LEWES – Delaware’s coastal and natural resources will be featured from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 6 at DNREC’s Coast Day education tent between the Smith and Cannon buildings on the campus of the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at 700 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958.

Coast Day is the university’s annual outreach event that attracts thousands of visitors from Delaware and throughout the region to showcase the latest in ocean science and conservation.

“Coast Day celebrates Delaware’s coastal resources and brings together partners who are committed to preserving our beaches, waterways, tidal marshes, farmland, upland forests, bay, and ocean for future generations,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Coast Day visitors will get a close-up look into the science and technology that is being used and developed to help make important decisions about our natural resources in Delaware and around the globe.”

DNREC’s tent features the agency’s diverse programs that help conserve and protect Delaware’s natural resources and encourages public participation through hands-on activities and educational games that appeal to both adults and children. DNREC has exhibited at Coast Day since the event’s inception in 1976.

This year, a variety of DNREC exhibits with games and giveaways will highlight Delaware’s coastal and natural resources, including:
Shoreline and Waterway Management Section’s Dune Sign Contest winners display, floodplain mapping tool, and dredging survey

• The Delaware Bayshore Initiative’s mini-theater and DuPont Nature Center’s touch tank
• DNREC volunteer opportunities at the EcoCafe
• The Delaware Shorebird Project
• DNREC Recycling Program information and sorting activity
• Outdoor Delaware magazine
• Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center and Fort Miles programs
• Resources for the public on ocean science from Delaware Coastal Programs
• Air quality monitoring equipment demonstrations
• Information on bats and white-nose syndrome with audio of bat calls and videos from the Species Conservation & Management Program
• Mosquito Control Section‘s tips for knocking out pests
• Wetlands conservation activities for the whole family
• DNREC’s Division of Waste & Hazardous Substances will provide information on Brownfields Development and Heating Fuel Underground Storage Tank Closure Assistance programs.

For more information on the event, visit https://www.deseagrant.org/coast-day.

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

Vol. 49, No. 241

SLAUGHTER BEACH – DNREC’s DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve will close for the winter Saturday, Sept. 28, and will reopen Wednesday, April 1, 2020 for the busy spring and summer seasons. The center is owned and operated by DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife and provides programming and exhibits about Delaware Bayshore aquatic life.

During the winter closure, the DuPont Nature Center’s handicap-accessible observation deck will remain open from dawn to dusk daily. The deck offers views of the Mispillion Harbor and surrounding saltmarsh and sandy beach habitat as well as a view of the Delaware Bay. During this time, visitors may see wildlife such as foxes, raccoons, bald eagles, northern harriers, and a variety of waterfowl such as buffleheads, hooded mergansers, and common goldeneye. Though the nature center is recognized as a place to view the spring shorebird migration, the viewing deck also provides excellent opportunities to see shorebirds like dunlin, sanderlings, and black-bellied plovers in the fall and winter months as well.

The nature center deck will not be actively maintained while the center is closed. Visitors are advised to take into consideration weather conditions prior to accessing the deck.

DNREC’s DuPont Nature Center is located at 2992 Lighthouse Road, east of Milford. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the DuPont Nature Center and its programs, please call 302-422-1329 or visit http://de.gov/dnc.

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

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

Vol. 49, No. 239

(DOVER, Del.—June 5, 2019)—The Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, in collaboration with preservation partners Friends of the John Dickinson Mansion and Preservation Delaware, invites the public to attend a special historic preservation symposium. As part of the day’s activities, speakers from the National Park Service and the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office will discuss disaster preparedness, issues regarding elevating historic properties in flood-prone areas and National Register of Historic Places nominations.

The symposium will take place on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 in the Delaware Room of the Delaware Public Archives located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North in Dover, Del. Admission is free, but, due to limited seating, reservations are required by calling the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office at 302-736-7400. The office is open between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Reservations are due by June 19, 2019.

Symposium agenda

9:00–9:15 a.m.
Welcoming remarks
Tim Slavin, Delaware State Historic Preservation Officer and Director, Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs

9:15–10:15 a.m.
“Using Criterion A in National Register of Historic Places Nominations”
Lisa Deline, Architectural Historian, National Park Service
Ms. Deline, reviewer of Delaware nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, will provide updated information about the effective use of Criterion A which represents the quality of significance present in historic properties that are associated with events important to broad patterns of American history.

10:15–10:45 a.m.
Question and answer session with Lisa Deline

10:45–11:00 a.m.
Break

11:00–11:45 a.m.
“Lessons Learned: Prepare Now for Future Weather Events”
Reid Thomas, Restoration Specialist, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
Mr. Thomas will showcase some of the weather-related situations that he encountered during his 29 years of service within the northeastern region of North Carolina.

11:45 a.m.–Noon
Question and answer session with Reid Thomas

Noon–1:45 p.m.
Lunch on your own
List of restaurants and map to be provided.

1:45–2:30 p.m.
“The Ups and Down of Elevation: Case Studies of the Elevation of Historic Buildings in North Carolina”
John Wood, Preservation/Restoration Specialist, North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office
Mr. Wood will discuss his extensive experience in historic preservation and restoration projects within the southeastern region of North Carolina.

2:30–2:45 p.m.
Question and answer session with John Wood

3:00–4:30 p.m.
Reception at the John Dickinson Plantation, 340 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover
The Friends of the John Dickinson Mansion will host an informal get together after the symposium.

Administered as a museum by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, the John Dickinson Plantation, Delaware’s first National Historic Landmark, was the childhood home of John Dickinson, a founding father of the United States, a framer and signer of the U.S. Constitution and “Penman of the Revolution.” The museum is a partner site in both the First State National Historical Park and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs is an agency of the State of Delaware. The division enhances Delaware’s quality of life by preserving the state’s unique historical heritage, fostering community stability and economic vitality and providing educational programs and assistance to the general public on Delaware history and heritage. The division’s diverse array of services includes operation of five museums, administration of the State Historic Preservation Office, conservation of the state’s archaeological and historic-objects collections, operation of a conference center and management of historic properties across the state. Primary funding for division programs and services is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, a federal agency. However, the contents and opinions expressed in the division’s programs and services do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Department of the Interior.

-End-

Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-739-7787
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

Districts, charter schools and community partners across the state are providing free meals to children in their communities so they don’t go hungry while school is out.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), a federally funded program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and managed locally by the Delaware Department of Education, targets children in low-income areas so they have healthy meals during the summer. Meals are provided in communities in areas where children gather. No registration or proof of eligibility is required at open meal sites. Any child 18 and under who comes is fed.

In Summer 2018, 760,029 meals and snacks were served at 329 sites throughout the state.

“We know many children rely on the meals they receive in school and still have those food needs during summer break,” Secretary of Education Susan Bunting said. “With the partnership of our districts, charter schools and community organizations, this program gives children access to nutritious food during the summer in their own communities.”

To find a Summer Food Service Program location in your community and its dates of operation, call 211 or visit https://www.fns.usda.gov/summerfoodrocks.

If you are interested in being a summer meal site, contact the Delaware Department of Education Nutrition Programs Office at (302) 857-3356.

Note to the media: You are invited to cover any of the following kickoff events:

• 11 a.m., Friday, June 14, Seaford Library, 600 N. Market St. Extension, Seaford
• 11:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 19, Eisenberg Elementary School, 27 Landers Lane, New Castle
• 10:30 a.m., Thursday, June 20, Greater Dover Boys & Girls Club, 1683 New Burton Road, Dover

Media Contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006

The Delaware Department of Education announces the 2019-20 U.S. Department of Agriculture policy for free and reduced price meals for children unable to pay the full price for meals served under the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and After School Snack Program. Each participating school and its administrative office has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by any interested party.

 Meal benefit forms will be sent home with a letter to families. To apply for free or reduced price meals, families should fill out the form for their households and return it to the school.  The information provided on the form will be used for the purpose of determining eligibility and may be verified at any time during the school year by program officials. Information on the form may not be used for any other purpose unless consent is granted by parent/guardian.

 For program officials to determine eligibility, households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and/or Delaware Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (DE-TANF) must list the child’s name, SNAP and/or DE-TANF case number, and provide a signature and name of an adult household member.  Households not receiving SNAP and/or DE-TANF must list: names of all household members; the amount of the gross income for each household member received last month; the income source and how often received; the signature of an adult household member; and that adult’s last four digits of social security number, or the word “none” or “No Social Security Number” box marked if the adult does not have a social security number.  The form may be submitted at any time during the school year.

 Under the provisions of the free and reduced price policy, the school nutrition services supervisor will review forms and determine eligibility. Parents or guardians dissatisfied with the ruling of the official may discuss the decision with the determining official on an informal basis. Parents or guardians wishing to make a formal appeal may make a request either orally or in writing to the administrative office for a hearing on the decision.

 Children who are enrolled in Head Start or who are homeless, migrant, runaway or in foster care are eligible for free school meal benefits. In certain instances, children receiving WIC may also be eligible. Parents or guardians wishing to apply should follow the instructions on the form or contact their school for more information.

 Find the income scale here.

 Households may report changes or reapply for meal benefits anytime during the school year. The information provided by the household is confidential and will be used only for purposes of determining eligibility and verifying data.

 The U.S Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination  against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the department.  (Not all prohibited basis will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

 In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA. 

 Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits.  Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.  Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

 To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1.  mail: U.S. Department of AgricultureOffice of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW

   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

 Media Contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006