun shells, eight tarps and 2,433 plastic bags. In addition to 36 passenger vehicle tires, car parts included a battery cable, license plate holder, taillight, hubcaps, fenders, a bumper, a car mat and a transmission.

This year, more than 23,000 pieces of food/beverage-related trash were picked up, a reduction compared to nearly 28,000 last year. This year’s notable numbers included 5,067 food wrappers, 3,603 plastic bottle caps, 1,747 lids, 1,657 straws, 3,785 plastic beverage bottles, 2,074 beverage cans, 1,698 glass bottles and 1,444 paper, plastic and foam cups and plates.

The Delaware Coastal Cleanup is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, the Ocean Conservancy’s flagship program dealing with marine debris and data collection. The types and quantities of trash collected are recorded on data cards and forwarded to the Center for Marine Conservation, which compiles the information to help identify the source of the debris and focus efforts on eliminating or reducing it.

Delaware’s next Coastal Cleanup is set for Saturday, Sept. 17, 2016. Registration will be posted on DNREC’s website at www.delaware.dnrec.gov next July.

For more information on The Ocean Conservancy or the International Coastal Cleanup, please visit www.oceanconservancy.org.

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

Vol. 45, No. 374

DOVER – Volunteers are encouraged to preregister on the DNREC website for the 29th annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 19. The DNREC-sponsored cleanup spans the First State’s 97-mile eastern coastline and includes river and ocean shorelines as well as wetland and watershed areas. This year, 50 sites in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties are targeted, and many of those sites are filling up fast with volunteers, so it’s a good idea to register early.

Pre-registering helps ensure enough supplies are packed for the volunteers at each site. To see a map of this year’s sites, or to pre-register, go to www.dnrec.delaware.gov/CoastalCleanup. Pre-registration will close on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at close of business.

At last year’s Coastal Cleanup, 1,805 dedicated volunteers from civic organizations, youth groups, businesses and families collected 3.5 tons of trash from 46 sites along Delaware’s shorelines and tributaries. About one-third of that trash – mostly aluminum cans and plastic bottles – was recycled. Volunteers’ more unusual finds included chopsticks, a laundry basket, runner’s race number tag, electric saber saw, windshield wiper, basketball, baseball, bowling ball, tennis balls, paint brush, tweezers, tiki torches, Barbie doll, glow stick, auto fender, plastic trellis, shingle, flashlight, toilet seat, Christmas lights, telephone box, TV, coat, engine, pinup girl postcard, an unopened 12-pack of razors, hubcap, and a message in a bottle.

Delaware’s Cleanup is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest annual clearing of trash from coastlines and lakes by volunteers. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world help each year to rid the environment of marine debris and collect detailed information on the types and quantities of refuse they find. This information is recorded on data cards and forwarded to the Center for Marine Conservation, which compiles data for all of the cleanups held in the country and around the world. This information helps identify the source of the debris and focus efforts on eliminating or reducing it.

The Ocean Conservancy supplies trash bags, data cards and marine debris brochures. Delaware’s cleanup is co-sponsored by Delmarva Power, which provides t-shirts for the participants. DNREC is responsible for organizing the event, recruiting volunteers, distributing supplies, ensuring trash removal and tabulating data. Edgewell Personal Care, Playtex Manufacturing Inc., which provides gloves, and trash and recyclables hauler Waste Management also return as sponsors. The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT), which provides safety vests for roadside site volunteers, also joins the sponsor list for the 2015 cleanup.

For more information about the Ocean Conservancy and the International Coastal Cleanup, visit www.oceanconservancy.org. For more information about the Delaware Coastal Cleanup, please call Joanna Wilson, Delaware Coastal Cleanup coordinator, at 302-739-9902.

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

Vol. 45, No. 274