The Delaware State Parks Beach Patrol is an elite group of men and women responsible for ocean rescue and beach safety at Delaware’s award-winning state park beaches.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s new Beach Patrol Capt. Bailey Noel is actively recruiting lifeguards for the summer 2023 season. Tryouts will be held from 7 to 9 a.m. Sundays, April 16 and 30, and May 7, at the Sussex Family YMCA in Rehoboth Beach. Lifeguards are sought for Cape Henlopen, Delaware Seashore and Fenwick Island state parks.

Noel, a recent hire by the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation, is a 15-year veteran lifeguard who has worked in Fenwick, North Bethany and most recently as a lieutenant with the Sea Colony Beach Patrol.

Those 16 years of age and older interested in joining the Beach Patrol must sign up for and successfully complete a 2023 Beach Patrol tryout, fill out an application on-site and interview with Beach Patrol officers and senior staff following the tryout.

No experience is necessary, but Beach Patrol members must meet required physical fitness and swimming standards. The patrol also competes in various local, state, regional and national lifeguard competitions. Tryouts include a 500-yard swim within 10 minutes, freestyle stroke only, and a 1-mile beach run within 10 minutes.

The starting salary is $18.75 and bonuses of $250 to $500 are available for meeting various milestones throughout the summer season. A limited number of subsidized housing options are available to qualified applicants.

Beach Patrol members receive paid Delaware State Parks Ocean Rescue Training, Nationally Accredited DOT Emergency Medical Responder Training, CPR/AED, oxygen administration, and trauma/medical care at the professional level, and advanced certification through the U.S. Lifesaving Association.

For more information about joining the Delaware State Parks Beach Patrol, go to https://destateparks.com/beachpatrol.

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, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will close The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, including a stretch of ocean and bay beach, Wednesday, March 1. Since 1993, The Point has closed annually for most of the spring and summer for the benefit of threatened and endangered beachnesters and migratory shorebirds, including red knots, piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and other species.

The Point’s nesting habitat on the ocean side will reopen to the public Sept. 1. The bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter. 

The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 to implement a management plan to help grow shorebird populations in Delaware.

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 Enjoy the natural diversity of Delaware’s 17 state parks. 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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 Indian River Marina, Delaware’s largest, is a destination for boaters seeking direct access to the rich Atlantic Ocean and inland bays fishing grounds. The marina has boat slips with a floating dock system and spots for indoor dry boat storage. A monitored public boat ramp with shuttle service to parking is available in the summer. It also serves as a waterfront event space with beautiful sunset views, offers full-service bait and tackle along with fish cleaning and an on-site fresh seafood market.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that it has awarded a contract to operate the restaurant at Indian Marina River to Big Fish Restaurant Group as the previous 10-year contract is set to expire at the end of this month.

Following state procurement requirements, the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation released a Request for Proposals for Professional Services (RFP), which closed Nov. 30, 2022, with the goal of identifying vendor(s) and executing a new contract. The division received two responsive proposals and evaluated them utilizing criteria and scoring included in the RFP.

The new contract, which is also for a 10-year-term from March 1, 2023 to Feb. 28, 2033, stipulates that Big Fish Restaurant Group will operate the marina restaurant “with full waterfront menu fare, including but not limited to, fully prepared seafood dishes (excluding off premise raw seafood sales), entrees, appetizers, desserts, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, and any other refreshments necessary to carry on the business for the public.” Big Fish will also provide breakfast and delivery service to the Indian River Marina and to the park’s North Inlet Campground.

“We welcome Big Fish to the Indian River Marina and look forward to watching their progress in meeting the growing needs of our park and marina visitors. Their business has won more than 50 awards for quality of service they offer to the public,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “While it is it is never easy to change concessionaires, the state RFP process is fair and Big Fish Restaurant Group submitted the winning proposal this time. I encourage any Delaware business that wants more information on the state bidding process to visit Delaware’s contract portal, MyMarketplace.delaware.gov, which has a wealth of information about the process.”

The Indian River Marina restaurant RFP was rated using seven criteria categories, with 80% of the total score including quality and diversity of the menu; past performance; the vendor’s action plan; vendor’s financial stability; creativity in planning; and designing and delivering a successful establishment, and revenue paid to the state equating for 20% of the total score.

Big Fish will utilize DNREC’s existing restaurant space at the marina, a 1,400-square-foot building with an outside usable deck and pergola area of approximately 1,100 square feet plus a grass area extended from the deck.

The award-winning Indian River Marina is Delaware’s largest marina and a destination for boaters seeking direct access to the rich Atlantic Ocean and inland bays fishing grounds. The marina boasts 194 slips with a floating dock system, 154 spots for indoor dry boat storage, pristine maintenance, full-service bait and tackle along with fish cleaning and an on-site fresh seafood market, and two head boats and more than 30 charter boats available for fishing and sightseeing.

For more information about the Indian River Marina restaurant RFP, go to https://mmp.delaware.gov/Contracts/ and search for Contract NAT22011.

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. Enjoy the natural diversity of Delaware’s 17 state parks. 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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 The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation has seen a record number of park visitors for eight years in a row.

Delaware State Parks’ growing popularity set another attendance record in 2022 by surpassing the 8 million visitors mark, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.

While other state park systems saw declines in visitation in 2022, Delaware State Parks, under administration of DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation, continue to experience stellar if not skyrocketing growth. Visitor attendance at Delaware State Parks has increased each year since 2015 making this the eighth year in a row a new visitation record was set. In the past five years alone, Delaware State Parks visitation is up 37%.

Alapocas Run, Auburn Valley, Brandywine Zoo, Fort Delaware and Killens Pond state parks and the First State Heritage Park within Delaware’s nationally recognized park system all saw visitation increase by more than 10% in 2022. The most visited state park in 2022 was Cape Henlopen with 1.9 million visitors, accounting for almost one in four of all park visits.

“We are excited that the public is getting out to Delaware State Parks more than ever and discovering the many attractions and offerings the parks provide through our Division of Parks and Recreation,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin of the record year. “Not only is attendance up, but I am extremely proud of the high marks our division staff receive for customer service, thanks to their dedicated efforts.

“We also are aware that such voluminous visitation year-to-year calls for more staff working both at the parks and in administration – and there currently is a range of job openings we look to fill as DNREC and the Division of Parks and Recreation work to meet demands from the rising growth in visits made to Delaware State Parks.”

DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation programs, volunteer hours and amenities all saw increases in 2022 compared with 2021. These included a 28% increase in school program participants, a 23% increase in volunteer hours, a 12% increase in visitors to Deerfield and Garrisons Lake golf courses with nearly 60,000 rounds of golf played, 40,000 visitors for events in 2022, and a 10% increase in visitors to the Killens Pond Water Park.

In light of the parks’ continuous growth, the Division of Parks and Recreation advises that all parties who plan to camp or host events in Delaware State Parks are encouraged to make reservations as early as possible as these spaces book faster than pre-COVID-19 visitation levels.

Delaware State Parks annual passes and surf fishing permits are on sale now and can be purchased at any state park office Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., or online at www.destateparks.com/Know/PassesTagsFees.

In other Delaware State Parks news from 2022, after demonstrating a high quality of operation, management and service to the community through a rigorous peer evaluation in 2022, the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation achieved accreditation from the National Recreation and Park Association’s Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). Fewer than 2% – or 199 out of 12,000 parks and recreation agencies in the United States – are CAPRA accredited.

As Delaware State Parks staff gears up another busy year, the Division of Parks and Recreation is ramping up hiring to meet the challenge. Job openings in administration, enforcement, interpretation, lifeguarding, maintenance, park leadership and more are available, and job postings can be found at www.jobapscloud.com/DE.

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 Enjoy the natural diversity of Delaware’s 17 state parks. 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, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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 DNREC announced a restaurant proposal for Cape Henlopen State Park will not proceed, and that additional visitor surveys and site reviews will be conducted prior to future RFPs for visitor enhancements to the park’s main beach area.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and La Vida Hospitality have mutually decided not to move forward at this time with a proposed restaurant for Cape Henlopen State Park, DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation Director Ray Bivens announced during a public meeting about the project Monday evening at Cape Henlopen High School.

La Vida Hospitality LLC was awarded a publicly bid one-year contract by DNREC in April to manage the existing main beach food concession while both parties conducted due diligence on La Vida’s proposal to extend the contract and build a restaurant at the park’s main beach area. DNREC determined that the necessary environmental review and contract negotiation could not be completed by the contract’s expiration date of Dec. 31 and with La Vida Hospitality LLC in agreement, has chosen to the end the project.

The proposed restaurant came from a request for proposal (RFP) to manage the park’s main beach area concession, which includes food service and amenity rentals such as chairs and umbrellas, with the potential for added services such as a restaurant. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation initiated an extensive review process for the proposed project in May, which included review of the natural and cultural resources, a public comment period and internal contract evaluation.

The division will continue to gather data regarding natural and cultural resources in the area and to seek public input regarding the levels of service provided at the site as it proceeds with planning improvements to amenities at the main beach area, including the existing Sen. David B. McBride Bathhouse and the north day-use beach crossing.

Needed improvements for Cape Henlopen State Park include expanded food service, ADA-accessible restrooms and beach crossings. Location, hours of operation, traffic, lighting and noise restrictions will remain key considerations with any improvements.

DNREC also announced today that additional visitor surveys and site reviews will be conducted prior to future RFPs for visitor enhancements to the area.

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, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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