DNREC to Offer Feb. 28 Webinar on Living Shoreline Cost Share Program for Home and Property Owners

Living shorelines use natural materials like native plants, oyster shells, and biodegradable coconut-fiber coir logs to help protect property and as a barrier against shoreline erosion and flood impacts /DNREC photo

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a free webinar Wednesday, Feb. 28 to introduce property owners to DNREC’s Living Shoreline Cost Share Program, which provides funding that can help Delawareans in selected watersheds install living shorelines using natural materials. The hour-long webinar begins at 10 a.m. and registration can be made up to the start of the webinar presented by the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship in conjunction with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Kayla Clauson, an environmental scientist with DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship, who will provide an overview of the cost share program and discuss how the program aims to assist property owners in select watersheds throughout the state by providing funding to install living shorelines using natural materials. The webinar will highlight the specific project criteria, a timeline of how the program works, financial reimbursement, and as well as provide insight to both landowners and professionals looking to apply for the program.

The Living Shoreline Cost Share program was relaunched in 2023 and expanded to help enable landowners, homeowners’ associations and community boards who qualify join the growing number of Delawareans who are turning to living shorelines to help protect their property in watersheds throughout the state from environmental impacts of climate change and sea level rise.

Living shorelines utilize natural materials like native plants, oyster shells, and biodegradable coconut-fiber coir logs as a barrier against shoreline erosion and flood impacts. Living shorelines also enhance the natural beauty of shoreline ecosystems. The webinar will offer insights into the Living Shoreline Cost Share Program for both landowners and professionals looking to apply for program assistance, summarizing details on project criteria, timelines for installation, and financial reimbursement.

Eligible living shoreline project areas are located within targeted watersheds. Currently, only tidal projects in these watersheds will be considered for cost share assistance. Groups of landowners, HOAs, or community boards are also encouraged to apply for assistance with projects where properties may be adjacent to each other or in shared neighborhood spaces. Learn more at de.gov/livingshoreline.

The webinar also will explain that funding for the Living Shoreline Cost Share Program comes from a collaborative DNREC effort between the Watershed Assessment and Management Section and the Non-Point Source Program for securing funding, specifically the CWA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant and the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant III. Information about both also can be found at de.gov/cheswip.

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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DNREC and Kent Conservation District Offer Grants for Septic Tank Pump Outs

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and Kent Conservation District announce grants are available for homeowners in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in Kent County who wish to have their residential septic tanks pumped out for routine maintenance. Funding for the new grant initiative is made available by DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship through a Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant.

Regularly pumping out a septic system prolongs the life of the system as well as protects surface and ground waters from potential contamination. Up to $200 in grant funds are available to qualifying applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding for the project is provided by a Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant through the DNREC Nonpoint Source Program in partnership with the Kent Conservation District, administering the program.

More than $68,000 in grant funding – or enough to pump out roughly 300 Kent County residential septic systems – is available. The homeowner must live in the home to qualify for grant funding. The pump-out project runs through June 30, 2024 or as long as funding lasts.

For more information, interested homeowners may contact the Kent Conservation District at 302-608-5370 or visit kentcd.org for a grant application.

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DNREC to hold April 30 workshop on solicitation of watershed implementation projects

DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Watershed Stewardship will host a workshop for a special solicitation of watershed implementation projects from 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, April 30, in Dover, at the Kent County Administration Building, Room 222, 555 South Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

The workshop will focus on proposals for implementing new projects specifically designed to restore water quality as part of specific Delaware priority watershed improvement plans. Projects funded under the special solicitation will have the benefit of a zero percent loan interest rate, and no accrual of loan interest through project completion. After successful completion of the watershed implementation project, the outstanding principle loan balance shall be forgiven.

Applicants are limited to those with the necessary legal authority to enter into a loan agreement with DNREC for a loan through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program. Eligible applicants include state agencies, counties, municipalities, other commissions and political subdivisions or interstate bodies with the capacity to borrow. Partnerships are encouraged where necessary to promote larger projects that are beyond the capacity of smaller organizations.

Proposed projects will be selected for funding consideration through a special project solicitation conducted by the Division of Watershed Stewardship, Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Program, and evaluated for CWSRF funding by DNREC Environmental Finance. The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council (WIAC) through a competitive review process based on ranking criteria shall recommend project requests to the Secretary of DNREC for final approval.

The total CWSRF loan request cannot be less than $500,000 and no greater than $1 million. The funding allocation for the special solicitation is $2.5 million.

For more information, please contact Jim Sullivan, Division of Watershed Stewardship at 302-739-9922.

Vol. 49, No. 102

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Blackbird State Forest tree planting on April 13 & 14

TOWNSEND, Del. – Volunteers are needed to plant 2,000 hardwood seedlings at Blackbird State Forest on Saturday and Sunday, April 13 and 14, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Two seniors from Middletown High School, Bryan Alberding and Nick Kupsick, are leading the project in cooperation with the Delaware Forest Service with funding provided by the DNREC Nonpoint Source Program (NPS). The project will take place on Blackbird State Forest’s Naudain Tract, 2076 Harvey Straughn Road, Townsend, Delaware 19734.

The rain date is scheduled for April 27 and 28, 2019.

The planting site is located along the Cypress Branch, where the new trees will help enhance wildlife habitat, fight invasive species, and improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. The project continues a tradition of youth volunteerism and environmental action at Blackbird State Forest: in 2018, volunteers led by Girl Scout Caroline Dowd, a student at MOT Charter High School in Middletown, planted more than 8,800 seedlings on an adjacent parcel. In both 2012 and 2013, Boy Scouts planted 4,000 trees each year at Blackbird State Forest.

“Our project took a lot of time and planning, but it is important that everything was done correctly to maximize our success,” said Middletown High School senior Bryan Alberding. “I chose to do this project because I was concerned about the enormous housing growth in our community, and I wanted to improve the environment.”

“This project presents others with the opportunity to explore and learn how our forests start from the seedling to a mature tree, and how to properly plant the trees,” said Nick Kupsick,who is coordinating the effort with Alberding as part of their Middletown H.S. senior project.

Contact information for media:

Bryan Alberding, phone: (302) 299-3052, email: bryannhunter@gmail.com
Nick Kupsick, phone: (302) 757-3341, email: nkupsick76@gmail.com

Volunteers are asked to dress for the weather and bring sunscreen or insect repellent if needed.

What to wear and bring:

work shoes or work boots that can get dirty
appropriate clothing and hats that can get dirty and are suited to the weather (cold, rain, wind, or heat)
a shovel if possible, as well as work gloves

The latest updates for the event will be posted on the students’ Facebook Page: Blackbird Tree Planting

Funding for the trees is provided by a grant from the DNREC Nonpoint Source Program. The restoration of riparian forests is a key strategy for improving water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, recognized as a “national treasure” and the largest estuary in North America, covering 64,000 square miles in six states and the District of Columbia. The Cypress Branch in southwestern New Castle County is one of the headwaters for the Chester River, a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay that begins where Cypress Branch and Andover Branch join together in Millington, MD.

Blackbird State Forest covers nearly 6,000 acres in southern New Castle County and is also a stop on the historic Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.

Directions to the Blackbird Forest Tree Planting Site

From the NORTH:
Route 1 (TOLL): Take Rt. 1 South to Exit 136 toward Odessa (Rt. 299) and make a left at the light. At Rt. 299 (Main Street) in Odessa, turn right onto U.S. 13 South.
U.S. 13: Take U.S 13 South until you reach Rt. 299 (Main Street) in Odessa. Proceed through the light (continue on U.S. 13 South).
From Route 299 & U.S. 13: Continue on U.S. 13 south for 6.2 miles and then turn right onto Blackbird Forest Road (flashing light at the top of the hill). After 3.5 miles, turn right onto Oak Hill School Road. Continue for 2.9 miles and then turn right onto Harvey Straughn Road. Proceed for .3 miles and the destination will be on the right.
From the SOUTH:
Route 1 (TOLL): Take Rt. 1 North to Exit 119 (N. Smyrna). Make a right onto Route 13 South. Proceed .8 miles to Duck Creek Road and make a right at the light.
U.S. 13: Take U.S 13 North until you reach Duck Creek Road north of Smyrna (just past Visitor Center and Smokey Bear sign on the right). Turn left at light for Duck Creek Road.
From Duck Creek Road & U.S. 13: Proceed west for .8 miles on Duck Creek Road and turn right onto Vandyke Greenspring Road. Continue on Vandyke Greenspring Road for 4.4 miles and turn left onto Harvey Straughn Road. In 2 miles, turn left to stay on Harvey Straughn Road. Proceed for .3 miles and the destination will be on the left.

Additional contact –
John Petersen, Delaware Forest Service, 302-698-4552, john.petersen@delaware.gov

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