Unified Command Conducts Final Shoreline Assessments

Cleanup crews under the unified command have successfully cleared all Delaware Bay beaches and another stretch of Atlantic Ocean coastline of oily debris and tar balls. After the latest shoreline assessment late Tuesday, only Gordon’s Pond at Cape Henlopen State Park, North Shores Beach, Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach require final sign off.

The unified command under the U.S. Coast Guard and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will continue to survey beaches and dispatch cleanup crews as necessary.

As crews conduct final assessments, beachgoers should avoid any remaining oily debris deposited along the wrack or high tide line.

The public is asked to continue reporting sizeable sightings of oiled debris, tar balls or oiled wildlife.

For reports concerning the Delaware coastline, call DNREC’s toll-free environmental hotline at 800-662-8802. For reports concerning the Maryland coastline, call the Maryland Department of the Environment at 866-633-4686.

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

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

###

DNREC hosts a virtual Earth Day Scavenger Hunt and Pledge

DOVER, Del. – Delawareans are invited to join millions of people around the globe to celebrate Earth Day on April 22. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a virtual event through the end of the month for Delawareans to celebrate the natural world, engage in environmental education and contribute to a resolve for sustainable change.

While annual volunteer clean-up events and other community activities have been canceled this year, the Earth Day 2020 Scavenger Hunt and Pledge focuses on how to take care of the planet.

Beginning today, look for daily questions posted on Facebook, search for clues on DNREC’s website, and reply to the original post with answers. Participants will be challenged by a range of questions related to climate change, recycling, state parks and more. Winners will be selected randomly each day for prizes, including Delaware State Parks passes and eco-friendly products.

Delawareans are also invited to enjoy special interactive home-based activities and post selfies on facebook.com/DNREC to be eligible for random prize drawings. Everyone is encouraged to take the online pledge to adopt activities with a positive environmental impact, not just for Earth Day, but all year long.

“At DNREC, we make every day Earth Day – working to build a cleaner and healthier Delaware,” said Secretary Shawn Garvin. “There is no more timely opportunity than the 50th anniversary of Earth Day for Delawareans to join us and other people around the globe to promote the conservation of our planet.”

The first Earth Day in 1970 was a coast-to-coast celebration and movement to mobilize an emerging public consciousness about pollution. Earth Day led to passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States, including the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.

In Delaware at that time, the General Assembly had made a commitment to preserving and protecting the environment by passing a bill in 1969 to create a new state agency that would soon become DNREC. Now in its 50th year, DNREC offers programs that support cleaner transportation, energy conservation, renewable energy, recycling and more.

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

Media Contact: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

###

Evidence photo of tires dumped in the Newark area. DNREC Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit photo.

NEWARK – Following an investigation into illegal dumping of scrap tires in Newark, DNREC Natural Resources Police Officers with the Environmental Crimes Unit arrested a Newark man Dec. 14 for illegal dumping and hauling solid waste without a permit. The illegal dumping of tires took place over several days earlier this month.

Robert B. Halter, 39, of Newark, was charged with two counts of causing or contributing to the disposal or discharge of solid waste materials and two counts of transportation, storage, or collection of solid waste without a permit.

Halter had active capias out of Justice of the Peace Court 11, New Castle County Court of Common Pleas, and Family Court. He was arraigned at Justice of the Peace Court 11 in New Castle, where he was committed to Howard Young Correctional Institution in Wilmington, after failing to pay $2,000 cash bond related to the prior capias. He received an additional $200 unsecured bond for the four charges of dumping and hauling scrap tires without a permit.

Delaware residents can report illegal trash dumping to DNREC’s Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit by calling the 24-hour environmental complaints line at 800-662-8802.

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

Vol. 48, No. 340