Registration now open for May-July events throughout the state

DOVER – Do you know a child or young teen who might enjoy learning about fishing and delight in having the opportunity to catch a fish? DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife invites budding anglers age 6 through 15 to come out and learn to fish with a parent, grandparent, or guardian on six upcoming “Take a Kid Fishing!” events.

“Take a Kid Fishing!” events are offered free of charge to all participants, and will be held on the following dates:

• 9 a.m. – noon, Saturday, May 18, Aquatic Resources Education Center, Smyrna
• 9 a.m. – noon, Saturday, June 1, Aquatic Resources Education Center, Smyrna
• 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, June 8, Lums Pond State Park, Bear
• 9 a.m. – noon, Saturday, June 15, Aquatic Resources Education Center, Smyrna
• 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday, July 13, Redden State Forest, Georgetown
• 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, July 20, Lums Pond State Park, Bear

Fishing equipment is also provided by the Division of Fish & Wildlife free for use by participants. To ensure that enough supplies are on hand for these events, pre-registration is required. To pre-register for a “Take a Kid Fishing!” event, or for more information about the program or about volunteering as an instructor, please email Mary Rivera at mary.rivera@delaware.gov.

“Take a Kid Fishing!” teaches youngsters fundamental fishing skills and conservation concepts, including catch-and-release. Along with the angling experience, these free fishing events also feature activity stations and prizes. Packing refreshments and a picnic lunch is encouraged.

Most parents, grandparents, or others age 16 and older who engage in fishing with “Take a Kid Fishing!” participants must have a current Delaware fishing license and a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number. The free FIN number is included as part of a Delaware fishing license purchase. License-exempt anglers, including Delaware residents 65 and older, may visit www.delaware-fin.com or call 800-432-9228 toll-free to obtain their free FIN number.

Delaware fishing licenses are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses.

For more information on fishing in Delaware, click on the 2019 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state.

“Take a Kid Fishing!” is sponsored by the DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Aquatic Resources Education Center, with host sites provided by the Division of Fish & Wildlife and DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation, and the Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service. Some of the fishing tackle for these events is donated by Cabela’s located at the Christiana Mall.

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

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

Vol. 49, No. 118

REHOBOTH BEACH – DNREC’s Delaware Seashore State Park will host its first-ever “Big Truck Day” from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Indian River Marina. Children of all ages will have the opportunity to get up-close and personal with some of the park’s heavy equipment and special-use vehicles at this family-friendly event.

All types of vehicles will be featured, including a beach sweeper, front-end loader, minibus, DNREC dump truck, forklift, a Parks Natural Resources Police vehicle, and an ocean rescue truck. Marina staff will be on hand to greet visitors and answer questions, and children will be able to climb in the drivers’ seats.

If conditions allow, one of the vessels from the U.S. Coast Guard Station Indian River will dock at the marina. Also, a demonstration will be held of marina equipment in action, hauling large boats through the boatyard.

In addition, a car seat check station will be available, where a certified car seat safety technician will perform car seat safety inspections, free of charge.

The event is free with paid park entry. For more information, contact the Indian River Life-Saving Station at 302-227-6991.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 261

DELAWARE CITY – DNREC’s Fort Delaware State Park will host its annual Victorian Kids Fest from noon-3 p.m., Saturday, June 16. This special event is a collaborative program offered by the Fort Delaware Society and Fort Delaware State Park.

The day will feature Victorian kids’ games as well as costumes to try on, face-painting, and opportunities to win prizes. In addition, kids will have the chance to “join the Army” and learn to march like Civil War soldiers. Participation in Victorian Kids Fest events is free with park entrance fee.

Fort Delaware is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, with the last ferry to the island leaving at 3 p.m. Park entrance fee, including the ferry trip, is $12 for adults, $7 for children, and $11 for people 62 and older, and those who have served or are serving in the military.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 155

SMYRNA – Visitors of all ages are invited to learn all about fishing at the Go Fish Delaware! Family Fishing Festival to be held, rain or shine, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at the Aquatic Resources Education Center, a DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife facility located off Route 9 east of Smyrna. Admission is free and open to the public.

This free event aims to show kids and adults how much fun fishing can be and to encourage them to take up the sport as a regular outdoor activity. The festival will include basic fishing instruction for kids at the center’s two catch and release fishing ponds, as well as introductory lessons in fresh water fishing, fly fishing, surf fishing, and bass fishing for adult beginners who would like to learn the basics.

In addition to fishing, the center will offer children’s activities and crafts, a touch tank, traditional net making demonstrations, salt marsh tours on the center’s 940-foot boardwalk trail, and tours of the new building with aquariums and aquatic-themed exhibits. Visitors will find information about rain gardens and local wildlife at the outdoor Bayshore Byway interpretive area, and they can walk along an interpretive trail featuring natural and cultural history of the area.

Food vendors will be available onsite, or visitors are welcome to pack a lunch to enjoy outdoors.

Individuals age 16 and older who are not license exempt who wish to fish at the festival must have a current Delaware fishing license and a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number. The free FIN number is included as part of a Delaware fishing license purchase. License-exempt anglers, including Delaware residents 65 and older, may visit www.delaware-fin.com, or call 800-432-9228 toll-free to obtain their free FIN number.

A resident annual Delaware recreational fishing license costs $8.50 for ages 16 through 64. Delaware fishing licenses are sold online, at the licensing office in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses. For more information on Delaware fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918.

For more information on fishing in Delaware, click on the 2018 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing office, and from license agents throughout the state.

The Aquatic Resources Education Center is located east of Smyrna at 2520 Lighthouse Road, which is off Route 9 just north of Woodland Beach. For more information, visit www.de.gov/takf, or email mary.rivera@delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 48, No. 100

New initiative promotes culture of commitment to Delaware children through cross-sector partnerships

WILMINGTON, Del. – Joined by members of his Cabinet, representatives from Casey Family Programs and child advocates, Governor John Carney joined First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney on Thursday to announce First Chance Delaware – an initiative led by the First Lady to recognize and facilitate effective partnerships, to share research and best practices, and to promote opportunities to collaborate in support of Delaware’s children.

Casey Family Programs provided the founding grant for First Chance Delaware, and will continue to provide technical and operational support through Casey’s First Spouse Initiative program.

Delawareans can learn more about First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney’s “First Chance Delaware” initiative, and sign up to help, at de.gov/firstchance.

“First Chance is not a new program. It is a framework, in coordination with the Family Services Cabinet Council, to promote a statewide culture of commitment to Delaware’s children,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “In advancing that culture, we recognize our shared interest, as well as our shared moral obligation, to give all children an opportunity to realize their potential – in learning, work, and citizenship. We also recognize that, working in isolation, not even the most well intentioned – or even the most well-funded – organizations or individuals can address the obstacles to success that too many of our children confront in the 21st Century. The challenges are intertwined; each deepens the others, in a geometric – and often generational – erosion of opportunity. So to be effective, the efforts to alleviate those challenges must be coordinated and mutually reinforcing. Everyone concerned with Delaware’s future needs to be involved.”

First Chance Delaware will focus its work on:

• Ending childhood hunger and expanding access to nutritious food for low-income children;
• Promoting learning readiness through literacy, health and parent-child engagement programs; and
• Advancing the recognition of – and effective responses to – adverse childhood experiences.

“First Chance Delaware encourages partners from across government, the nonprofit sector, and private business to work together on behalf of Delaware’s children,” said Governor Carney. “This initiative is already helping to confront childhood hunger across our state, and will bring partners together to take on challenges surrounding trauma, learning readiness, and childhood literacy. Thank you to Tracey for her leadership, and we look forward to bringing more voices and resources to the table with the goal of finding solutions to critical issues facing Delaware’s children.”

The statewide Task Force to End Childhood Hunger is the first model partnership to be recognized as a First Chance Delaware program.

“Making sure our children and families have the tools they need to thrive and be successful is vital,” said Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long. “The partnerships created by First Chance Delaware will help us identify gaps so that we can assist and provide for our children in so many areas. I look forward to working with Governor Carney and First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney, as well as the Family Services Cabinet Council, to help make our children and families stronger and healthier.”

“As a member of the Governor’s Family Services Cabinet Council, I have seen firsthand the Governor’s commitment to improving the lives of Delaware’s children and families; however, state government alone cannot address all of the needs of Delawareans, which is why we are all very grateful to First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney for creating First Chance Delaware,” said Josette Manning, Secretary of Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families. “First Chance Delaware will break down the barriers between state agencies and all other individuals and organizations to encourage collaboration and creative solutions to some of the most complex issues facing our children and families.”

Related News
Summer Food Service Program Provides Nutritious Meals for Needy Children
First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney Attends Learning Lab on State Strategies to Reduce Childhood Hunger

Related Background Information
The statewide Task Force to End Childhood Hunger, with a central team convened by the First Lady, includes representatives from the Food Bank of Delaware, the Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Social Services. This task force’s specific goals include increasing participation and building partnerships in support of the Summer Food Service Program and alternative model school breakfasts. The task force also seeks to promote awareness of all programs, public and private, available to Delawareans experiencing food insecurity. Other task force partners include the Harry K Foundation; superintendents, principals, and members of the Delaware School Nutrition Association; the Department of Agriculture and Delaware farmers; Summer Food Service Program sponsors and partners; and the regional office of the USDA.