DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation will host a public open house to enable the public to comment on the latest update of the Auburn Valley Master Plan, which outlines proposed strategies for the former NVF site in Yorklyn and surrounding areas.

The open house will be held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Monday, April 18, at the Center for Creative Arts, 410 Upper Snuff Mill Row, Yorklyn, DE 19736.

In 2011, DNREC worked with the community and several partners to create the Auburn Valley Master Plan, a unified vision for Yorklyn and its surrounding areas. That version of the master plan outlined several options for redevelopment of the former NVF site and showed conceptual trail connections to the surrounding community.

Since then, DNREC has continued to work with partners and neighboring properties on designs and refinements of key components of the plan, and is now ready to solicit comments from the public at the open house.

Visitors at the open house are invited to view the proposed plan and provide comments to DNREC program staff.
For more information on the open house, contact Matt Chesser, Division of Parks & Recreation, 302-739-9235 or matthew.chesser@delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No.124

Conservation partnership with Delaware Chapters of National Wild Turkey Federation helped secure acquisition

WESTERN SUSSEX COUNTY – With the Delaware spring turkey hunting season in full swing, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife – in “calling out” to the future of the increasingly popular sport – today announced the recent acquisition of 650 acres of sprawling woods and fields in western Sussex County as part of the Midlands Wildlife Area. The newly-named West Tract expands the Midlands Wildlife Area, which sits within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, to more than 4,000 acres – all managed for wildlife habitat and public hunting. This year – if a hunter’s name was drawn in a preseason public lands turkey hunting lottery – that would include the opportunity for bagging a gobbler in some of Delaware’s best wild turkey habitat.

Funding for the acquisition of the West Tract at Midlands Wildlife Area came from the Delaware Open Space Fund and a private donation from a key conservation partner, the Delaware Chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), whose mission is to promote Delaware’s hunting and land preservation heritage to the benefit of native wildlife, including the wild turkey.

“Conserving this substantial tract is part of the ongoing landscape-level initiative to protect the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, a collaborative effort involving federal, state and local governments alongside non-government conservation partners such as the National Wild Turkey Federation,” said Division of Fish & Wildlife Director David Saveikis. “It is fitting that this acquisition was made possible with the help of one of our long-term conservation partners, the Delaware Chapters of the Wild Turkey Federation – which history will credit for having worked with the Division in the early 1980s to reestablish Delaware’s wild turkey population as one of the state’s great success stories for wildlife conservation.”

The donation from NWTF’s Delaware chapters stems from the organization’s ongoing national initiative, “Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt,” intended to protect and enhance 4 million acres of upland habitat, introduce 1.5 million new people nationwide to the sport of hunting and create hunting access to 500,000 acres of land nationwide. The Delaware chapters have drafted a strategic plan for their role in the initiative that involves working with the Division of Fish & Wildlife and other agencies over the next decade to conserve or enhance 11,000 acres of wildlife habitat in the First State, help maintain hunter numbers at current levels and create 1,000 acres of new public hunting access.

The timing of the Midlands acquisition fits perfectly with NWTF’s local and national initiative’s goals, noted Bob Eriksen, a certified wildlife biologist retired from the organization: “The acquisition of a large tract of land of this quality occurs rarely in Delaware – and this property is already ideal wild turkey habitat, consisting of mature hardwoods interspersed with agricultural fields,” Eriksen said. “This property, along with other public lands in Sussex County, provides a great chance to begin development of a landscape level program to enhance habitat by connecting well-managed public and private lands and creating a core area of suitable habitat. Expanding the public land base assures the future of not only wild turkey habitat, but also additional wildlife habitat that helps secure our hunting tradition.”

Tom Spangler, past chairman of the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Delaware Board of Directors, said NWTF’s Delaware members are committed to supporting “Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt,” by actively fundraising from annual banquets for projects such as the Midlands acquisition. “Facing the overall loss of habitat across the country, we are determined to do our part to ensure that more habitat is preserved for future generations here in Delaware,” Spangler said. “On behalf of the NWTF’s Delaware Board of Directors, I’d like to thank our membership for their support on this purchase, and encourage them to continue their efforts to meet our conservation goals.”

The new Midlands tract includes older growth hardwood trees, relatively undisturbed wetlands along a stream, a portion of the Pepper Branch tributary to the Broad Creek and Nanticoke River system, and some actively farmed agricultural lands. Sussex County Wildlife Area Manager Rob Gano said the leased farm fields have been reconfigured to allow for future wetland restoration work along a ditch system and to create space for future tree and warm season grass plantings.

“We have the opportunity to establish early successional habitat – maintained grasslands and young forest areas that provide food and cover for wildlife – along the edges of the farmed fields,” Gano said. “The addition of this tract also allows for enhanced public access, helps protect water quality and conserves the landscape in rural western Sussex.”

Established in 1973 to perpetuate populations of wild turkeys on suitable ranges for the use and enjoyment of the American people, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage. The NWTF is actively involved in wild turkey research and promotes sportsmanship ethics, hunting safety, wildlife conservation and conservation education on public and private lands for its more than 250,000 members as well as the entire hunting community. For more information, visit www.nwtf.org.

The Delaware Chapters of the NWTF raises more than $10,000 annually and allocates more than $7,000 annually in NWTF funding in partnership with the Division of Fish & Wildlife for conservation, law enforcement, land management, research and a variety of projects, as well as programs for youth, women, and disabled persons. For more information on NWTF-DE, visit www.nwtf.org/delaware.

In 1990 the Delaware Land Protection Act established the Delaware Open Space Program to oversee the protection and purchase of state lands as fish and wildlife areas, parks, state forests, nature preserves and cultural sites.

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

Vol. 46, No. 123

DOVER – Wildlife art enthusiasts, stamp and print collectors, waterfowl hunters, anglers, birdwatchers and wetland conservationists will gather at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, April 14 at the Dover Public Library for the judging of Delaware’s annual Waterfowl Stamp and Trout Stamp contests. Following the competition, entries will be on display at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge April 15-29.

Sponsored by DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, the annual waterfowl stamp contest draws entries by renowned and emerging artists from across the country. The winning artwork will be reproduced on a stamp which must be carried by most waterfowl hunters. Waterfowl stamps are also purchased by collectors and other conservation-minded citizens.

This year will mark the 37th anniversary of the contest, which began in 1980 to raise funds for waterfowl conservation, including acquiring and improving wetland habitats vital to the survival of migratory waterfowl. To date, more than $2.6 million has been raised from the purchase of Delaware Waterfowl Stamps. The new Waterfowl Stamp, which will go on sale for the 2017/18 hunting season, will feature artwork that must include a canvasback duck and a Chesapeake Bay retriever.

For the 2017 Trout Stamp contest, artists from across the nation had the opportunity to submit paintings of rainbow, brown or brook trout for consideration. The winning artwork will be reproduced on a stamp that is required for most trout anglers. Some 6,500 trout anglers and stamp collectors support this program annually, generating funds to purchase trout for stocking in six northern New Castle County streams, Tidbury Pond in Kent County and Newton Pond in Sussex County.

Delaware’s 2017/18 Waterfowl Stamp will be selected by five judges to include a Ducks Unlimited designee and a member of the Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish, with the remaining three judges randomly selected by the director of the Division of Fish & Wildlife from a pool of available judges that includes conservationists, biologists and artists. The 2017 Delaware Trout Stamp also will be selected by five judges: a member of the Delaware Trout Association and a member of the Advisory Council on Wildlife and Freshwater Fish, with the remaining three judges also randomly selected by the director of the Division of Fish & Wildlife from a pool including anglers, biologists and artists.

For more information on Delaware’s Waterfowl Stamp and Trout Stamp programs, please contact the Division of Fish & Wildlife at 302-739-9911, or visit www.fw.delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No. 112

SEAFORD – Hearns Pond dam and boat ramp, north of Seaford, will close in May for up to one year while a replacement ramp and dam are built, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife, which operates and maintains the state-owned facility, announced today.

Hearns Pond dam was overtopped and seriously damaged during storms on Aug. 11, 2001 and June 25, 2006, draining the pond and causing serious downstream flooding damage. DNREC funded a study to evaluate the condition and potential hazards of the dam and has worked with DelDOT to develop a replacement plan to bring the dam into compliance with Delaware’s Dam Safety Regulations. Upgrading the dam will also help ensure the long-term availability of the pond as a popular fishing site.

Access to the Hearns Pond boat ramp, parking lot and dam will be closed during construction. Water levels in the pond will be maintained and an historic mill at the site will be protected while the replacement dam and boat ramp are built. Exact closure dates and additional information about the project will be announced closer to the start of construction.

Boaters who regularly use Hearns Pond may opt to use Concord Pond, located approximately 3.5 miles southeast near Seaford, or Craigs Pond, located approximately 5 miles southwest near Seaford.

For more information, please call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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

Vol. 46, No. 105

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation will host a public open house on the proposed Tri-Valley Trail in the Possum Hill Area of White Clay Creek State Park. The Open House will be held 4:30 – 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 4, at the Deerfield Golf and Tennis Club, 507 Thompson Station Road, Newark, DE 19711.

The Division of Parks & Recreation proposes to fill a gap in a regional trail system by constructing approximately 2.8 miles of the Tri-Valley Trail, and adding two new trailhead parking sites. The trail will immediately connect Paper Mill Park, a heavily visited New Castle County Park.

Portions of the Tri-Valley Trail are open and in use in New Castle County parks and Newark parks. When combined with other trails, the proposed Tri-Valley Trail would become part of an 18-mile regional network of recreational trails in Greater Newark. Project information is available online at www.destateparks.com/TriValleyTrail.

Visitors at the open house can view proposed trail alignment options and related information including natural and cultural resource conditions, regional trail maps, and trail and trailhead construction details. Parks staff will be available to provide additional information.

More trails for walking, hiking, biking, jogging and related activities rank consistently as the highest outdoor recreation need identified by Delawareans throughout the state. In addition, trail networks promote healthy lifestyles and take cars off the road, reducing air pollution and traffic. The Tri-Valley Trail will offer an opportunity for families and children to be outdoors, enjoy nature and be physically active.

This trail project is part of Governor Markell’s First State Trails and Pathways Initiative that expands a statewide network of new and enhanced trails and pathways for walking, biking, hiking and active living.

For more information on the open house, contact Susan Moerschel, Division of Parks & Recreation at 302-739-9240 or Susan.Moerschel@delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 46, No.103