The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will reopen The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, including a stretch of ocean beach and dunes, and a half-mile along the bay shoreline, Wednesday, Sept. 1. The bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter.

The area to reopen includes a stretch of ocean beach and dunes that was previously closed on March 1. Since 1993, The Point has closed annually each March for the benefit of threatened and endangered beachnesters and migratory shorebirds, including red knot, piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and other species.

The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 to implement a management plan to halt the decline of beachnester and migratory shorebird populations.

For more information, contact Cape Henlopen State Park at 302-645-8983 or stop by the park office.

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, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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Dover, DE– Governor Jack Markell has signed a proclamation declaring October as “Children in Nature Month” in Delaware. To mark the designation, DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation and other partners that comprise the Delaware Children in Nature Coalition will offer public programs designed to get children outdoors and into the beautiful fall weather.

“We want Delaware to be a leader in helping children reconnect with nature,” said Governor Markell. “Our vision – and that of the Delaware Children in Nature Coalition – is that this and future generations of Delaware’s youth will have an active and meaningful outdoors experience that leads to better health and a better quality of life for them and their families.“

Children in Nature programs will take place in Delaware’s state parks throughout the month. Events will include the “Crazy Costume Dash” at Lums Pond State Park on Oct.11, and the “Steamin’ Halloween” at the Auburn Heights Preserve on Oct. 26.

Additionally, Oct, 24 will be a free entrance day for families at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village in Dover. Another coalition partner, the Delaware Nature Society, will celebrate with the “Harvest Moon Festival” on Oct. 4-5.  A complete list of programs is available.

“DNREC and the other coalition partners’ mission is to improve environmental literacy in our state and create opportunities for children to participate in outdoor experiences,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “Together, we are promoting healthy lifestyles and providing better access to green space. DNREC, as steward of 100,000 acres of diverse habitat, offers wondrous, safe places to explore, discover and connect children and their families with each other and the environment.”

The goal of the Children in Nature Coalition is to engage children with nature by providing meaningful outdoor experiences.  A statewide plan is being developed that includes environmental literacy and ways to connect Delawareans to their communities and natural resources. Accomplishments to date include the Delaware Greener Schools program, the Nature Nook in the Dover Public Library, field trips for Title I students in Sussex County and others.

Dover, DE – Today at Wilmington’s DuPont Environmental Education Center, as DNREC Secretary David S. Small and Delaware Chief Justice Leo Strine looked on, Delaware Governor Jack Markell signed legislation that changes more than three dozen less severe environmental offenses associated with wildlife, hunting, fishing and boating from environmental misdemeanors to environmental violations and exempts these violations from being included in state criminal history records. Sponsored by Sen. David McBride and co-sponsored by Rep. Debra Heffernan, Senate Bill 258 also updates and raises minimum fines for these environmental violations.

“I thank Senator McBride, along with Representative Heffernan, for their leadership in recognizing that many of our less severe environmental violations no longer need to be a criminal offense, and that we can provide an effective deterrent for potential violators by increasing fines while having violation records retained by DNREC,” said Governor Markell. “In this way, DNREC will continue to have the legal tools it needs to protect our natural resources without involving criminal courts.”

“Senate Bill 258 effectively modernizes and updates Delaware law to help support the work that DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Section’s Natural Resources Police, does to protect and conserve Delaware’s fish, wildlife and habitat, and to provide for safe boating,” said DNREC Secretary Small. “It also reflects our commitment to achieve compliance with Delaware’s conservation and boating laws through education and necessary enforcement actions.”

“It’s important to constantly be alert to opportunities to use taxpayer dollars more wisely and to make our laws more just. This bill does both, by striking a much better balance, which will enable our environmental laws to be enforced more effectively and, as important, with less burden on DNREC, the courts, and Board of Pardons,” Chief Justice Strine said. “Meanwhile, justice is better served by not placing obstacles to employment in front of people who commit minor environmental offenses.”

“Many of the people who have historically been arrested for violating these laws have been pursuing both commercial and recreational interests,” said Sen. McBride, D-Hawk’s Nest. “One of the consequences was that individuals arrested ended up with criminal records which could have an impact on their ability to find jobs or pursue an education. This legislation eliminates the possibility of having a criminal history but at the same time creates a greater financial incentive for not breaking the law.”

“I’m proud to have sponsored this new law,” said House sponsor Rep. Heffernan, D-Brandywine Hundred South. “This is a jobs bill because it will keep environmental violations off a person’s criminal record, which is important for pre-employment criminal background checks, while at the same time it will strengthen deterrence by raising the fines for wildlife, fishing and boating violations.”

What Senate Bill 258 does:

• Declassifies a number of less severe offenses associated with wildlife, hunting, trapping, fishing and boating by changing them from Class C and D environmental misdemeanors to environmental violations;
• Stipulates that these environmental violations will not be reported on criminal history records kept by the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System, used by police agencies throughout the state for criminal background checks;
• Examples of these environmental violations include: hunting, fishing or trapping without a license; trespassing to hunt, fish or trap; and improper marking of commercial crab or lobster pots;
• Authorizes DNREC to retain records on environmental violations to ensure that second offenses and higher penalties are pursued when appropriate;
• Raises the minimum fine for Class C environmental violations from $50 to $100 for first offenses, and the Class D environmental violations from $25 to $50 for first offenses; and
• Changes the jurisdiction for a number of environmental violations from Superior Court to Magistrate Court.