Volunteers Sought to Join Concord Pond Cleanup April 13

Last year’s volunteers found plenty of trash around Concord Pond, a popular fishing spot. /DNREC photo

 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and partners are seeking volunteers to join this year’s cleanup event at Concord Pond, a popular bass fishing and boating destination in Sussex County that drains into Deep Creek at the cleanup site. Registration is open now for the cleanup to be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 13 as part of DNREC’s month-long celebration of Earth Day 2024.

DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship Reclaim Our River – Nanticoke Series program is partnering with Nanticoke Watershed Alliance and the Delaware Nature Society’s Abbott’s Mill Nature Center to host the cleanup, with volunteers gathering in the pond’s parking area near the intersection of Concord Pond Road and Henry Drive in Seaford.

Volunteers will remove trash from both the tidal and nontidal areas around the pond. Gloves and trash bags and some trash grabbers will be provided. However, participants are encouraged to bring their own gloves and trash grabbers if they have them.

More information about the Concord Pond cleanup can be found on the DNREC website. To join DNREC in celebrating Earth Day throughout the month of April, visit de.gov/earthday.

The Reclaim Our River partnership hosts events, presentations, and workshops that promote healthy watersheds. Upcoming activities are posted on the DNREC Calendar of Events and Division of Watershed Stewardship Facebook page.

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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Volunteers Needed for April 15 Cleanup at Concord Pond in Seaford

Earth Day Event Hosted by DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship

As part of the month-long celebration in April of Earth Day 2023, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and partners are seeking volunteers to clean up the area around Concord Pond in Seaford from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 15. DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship, in partnership with the Delaware Nature Society, Reclaim Our River – Nanticoke Series and the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, will host the cleanup.

Registration is now open for volunteers. More information about the cleanup – which will begin from the Concord Pond parking area located near the intersection of Concord Pond Road (Road 516) and Henry Drive in Seaford – can be found on the DNREC website.

Volunteers will remove trash from the area and also will get guidance on how to identify and remove invasive plant species from around the pond. Gloves, trash bags and some trash grabbers will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own gloves and trash removal tools if they have them.

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, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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Concord Pond to Be Treated for Invasive Aquatic Weed Hydrilla

The invasive aquatic weed hydrilla. Photo by David J. Moorhead-University of Georgia

 

With inland water temperatures rising and aquatic plants emerging, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will treat Concord Pond near Seaford beginning May 16 for the nuisance aquatic weed hydrilla. Signs will be posted at the Concord Pond boat ramp the day of treatment, and will remain in place for a month to advise the public and anglers of the treatment.

Hydrilla is a non-native, invasive plant that likely entered the state through the aquarium trade. Uncontrolled hydrilla can choke ponds and other waterways, crowding out beneficial plant species and preventing fishing and boating access.

Sonar, an aquatic herbicide containing fluridone, will be used to treat the pond for hydrilla. Sonar, registered with and approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has been used in Delaware since the 1980s and proven to be environmentally-compatible and effective for controlling hydrilla. Sonar does not pose a threat to wildlife, including fish, and there are no restrictions on fishing or consumption of fish after treatment.

The only restriction related to Sonar is that water from the treated pond should not be used for irrigation for 30 days after the date of treatment. Residents and farmers along the treated pond and directly downstream of it should not use the water to irrigate their gardens, yards or agricultural lands to avoid possible damage to their plantings. Landowners with permits to use water from the pond will be directly notified before treatment.

To prevent the spread of hydrilla and other invasive aquatic vegetation, anglers and boaters are encouraged to remove all hydrilla and other aquatic plants from their boats, trailers and gear before leaving the Concord Pond boat ramp.

For more information, contact the DNREC 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. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife begins treating downstate ponds for nuisance aquatic weeds

DOVER – With inland water temperatures rising and aquatic plants emerging, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife has begun annual treatment of downstate public-access ponds for nuisance aquatic weeds. These nuisance weeds, if left unchecked, can choke the water, crowding out beneficial plant species, and preventing fishing and boating access. Ponds being treated this year are Abbotts Pond near Milford, Concord Pond near Seaford, and Horsey Pond in Laurel.

Hydrilla, a non-native plant that likely entered the state through the aquarium trade, is the primary target of the treatments. The Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Fisheries Section is applying Sonar, an EPA-registered and approved aquatic herbicide containing fluridone, to the ponds where hydrilla is widespread. Sonar has been used in Delaware since the 1980s, and has proven environmentally-compatible and effective for controlling hydrilla. Sonar does not pose any threat to wildlife, including fish, nor are there any restrictions placed on fishing or consumption of fish as a result of these treatments.

Signs are posted in the boat ramp area of each pond on the day of treatment. The only special precaution is a 30-day restriction from the date of treatment on water use from the ponds. Residents and farmers alongside the ponds and those directly downstream should not use pond water to irrigate their gardens, yards, or agricultural lands for 30 days following treatment to avoid possible damage to their plantings.

To prevent the spread of invasive aquatic vegetation to other ponds and waterways, anglers and boaters are encouraged to remove all hydrilla and other aquatic plants from their boats, trailers, and gear before leaving the boat ramp area.

The Division of Fish & Wildlife treats only state-managed ponds with public angler access, since the treatment work is funded through the Federal Sport Fish Restoration Program and state fishing license funds. While the Division of Fish & Wildlife does not treat private ponds, it can provide a list of businesses licensed in Delaware to treat nuisance aquatic weeds. For more information on treatment of state-managed ponds, please call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

Residents also are reminded that in order to use water from Delaware’s freshwater ponds, an annual permit from DNREC’s Division of Water is required. Residents who have these permits receive individual advance notice of the upcoming pond treatments. For information on obtaining an irrigation permit from the Division of Water, please call Bill Cocke, Water Allocation Section, at 302-739-9945. More information can be found on the DNREC website at Water Supply. For the permit application, scroll down and click the link to “one-page short form application.”

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 48, No. 140