DNREC to Seek Community Water Project Proposals

A DNREC Community Water Quality Improvement Grant helped fund construction of Tidewater Park in Laurel /DNREC photo.

 

Deadline for Submissions for Upcoming Grant Cycle is April 26

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control encourages Delaware non-profit organizations, conservation districts, community organizations and homeowners’ associations to submit project proposals to be considered for matching grant funds from DNREC’s Community Water Quality Improvement Grants program.

Funding for grant award projects in this cycle is expected to range from $25,000 to $75,000. Projects recommended by DNREC staff for funding through a competitive grant process will be presented to the Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council. Applicants may submit up to two project proposals per grant cycle. The request for proposals can be found at de.gov/envfinance.

Community Water Quality Improvement Grants assist in implementing projects or programs that improve water quality on developed lands with specific watershed improvement plans and strategies. Programs and projects selected for these grants must demonstrate innovative and sustainable methods, techniques, and/or practices for water quality improvements, with cost effective and measurable results.

Eligible projects may include:

  • Enhancement or restoration of water quality within an impaired watershed.
  • Community stormwater management improvements in existing developments in partnership with municipalities.
  • Non‐regulatory or voluntary plans involving pollution control strategies, watershed-based restoration plans, whole basin management preliminary assessments, or community‐based stormwater permits.

Past projects that received Community Water Quality Improvement Grant funding have included: a green roof installation; living shoreline installation and marsh enhancement to stop erosion; a stormwater retrofit project featuring a wetland and bioswale to manage stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces; stream bank restoration to reduce erosion and sedimentation; and floating wetlands in Inland Bays dead-end canals to improve water quality.

Grant proposals should be submitted by email to NPS.grants@delaware.gov with “Community Water Quality Improvement Grants” in the subject line. Emailed proposals must be less than 10MB. All grant proposals must be received by DNREC close of business (4:30 p.m. EDT) Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

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. 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 contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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Governor’s 2018 Agricultural and Urban Conservation Award winners honored

Delaware Association of Conservation Districts honors State Representative David L. Wilson as Legislator of the Year

DOVER – The Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village was the setting for today’s annual Governor’s Agricultural and Urban Conservation Awards. Governor John Carney, along with Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn M. Garvin, Department of Agriculture Secretary Michael Scuse, Delaware Association of Conservation Districts President Edwin Alexander, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Kasey Taylor, led a ceremony recognizing this year’s honorees and signed a proclamation officially designating April 29-May 6 as Soil and Water Stewardship Week in Delaware under the theme, “Healthy Soils Are Full of Life.”

“Today’s honorees have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to improving the environment, and on behalf of the people of Delaware, I would like to thank each of them for their dedication and for their time, effort, and investment to implement model conservation practices,” said Governor Carney. “I also want to thank all of the Conservation District supervisors and employees for the many and various contributions they make to improve the quality of life in Delaware.”

“Much of the work we do at DNREC is accomplished through partnerships with USDA-NRCS and Delaware’s three conservation districts, and these awards highlight the beneficial outcomes of these relationships,” said Secretary Garvin. “This year’s honorees are wonderful and diverse examples of how we can learn from the success of others and can all be better environmental stewards by taking thoughtful and important actions to protect and enhance our water and air quality.”

This year’s Conservation Award winners are:

New Castle County

Urban: Cheltenham Bridge –Westminster Civic Association, Hockessin

The community of Westminster has privately-maintained streets including three bridges that cross Hyde Run, a small tributary of Mill Creek. In 2013, the Westminster Civic Association (WCA) contracted with Pennoni Associates to inspect the Cheltenham Bridge and provide recommendations to the WCA. The association planned to replace the existing bridge and remove an adjacent upstream bridge, realigning an affected driveway. The WCA contacted Representative Gerald Brady to request funding assistance; Rep. Brady contacted the New Castle Conservation District seeking engineering and funding assistance for the project. NCCD contracted with Pennoni for bridge engineering and design services, permit acquisition, limited construction services, and technical assistance. Pennoni used accelerated bridge construction methods to design a prefabricated concrete arch bridge to meet the community’s needs while allowing for a three-month construction period – about one-third of the construction time for a site-built bridge, minimizing community inconvenience and stream resource impacts. The contractor, Merit Construction Engineers, delivered and erected the 30-foot-long by 30-foot-wide precast concrete arch frame in just two days, saving an estimated $200,000 in construction costs. This bridge construction method may have applicability in other communities in New Castle County and throughout Delaware.

Kent County

Agricultural: Broad Acres, Dover

In 1943, Joseph Zimmerman started his first farming operation across from Dover Air Force Base and in 1944 moved to a Leipsic farm. On Sept. 15, 1952, Joseph signed his cooperator’s agreement with the Kent County Soil Conservation District. In 1978, the farm was named Broad Acres, Inc. From those early days until the current day, the Zimmerman family has been long-time supporters of all conservation practices and excellent environmental stewards. Current owners Fred and Dan Zimmerman grow 300 acres of potatoes, 600 acres of small grains, 700 acres of corn, and 1,000 acres of soybeans on the 800 acres they own plus an additional 1,200 acres they rent. Through conservation practices, they address water quality, soil erosion, nutrient management, and water management through tile and open drainage practices. The Zimmermans also serve as managers on the South Muddy Branch Tax Ditch, and support the Delaware Envirothon through the Kent Conservation District’s Barn Dance fundraiser by donating potatoes for the event’s auction.

Urban: Delmarva Power and Light Company

The Delmarva Power and Light Company and their environmental consultant, McCormick Taylor, Inc., demonstrated a commitment to protecting natural areas and minimizing environmental impacts throughout the completion of a major transmission line rebuild from Cedar Creek to Milford along the entire eastern length of Kent County. The project crossed substantial areas of fresh water wetlands and tidal marsh while minimizing environmental impacts. The project utilized 776,500 square-feet of composite wetland matting, 81,000 feet of filter logs, and 48 temporary bridge crossings to minimize the impacts of equipment and vehicles. The project also utilized aerial sky cranes to transport and install transmission poles and lines across critically sensitive areas, further minimizing impacts to those areas.

Sussex County

Agricultural: Chip Baker, H&V Farms Inc., Millsboro

As the owner of H&V Farms in Millsboro in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Chip Baker has made a long-term commitment to improving water quality, using innovative methods of enhancing soil health, planting cover crops, and protecting the environment. Baker farms 621 acres of corn and soybeans and has a 50,000-broiler operation. His farm has been never-till for 25 years, and he plants multispecies blends of cover crops on all of his acres, with the goal of having all his ground covered all year round. Baker participates in the Conservation Stewardship Program for nutrient management, irrigation water management, conservation tillage, and pest management, as well as the District’s Air Seeder Pilot Program. Because of Baker’s innovation and interest in improving soil health and promoting soil health practices with his peers, he became a Delaware Soil Health Champion, joining a large national network of more than 200 soil health champions. In 2016, Baker hosted and shared his experience with about 115 people for an Air Seeder Demonstration/Soil Health Field Day at his farm. He also serves on the District’s Soil Health Advisory Committee, providing guidance and direction to the District in regards to soil health outreach and education efforts.

Urban: Delaware Avenue Streambank Restoration Project, Laurel

Initiated by DNREC, the Delaware Avenue/Ellis stream restoration project in Laurel addressed damage from the June 2006 flood in western Sussex County. During this flood event, parts of western Sussex County received between 12” and 18” of rainfall in a 24-hour period. The high storm flows caused severe bank erosion, resulting considerable loss of property. After visiting the site, DNREC’s Drainage Program staff decided to apply a natural channel design or stream restoration approach, rather the traditional bank stabilization methodology. Natural channel design restores degraded streams by creating a system that mimics natural conditions, including sequences of pools and riffles, floodplains, and meanders. These features increase bank stability while helping to improve water quality and ecological diversity. This project was completed for approximately $75,000 from the Resource, Conservation, and Development 21st Century fund and Community Transportation funds provided by Representative Timothy Dukes.

Delaware Association of Conservation Districts’ Legislator of the Year

The Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD) also recognized State Representative David L. Wilson, 35th District, as the 2017 Legislator of the Year, an annual award given for outstanding service, loyalty and devotion to conservation efforts in Delaware. Rep. Wilson has advocated for DACD in his capacity on the House Agriculture Committee and the Bond Bill Committee. He has also been an active supporter of Sussex Conservation District activities and has participated in both Sussex and USDA cost share programs.

Delaware’s Conservation Districts, one in each county, are a unique governmental unit within DNREC. Their mission is to provide technical and financial assistance to help Delawareans conserve and improve their local natural resources, including solving land, water and related resource problems; developing conservation programs to solve them; enlisting and coordinating help from public and private sources to accomplish these goals; and increasing awareness of the inter-relationship between human activities and the natural environment. Delaware’s district supervisors have a statewide organization, the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), a voluntary, non-profit alliance that provides a forum for discussion and coordination among the Conservation Districts.

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


Delaware Association of Conservation District’s annual poster contest winners announced

DOVER – The Delaware Association of Conservation Districts today announced the 2016 winners of the districts’ annual conservation poster contest, which featured the theme, “We All Need Trees.”

Posters were judged on how well they convey the conservation theme, along with use of color, attention to detail, an easy-to-understand conservation message, originality and creativity. First, second and third place winners in each grade category received a gift card valued at $50, $25 and $15 respectively, from their local Conservation District office. The first-place state winners received $50 from the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts.

First-place winners in each county are (Photos are included for the state winners):

Grade New Castle County Kent County Sussex County
K – 1 Annabelle WiAnnabelle Wei
William Cooke Elementary School
Sarah Stewart
Home-schooled
No submissions
2 – 3 Labron PenderLabron Pender
Harry O. Eisenberg Elementary School
No submissions No submissions
4 – 6 Eason LiEason Li
The Independence School
Mary Watts
Clayton Intermediate
Katelyn Wingate
Lord Baltimore Elementary School
7 – 9 Isabella Lindia
MOT Charter School
Mason Samenik
Smyrna Middle School
Dorothy McCormickDorothy McCormick
McCarville Academy
10 – 12 Sophia SweetmanSophia Sweetman
Middletown High School
Abrianna Dyer
Dover High School
Lauren Thornburg
Sussex Technical High School

The state-level winning posters by Annabelle Wei, Labron Pender, Eason Li, Dorothy McCormick and Sophia Sweetman are entered in the national poster contest sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts Ladies Auxiliary. National winners will be announced Jan. 29 at the NACD conference in Denver, Colo.

Delaware’s poster contest also includes a category for computer generated/graphic arts posters. Entries were received from three schools in New Castle County and one school in Sussex County.

New Castle County winners were:

  • First place: Hailey Poe, William Penn High School
  • Second place: Heidi Hernandez, Delcastle High School
  • Third place: Benjamin Maldonado, Delcastle High School

Sussex County winners from Sussex Technical High School were:

  • First place went to Brittany Ritter
  • Second place to Samantha Lee
  • Third place to Kate Bagshaw

The annual conservation poster contest gives students an opportunity to convey their artistic impressions about soil, water and related natural resources. The contest follows the annual Soil and Water Stewardship Week theme as sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts. The 2016 theme about trees encouraged people to remember the importance of trees to our environment and health. Trees give us so many benefits: food, fiber, wood products, medicinal products, wildlife habitat, shade, water quality, oxygen and so many more.

The 2017 poster contest will focus on the theme, “Healthy Soils Are Full of Life.” More information can be found at the NACD website at www.nacdnet.org under the Stewardship and Education page.

For more information about the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts poster contest, contact Public Outreach Coordinator Rick Mickowski at the New Castle Conservation District, 302-832-3100, ext. 8979.

For more information about your local Conservation District, contact your county office: New Castle Conservation District at 302-832-3100; Kent Conservation District at 302-741-2600; and Sussex Conservation District at 302-856-3990.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

Vol. 47, No. 6


Delaware Conservation Districts sponsor annual conservation poster contest with theme ‘We All Need Trees’

DOVER – The Kent, New Castle and Sussex Conservation Districts are now accepting entries in their annual conservation poster contest from K-12 students in public, charter, private or home schools. Posters will be judged on the 2016 theme, “We All Need Trees,” in the following grade categories: K-1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-9 and 10-12. First, second and third place winners in each category will receive a cash prize of $50, $25 and $15 respectively. The state-level winning posters also will receive a cash award from the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD).

The deadline for poster entries is Friday, Oct. 28. In addition to regular posters, a special category for computer-generated posters is open to all high school students in grades 9-12 who take a graphics art/computer class or program of study. These entries will be judged at the county/state level only and will not be eligible for national judging.

Each Conservation District will submit first-place posters in each grade category for judging at the state level. In the event that an insufficient number of posters are received at the county level, the county level judging will be eliminated and all posters will be judged at the state level. First-place posters in each grade level will be entered into the national conservation district poster contest, with winners to be displayed during the national conference in Denver, Colo., Jan. 28-Feb. 1, 2017.

The student’s name, grade level, teacher and school must be clearly and legibly printed on the back of the poster. Posters must be hand-delivered or mailed flat in time to the meet the deadline to the Conservation District office in the county in which the student resides. Addresses are as follows:

  • New Castle Conservation District, 2430 Old County Road, Newark, DE 19702
  • Kent Conservation District, 800 Bay Road, Suite 2, Dover, DE 19901
  • Sussex Conservation District, 21315 Berlin Road, Unit 4, Georgetown, DE 19947

The annual conservation poster contest provides students an opportunity to convey their thoughts about soil, water, and related natural resource issues through art. It also highlights the educational outreach efforts of conservation districts and their state associations, auxiliaries and agencies. The contest follows the annual stewardship theme developed and sponsored by the National Association of Conservation Districts.

“We All Need Trees,” this year’s theme, reminds us of the important benefits that trees provide for air, water, shelter, food, clothing and soil. For more information and educational resources about the theme and poster contest guidelines, please visit the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) website.

For a flyer with Delaware’s poster contest guidelines, please visit www.newcastleconservationdistrict.org, www.kentcd.org or www.sussexconservation.org. For more information, please contact Rick Mickowski at 302-832-3100 ext. 113, or by email at Rick.Mickowski@delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No. 334


Tickets now on sale for Kent Conservation District’s 17th Annual Barn Dance fundraiser on Oct. 14

DOVER – The Kent Conservation District invites you to join them for a rompin’ stompin’ good time from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, for its 17th Annual Barn Dance fundraiser to be held at the Harrington Fire Company, 20 Clark Street, Harrington, DE 19952. The event features a down-home meal including fried chicken, beef and dumplings, live and silent benefit auctions, and dancing to music provided by JKA Entertainment.

Be prepared to kick up your heels for a night of FUNdraising, with tickets on sale for $20 per person or $35 per couple. Tickets for children 12 years and under are $10 each, while children under two are admitted free. Reserved tables with seating for eight are available for $150, one name – one check.

Funds raised through the Barn Dance support the Delaware Envirothon, a competitive, problem-solving, natural resource challenge for high school students. The goals of the Delaware Envirothon are to test the environmental knowledge of high school students and to cultivate within the students a desire to learn more about the natural world. The students are tested on the following topics: air quality, soils/land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and a current environmental issue.

Experience gained through the competition will prepare individual students and teams to make sound conservation decisions. The 2016 Delaware Envirothon champions from the Charter School of Wilmington recently returned from Ontario, Canada, where they competed in the NCF Envirothon with other students from across the U.S. and Canada. They returned with an 18th place finish out of 52 competing teams.

A limited number of tickets to the Barn Dance are available and can be purchased by mail or in person at the Kent Conservation District office at 800 Bay Road, Suite 2, Dover, DE 19901. Tickets sell quickly, so those who want to attend are encouraged not to wait.

For more information, please call the Kent Conservation District at 302-741-2600 ext. 3.

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

Vol. 46, No. 329