DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship invites photographers of all ages and skill levels to participate in this year’s Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest. The contest aims to share the beauty of Delaware’s diverse environment while acting as a vivid reminder that everything that happens on land within the state’s watersheds also directly affects what’s happening in our waterways.

A watershed is all of the land that water moves across or under while flowing to a specific body of water. Images from any of Delaware’s watersheds will be accepted. Contest judges will be looking for striking photographic images of Delaware’s waterways, landscapes, native plants and animals, and agricultural practices.

All entries must be submitted by Sunday, June 2. Contest judges from within DNREC will choose entries that move on to the next stage of the contest – online public voting – which will determine the finalists and winners in each category. Photos by contest winners will be on display at the 2019 Delaware State Fair and voted on by fairgoers to determine the overall “Best in Show.” The first place winners of each of five contest categories listed below will receive a Delaware State Park pass for 2020. The first, second, and third place winners of each category will be recognized during the annual DNREC Awards ceremony on Governor’s Day at the Delaware State Fair, and the “Best in Show” will be featured in Outdoor Delaware magazine.

To enter the Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest, participants should fill out the online submission form, which includes providing a description with the entrant’s name, phone number, address, email address, the location the image was taken, the category the photograph is being entered in, and if submitting a photograph in the Native Wildlife or Native Plant category, the name of the species in the photograph. Images must be at least 1650 by 2100 pixels (but no larger than 10MB) resolution, and the digital image must be submitted in .jpeg or .png format. Only photos that meet the criteria, along with a completed form, will be eligible.

Contestants may enter photographs in all or any of the five categories below but photographers can only win one place per category. Your photograph with the most votes will be your final submission for that category. A completed submission form must accompany each photograph entered.

The categories and criteria on submitting photos for them are as follow:

Natural Landscapes of Delaware – Photographs of the scenic visible features of Delaware’s countryside or land.

Waterscapes of Delaware – Photographs of any waterbodies such as streams, rivers, lakes, creeks, estuaries, bay, ocean, etc.

Native Wildlife of Delaware – Entries in this category may only include photographs of native mammals, birds, fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians of Delaware. Photographs of domesticated animals are not eligible in this category. When submitting in this category, include the name of the species appearing in your photo in the application form.

Native Plants of Delaware – Photographs of Delaware native plants in any setting. When submitting in this category, include the name of the species in the application form. No wildlife are permitted in this category, native plants only.

Agriculture in Delaware – Photographs of the practice of farming, including but not limited to the cultivation of soil for growing crops and rearing animals for food, wool, and other products.

Rules and the submission form are available on the Division of Watershed Stewardship website at Delaware Watersheds Photo Contest. Questions can be emailed to dwpc@delaware.gov.

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

DOVER – The Source Water Assessment Plan (SWAP) Subcommittee of the Source Water Assessment and Protection Program will meet at 10 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 29, in the Training Room of Tidewater Utilities located at 1100 South Little Creek Road, Dover, DE 19901. The SWAP Subcommittee’s meeting agenda can be found on the Delaware Public Meeting Calendar at https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/60721.

For more information about the Source Water Assessment and Protection Program, please visit http://delawaresourcewater.org, or contact Source Water Program Hydrologist Douglas Rambo at 302-739-9945.

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

Vol. 48, No. 315

GREENWOOD – Charter School of Wilmington Team A was named the champion of the 2018 Delaware Envirothon competition held Thursday, April 26 at Swartzentruber Farm in Greenwood and sponsored by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Charter School of Wilmington won the school’s 19th Envirothon championship in the event’s 23-year history, including an unbroken winning streak since 2002.

Team A (pictured above) is Ashley Pennington, Harshitha Henry, Priyanka Hoskere, Siddharth Gangrade, and Tara Lennon. Charter School of Wilmington Teams’ B and C placed second and third, respectively, in this year’s Envirothon competition.

All 110 students stepped into the outdoor classroom of a 200-acre grass-fed beef cattle operation to test their knowledge of natural resources after preparing all school year. Each of the 22 teams answered questions, reviewed specimens and took measurements in topics dealing with aquatic ecology, soils/land-use, wildlife, forestry, air quality and the current environmental issue of pasture management. Teams also gave a seven- to 10-minute oral presentation of a scenario in which they developed a management plan to optimize grazing potential, enhance wildlife in the area and improve water quality. After more than three hours of testing, Charter School of Wilmington Team A was named the 2018 state champion.

Each member of the winning team earned a $500 scholarship from the Delaware Envirothon, an award plaque for their school, and additional prizes. Charter School of Wilmington Team A will also advance to represent Delaware in the 2018 National Conservation Foundation Envirothon at Idaho State University this summer. The second-, third- and fourth-place teams received more than $1,155 in special team awards and cash prizes.

Prizes in the form of gift cards and ribbons were awarded to the top seven teams. The official results are as follows:

• First place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team A
• Second place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team B
• Third place: Charter School of Wilmington, Team C
• Fourth place: MOT Charter, Team A
• Fifth place: Middletown High School, Team Sneaky Snakes
• Sixth place: Peach Blossom 4-H Club
• Seventh place: Middletown High School FFA, Team Envirotots

Since its inception, the Delaware Envirothon has awarded $57,500 in scholarships to 115 students. The competition is sponsored annually by DNREC and hosted by the Delaware Association of Conservation Districts (DACD), a voluntary, non-profit association that coordinates conservation efforts statewide to focus on natural resource issues identified by Delaware’s three local districts.

For more information about the Delaware Envirothon, please visit www.delawareenvirothon.org or contact Rick Mickowski at 302-832-3100 ext. 113.

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

Vol. 48, No. 96

DOVER – The Source Water Protection Citizens and Technical Advisory Committee (CTAC) of the Source Water Assessment and Protection Program will meet from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 2, in Conference Room 220 A&B of the Kent County Administrative Offices on Bay Road in Dover. The CTAC meeting agenda can be found on the Delaware Public Meeting Calendar at https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/56116.

For more information about the Source Water Assessment and Protection Program, please visit http://delawaresourcewater.org, or contact Source Water Program Hydrologist Douglas Rambo at 302-739-9945.

Vol. 48, No. 90

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

NEW CASTLE COUNTY – DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin encourages volunteers to sign up for the Department-sponsored 27th annual Christina River Watershed Cleanup along the river and several tributaries next Saturday, April 14 from 8-11 a.m. at 14 sites throughout northern New Castle County.

“Clearing debris from the Christina River Watershed not only improves the landscape for residents and visitors to enjoy, it improves the health and quality of the river and its tributaries, the primary sources of public water supply for New Castle County residents and businesses. The work these volunteers do is important, and we thank them for it,” said Secretary Garvin.

The annual cleanup will be held rain or shine. For the second year, the City of Newark site will hold its Spring Community Clean Up in conjunction with the Christina River Cleanup.

Since the cleanup began in 1992, more than 360 tons of tires, appliances, household items, and plastic and styrofoam have been cleared from the Christina River, White Clay Creek, Naamans Creek and other tributaries. More than 13,000 volunteers have filled trash bags along Churchmans Marsh, White Clay Creek State Park, the City of Wilmington and various other locations.

DNREC has been a sponsor and an integral part of the Christina River Watershed Cleanup since its inception. Specifically, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife provides planning support in addition to staff and boats to transport volunteers and to offload trash collected from remote locations. The cleanup of the river within the city of Wilmington benefits DNREC’s ongoing marsh restoration work at the Russell W. Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge. Three State parks – Brandywine Creek, Fox Point, and White Clay Creek – and several New Castle County parks, also serve as primary Cleanup locations.

For a complete list of cleanup sites and to register for volunteering, please visit www.ChristinaRiverCleanup.org or call 302-307-2757. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up for one of the 14 sites as soon as possible so adequate supplies can be provided to each site captain. For safety and efficiency, volunteers are encouraged to wear long sleeves and pants, boots or water-resistant shoes, hats, heavy-duty gloves, sunscreen, and insect repellant. Waders or hip boots are helpful for the City of Wilmington, Newport Boat Ramp, and Churchman’s Marsh-Christiana sites. Due to insurance requirements, volunteers under the age of 16 must have adult supervision. All participants must wear a life jacket while on board any boat.

As a thank you, volunteers will receive a Christina River Watershed Cleanup reusable tote bag, perfect for shopping trips, featuring a blue variation of Ramiro Lopez-Villalobos’ design for this year’s cleanup logo. The first 500 volunteers will also receive water bottles donated by KCI Technologies. The Delaware Department of Transportation will be providing various giveaways for younger volunteers. Water and a variety of refreshments will be provided at all locations.

More than 50 organizations and businesses sponsor the cleanup each year. In addition to DNREC, primary sponsors include: Christina Conservancy; Artesian Water Company; New Castle County; Partnership for the Delaware Estuary; Dow Chemical Company; ICNA Relief / Islamic Society of Delaware; and SUEZ Water in Delaware. DNREC has welcomed several new sponsors to the Cleanup ranks this year: Delmarva Power; DuPont Company; and IncNow, a Delaware incorporation company. Along with KCI and DelDOT, the Cleanup also is pleased to bring aboard sponsors Bloom Energy; BrightFields, Inc.; and Duffield Associates, Inc.

For more information on DNREC’s programs, visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov.

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

Vol. 48, No. 76

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