LEWES  – The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park, including a stretch of ocean beach and dunes, and a half mile along the bay shoreline, will close beginning Wednesday, March 1, for the benefit of threatened and endangered beachnesters and migratory shorebirds, including red knot, piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and other species.

The nesting habitat on the ocean side will reopen Sept. 1. The bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter.

DNREC’s Divisions of Parks & Recreation, Fish & Wildlife and Watershed Stewardship have been working together since 1990 to implement a management plan to halt the decline of beachnester and migratory shorebird populations. The Point has been closed annually since 1993.

“We appreciate the public’s cooperation in this effort,” said Park Superintendent Paul Faircloth. “DNREC is committed to providing protection for these species, hopefully to prevent them from disappearing in Delaware.”

For more information, contact Cape Henlopen State Park at 302-645-8983.

Vol. 47, No. 44

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Public invited to say farewell to Zhanna, the zoo’s Amur tiger

WILMINGTON – The Brandywine Zoo’s Amur tiger, Zhanna, is scheduled to be transferred to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo in New York early in January 2017, according to DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation in partnership with zoo officials and the Delaware Zoological Society.

The relocation is prompted by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan – a robust and scientific endeavor to manage the genetic diversity of captive species. Zhanna’s genetic profile and age make her a good candidate for breeding and consequently, for transfer to a zoo with a successful tiger breeding program.

“As an AZA Accredited institution, the Brandywine Zoo is committed to species conservation,” said Brandywine Zoo General Curator Lynn Klein. “We rely on the cooperation among zoos to ensure a healthy, genetically diverse population.”

Amur tigers are an endangered species, with fewer than 500 living in small populations in far eastern Russia and northeast China. The tigers are losing their habitat due to logging activities, human encroachment and poaching. The AZA supports habitat protection and anti-poaching programs and at the same time, also supports careful matching of breeding pairs in captivity within the AZA accredited facilities. Zhanna was born at the St. Louis Zoo and she is one of only 300 tigers in zoos accredited by the AZA.

“Zhanna is a beloved animal at the Brandywine Zoo and we will all miss her,” said Michael T. Allen, Executive Director of the Delaware Zoological Society. “We wish her the best and look at this as a new beginning for Zhanna and an opportunity to embark on a new phase of development at the Brandywine Zoo.”

Zhanna came to the Brandywine Zoo in 2011 at the age of three. She was born and reared by her mother with her siblings at the St. Louis Zoo in Missouri.

The tiger care and breeding program at the Bronx Zoo is considered exemplary by zoo officials around the world. Zhana’s new home at the Bronx Zoo’s Tiger Mountain is an open range exhibit with grasslands, trees and multi-level habitat for the tigers in public view, and also features a state-of-the-art, off-exhibit area

Zhanna’s keepers at the Brandywine Zoo will accompany the transport team and help Zhanna acclimate to her new home. They will work with the Bronx Zoo tiger keepers to transfer knowledge for a seamless transition of her care. There are no plans, at this time, to add another tiger at the Brandywine Zoo.

The public is invited to say farewell to Zhanna at the Brandywine Zoo Wednesday through Sunday in December, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. – no admission will be charged. The Brandywine Zoo will celebrate her “New Beginning” on Saturday, Dec. 31 from 1 – 2 p.m.

Gates on Dec. 31 will open at 10 a.m. for the zoo’s “Noon Year’s Eve” event, a family-friendly celebration of the New Year with games and crafts. Admission will be charged until noon; $5 per person for ages three and older, and no charge to Delaware Zoological Members. Admission will be free from noon until 3:30 p.m.

The Brandywine Zoo is located at 1001 North Park Drive, Wilmington, DE 19802. It is open Wednesday – Sunday through February, and all week from March through mid-November from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.brandywinezoo.org or call 302-571-7747.

The Brandywine Zoo is part of the Delaware State Parks and is managed by the Delaware Division of Parks & Recreation with the support of the Delaware Zoological Society, the non-profit volunteer organization that supports the mission of the Brandywine Zoo.

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

Vol. 46, No. 425

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Park venues to continue in full swing during several weeks of upcoming construction

LEWES – The Cape Henlopen State Park office will close for renovations on Oct. 8, 2016, DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation announced today. While construction keeps the park office shut for several weeks, daily entrance fees, surf fishing permits, hunting permits and lifetime Delaware State Park passes will be available for purchase at the entrance fee booths. Fee booth hours are 8 a.m. – 4 p.m seven days a week. All park transactions during this time will be cash-only.

Office calls and park information will be handled through the Biden Center, by calling 302-644-5005 or emailing park superintendent Paul Faircloth at Paul.Faircloth@delaware.gov.

Although the family campground at Cape Henlopen State Park has closed for the season also for a construction project, the Fort Miles Cantonment Area, beaches, Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier, and hiking and biking trails will still be available for use.

CONTACT: Elizabeth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 46, No. 356

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DOVER (March 26, 2013) – DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation will host a public open house for the proposed Gordons Pond Trail in Cape Henlopen State Park. The Open House will be held from 4 p.m. through 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 3 at the Lewes Library, Second Floor Meeting Room, 111 Adams Avenue in Lewes.

This project is part of Governor Jack Markell’s Statewide Trails and Pathways Initiative. The proposed trail will provide a key link in a 15.5-mile regional trail system through Lewes and Rehoboth including the existing Junction and Breakwater Trail.

The proposed trail will extend from the wildlife observation platform at Gordons Pond Area to the Walking Dune Trail near Herring Point in Cape Henlopen State Park. Approximately two miles long, the new trail will improve and reroute an existing primitive trail. The proposed trail will consist of a .4 mile elevated segment and 1.5 mile trail with a crushed stone surface.

More trails for walking, hiking, biking, and jogging 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 Gordons Pond Trail will offer an excellent opportunity for young Delawareans to be outdoors to experience and learn about nature.

Visitors at the Open House can view the Gordons Pond Trail Plan and related information including exhibits, maps, and trail alignments, models of a bridge/boardwalk, trail tread cross sections, and decking material.

For more information on the Gordons Pond Trail Open House, contact Susan Moerschel, Planning Chief, DNREC Park Resource Office, 302-739-9240 or susan.moerschel@delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 43, No.108

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DOVER (March 27, 2013) – Delaware State Parks Beach Patrol is seeking qualified applicants to fill ocean lifeguard positions at five of Delaware’s premier swimming beaches in Sussex County. Tryouts for interested applicants will be held at the Freeman Fitness Center at Sea Colony in Bethany Beach at 8 a.m. on April 2 and 27. There is no pre-registration necessary. Interested individuals may simply attend the tryout of their choice.

No experience is necessary; however, applicants must be at least 16 and able to meet fitness standards and swimming ability minimums, such as: swim 550 yards in 10 minutes; complete a two-mile beach run in 20 minutes; do 25 push-ups in 60 seconds; do 25 sit-ups in 60 seconds; complete a 100-yard timed soft sand sprint; and complete a 25-yard timed swim sprint. 

Delaware State Parks Beach Patrol offers a competitive salary, strength training and participation in Ocean Lifeguard competitions. As a United States Lifesaving Associated (USLA) Advanced Certified Agency, the Beach Patrol also offers the following paid training: Delaware State Parks Ocean Rescue Training; DOT – First Responder Training; CPR/AED/First Aid Training; Helicopter – Open Water Rescue Program; and Sussex County EMS – Medic Assistant Training.

 More information about the Delaware State Parks Beach Patrol is available at destateparks.com/lifeguard or by calling 302-632-0396 or 302-227-2800, ext. 106. Sea Colony is located at 38994 West Way Drive, Bethany Beach, DE 19930.  

Contact: Bryan John, Delaware State Parks, 302-227-2800, ext. 106; Kris Knutsen, 302-632-0396; or Necia Beck, Delaware State Parks 302-739-9175, Necia.Beck@delaware.gov

Vol. 43, No.114

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