Nominations Open for 2023 Young Environmentalist Awards

Environmental advocate Anna Spence, DNREC’s 2022 Middle School Young Environmentalist of the Year./ Submitted photo

 

Nominate a Student Making a Difference for the Environment Today

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is looking for Delaware students who are working to make a difference for the environment, and encouraging teachers, classmates, club or group leaders, family members and others to nominate these students for the 2023 DNREC Young Environmentalist of the Year Awards. Nominations must be based on actions or projects which have taken place between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

“These awards recognize the work of today’s young environmentalists in Delaware, encouraging them and their peers to continue on their chosen path to protect, restore and enhance our natural resources,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Past honorees have ranged from beekeepers and cleanup organizers to young lobbyists and recycling advocates. I look forward to meeting this year’s class and hearing about what they are doing for Delaware – and the Earth.”

Now celebrating its 30th year, the Young Environmentalists program honors Delaware students whose actions and projects have involved one or more of the following: environmental stewardship, initiating an innovative project, increasing public awareness or demonstrating environmental ethics.

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, June 30, 2023. A winner will be chosen from each of the following categories: elementary (grades 1 to 4), middle school (grades 5 to 8), and high school (grades 9 to 12). Each category winner will receive a certificate, gift card and prize pack in recognition of his or her contribution to the community.

An awards ceremony is scheduled for Governor’s Day, Thursday, July 27, at the Delaware State Fair, with details to be announced in the summer.

More information and the nomination form can be found on the DNREC website at de.gov/youngenvironmentalists, or email joanna.wilson@delaware.gov.

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 @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###


Nominations Open for 2022 Young Environmentalist Awards

2021 DNREC Young Environmentalists of Year honorees were Maggie Wieber, Julia Rial and Rowan Smith./DNREC Photo.

 

 

Nominate a Student Making a Difference for the Environment Today

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is looking for Delaware students who are working to make a difference for the environment, and encouraging teachers, classmates, club or group leaders, family members and others to nominate these students for the 2022 Young Environmentalist of the Year Awards. Nominations must be based on actions or projects which have taken place between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.

The Young Environmentalist program honors Delaware students whose actions have helped protect, restore or enhance Delaware’s natural resources through one or more of the following: demonstrating environmental stewardship, initiating an innovative project, increasing public awareness or demonstrating environmental ethics.

Nominations will be accepted through Thursday, June 30, 2022. A winner will be chosen from each of the following categories: elementary (grades 1 to 4), middle school (grades 5 to 8), and high school (grades 9 to 12). Each category winner will receive a certificate, gift card and prize pack in recognition of his or her contribution to the community.

This is the 29th year for DNREC’s Young Environmentalist awards program. Past honorees have included students who planned community cleanups and tree plantings, founded or led school environmental clubs or projects and volunteered at parks and nature centers, as well as beekeepers, nature photographers, recycling advocates and young lobbyists.

An awards ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Governor’s Day, Thursday, July 28, at the Delaware State Fair, with details to be announced in the summer. All plans are subject to change based on health and safety considerations and any changes will be announced.

To nominate a student for the awards, or for more information, including the nomination form, visit de.gov/YoungEnvironmentalists, or email joanna.wilson@delaware.gov.

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 @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###


Governor’s Office Seeks Nominees for Delaware’s Appointed Seat on Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council

Nominating Applications Due March 4, 2022

The Office of Governor John Carney is seeking candidates to be nominated for Delaware’s Obligatory Seat on the Mid-Atlantic Fisheries Management Council (MAFMC). For consideration as a nominee by the Governor for submission to and selection by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a candidate must be a Delaware resident and must complete and submit a nomination application detailing their fisheries background, experience and ability to serve as a council member. NOAA requires that the Governor of each MAFMC state submits at least three nominations for a council seat.

The MAFMC is responsible for managing fisheries in Mid-Atlantic federal waters extending from three to 200 miles offshore from New York through North Carolina. MAFMC members must be prepared to attend six MAFMC meetings a year during a three-year term, with each meeting typically lasting four days. Council members are compensated by the MAFMC for all travel expenses for transportation, hotel and meals, and will also receive a stipend of $519.28 per meeting day.

According to NOAA’s website, nominees’ eligibility for the position is based, in part, on their occupation or other related experience, scientific expertise or training – and they must be knowledgeable and experienced in one or more of the following areas related to the fishery resources within Mid-Atlantic federal waters:

  • Commercial fishing, aquaculture or the processing or marketing of fish, fish products or fishing equipment
  • Fishing for pleasure, relaxation or consumption, or experience in any business supporting fishing
  • Leadership in a state, regional or national organization whose members participate in a fishery in the Council’s area of authority
  • The management and conservation of natural resources, including related interactions with industry, government bodies, academic institutions and public agencies
  • Representing consumers of fish or fish products through participation in local, state or national organizations, or performing other activities specifically related to the education or protection of consumers of marine resources; or
  • Teaching, journalism, writing, consulting, practicing law or researching matters related to fisheries, fishery management and marine resource conservation.

Applications should be submitted to the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife Fisheries Section by March 4, 2022. For a nomination application kit, please contact the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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


Governor Carney Announces Leadership Changes at Department of Health and Social Services

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday announced that Secretary Dr. Kara Odom Walker will leave her current role as the head of the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) this summer to join Nemours’ National Office of Policy and Prevention in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Walker, who has served as Secretary of the largest agency in Delaware’s state government since February 2017, is

leaving her position to fulfill a desire to pursue health care policy work at the national level. She will serve in Nemours’ Washington office as Senior Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer. In addition to leading the Department of Health and Social Services’ ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary Walker has led work at DHSS to:

  • Develop first-in-the-nation health care spending and quality benchmarks in Delaware while slowing the growth rate of health care spending;
  • Establish a reinsurance program in Delaware that reduced premiums by up to 19% on the individual insurance market in its first year and increased the number of people with coverage;
  • Fund a reduction in a long-standing wait list for services among seniors and adults with physical disabilities;
  • Create new Medicaid managed care contracts that embed paying for value in health care instead of volume and include quality metrics;
  • Hire former Wilmington Police Chief Bobby Cummings to head the Group Violence Intervention program;
  • Establish the Delaware Integrated Data System to support individuals and families in Wilmington impacted by violence;
  • Expand the Community Partner Support Unit to address social service needs for individuals and families in the communities in which the unit serves;
  • Reduce the barriers to individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorder, including launching an online treatment referral system;
  • Launch the My Healthy Community web portal, encouraging communities to assess the overall health of their residents for chronic diseases, mental illness and substance use, maternal and child health, and now COVID-19;
  • Train more than 1,000 front-line employees in a trauma-informed approach;
  • Raise the age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 and make healthy beverages the default drink in kids’ meals; and
  • Expand Medicaid dental coverage to adults, including individuals with disabilities.

“Since the day I took office as Governor, Dr. Walker has been a central part of the most qualified and diverse cabinet in Delaware’s history,” said Governor Carney. “Over the last several years, she has managed our health and social services programs with grace, poise, and with a steadfast focus on helping the Delawareans who are most in need. Kara’s compassionate leadership has been so incredibly important this year, as Delaware has grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Her leadership during this difficult time has saved lives, and helped Delaware respond successfully to this disease. Now we all need to do our part. Stay socially distant. Wear a face covering. Kara’s voice and leadership will be sorely missed in Delaware, but I’m confident she will continue to do great things at Nemours.”

“It was an incredible honor to be chosen by Governor Carney to lead the team at DHSS and to be entrusted with meeting the needs of the people of Delaware,” said Dr. Walker. “It has been one of the highlights of my life to come back to my home state and lead the dedicated team of women and men here at DHSS. During the pandemic, I witnessed our team come together as never before and figure out new ways of meeting the health and social service needs of the people we are sworn to serve. I am grateful to the Governor’s office, our fellow state agencies, the legislators, community partners and residents of Delaware for the faith they had in me and our entire Department. While I know that we advanced many health and social service policies during my tenure, I will always wish that I had more time, because there is more work to address health equity, health care costs and access to care up and down our state, but particularly for vulnerable populations.”

Governor Carney will nominate Molly Magarik, who currently serves as Deputy Secretary of DHSS, to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services.

The agency, with 11 divisions and more than 4,000 employees, is responsible for meeting the health and social service needs of Delawareans by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency and protecting vulnerable populations.

The Delaware Senate is expected to consider Deputy Secretary Magarik’s nomination later this month.

“Molly is a proven leader, a problem solver, and a committed public servant who has been second-in-command at DHSS for the last three and a half years,” said Governor Carney. “Throughout her career, and especially as Deputy Secretary, Molly built important relationships and trust with members of the General Assembly, our health care systems, agency staff, and Delawareans throughout the state. As we continue to fight COVID-19, I’m confident Molly will be able to lead this department without missing a beat, while continuing our work to make Delaware a stronger and healthier state. I look forward to the Senate considering her nomination.”

“I am truly humbled and incredibly honored to be nominated by Governor Carney as the next Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services,” said Deputy Secretary Magarik. “I am grateful to the Governor for the trust and faith he has in me to lead this agency, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to serve in his Cabinet. I thank Secretary Walker for her leadership and guidance, and for the inspiring way she had led our Department for more than three years with an innovative spirit, a caring heart and an incredible commitment to improving the quality of life for Delawareans.”

Magarik has served as Deputy Secretary since February 2017, directing and managing key priorities for DHSS, including health care financing, payment and delivery system reform; budget administration and management; and early childhood education. She also served as the Department’s chief strategy officer, and developed and maintained critical partnerships with Delaware cabinet agency leaders, the legislature, the federal delegation, advocates, and health care system leadership throughout the state.

Before joining DHSS, Magarik served as State Director for then Congressman John Carney and Political Director for Beau Biden’s campaign for Attorney General. She also worked as a strategic advisor across nonprofits and government, including as Executive Director of the Delaware Democratic Party. She is a candidate for a Master’s of Health Care Delivery Science from Dartmouth College, and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Government from the University of Delaware. She and her husband, Josh, have two daughters and live in Middletown. 

###


Nominations Open for 2020 Young Environmentalist Awards

Caroline Nacchia was was honored in 2019

Nominate a Student Making a Difference for the Environment Today

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is looking for Delaware students who are working to make a difference for the environment, and encouraging teachers, classmates, club or group leaders, family members and others to nominate these students for the 2020 Young Environmentalist of the Year Awards. Nominations must be based on actions or projects which have taken place between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020.

The Young Environmentalist program honors Delaware students whose actions have helped protect, restore or enhance of Delaware’s natural resources through one or more of the following: demonstrating environmental stewardship, initiating an innovative project, increasing public awareness or demonstrating environmental ethics.

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, July 10, 2020. A winner will be chosen from each of the following categories: elementary (grades 1-4), middle school (grades 5-8), and high school (grades 9-12). Each category winner will receive a certificate, gift card and prize pack in recognition of his or her contribution to the community.

This is the 27th year for DNREC’s Young Environmentalist awards program. Past honorees have included students who planned community cleanups and tree plantings, founded or led school environmental clubs or projects and volunteered at parks and nature centers, as well as beekeepers, nature photographers, recycling advocates and young lobbyists.

In past years, winners have been honored in a special ceremony on Governor’s Day at the Delaware State Fair, which is tentatively planned for Thursday, July 30 this year. All plans are subject to change based on health and safety considerations and any changes will be announced.

Nominations may be submitted online at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/young-environmentalists/, or emailed to joanna.wilson@delaware.gov.

For more information, including nomination forms, please visit https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/young-environmentalists/, or call DNREC Public Affairs at 302-739-9902.

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: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###