Dr. Joshua Moody, Restoration Programs Manager for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.

The living shoreline feasibility model as a tool for green infrastructure design is the topic of a free webinar at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Dr. Joshua Moody, Restoration Programs manager for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Moody will provide an overview of the living shoreline feasibility model (LSFM) and how the tool evaluates a variety of metrics to assess considerations when installing and maintaining a living shoreline. The presentation will showcase how the LSFM guides users in collecting information on the physical and ecological characteristics of a specific site location, as well as factors related to site access and community resources.

The model provides a relative evaluation of sites and can integrate with baseline data on existing conditions to help inform team building, design and installation planning. The webinar presenter will discuss how the LSFM can be used to assist in the implementation of site selection and inform the various types of expertise required for success. Additionally, the lecture will touch on how the model can help practitioners better understand how to phase a multi-step project.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program and the DNREC Coastal Training program.

More information, including registration, can be found at de.gov/livingshorelinewebinar.

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 Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. 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

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Webinar speaker Capt. Alek Modjeski will discuss case studies of living shoreline projects in New Jersey

The importance of community engagement and involvement in shoreline restoration projects is the topic of a free webinar at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Capt. Alek Modjeski, a professional ecologist, fisheries biologist, and the habitat restoration program director for the American Littoral Society.

Modjeski will provide an overview of coastal estuarine restoration projects that have a strong emphasis on community engagement and involvement. The presentation will showcase how the use of public and private partnerships create connectivity and resiliency throughout the habitat restoration process. This model includes several case studies of projects conducted throughout New Jersey focusing on the application of living shorelines. The webinar presenter will discuss how these projects goals extend beyond just restoring coastal areas to increase the ecosystem’s resiliency and functionality for the future. A unique feature of the case studies in this lecture will identify the involvement of a workforce consisting of military veterans and volunteers.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program and the DNREC Coastal Training program.

For more information, visit Delaware Living Shorelines. Registration for the webinar and more information about it are also available on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/DNRECmeetings.

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 Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. 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

DNREC to Provide Overview of Strategies to Minimize Emissions, Maximize Resilience

[versión en español]

Delawareans interested in strategies for minimizing emissions and maximizing resilience to the impacts of climate change identified in Delaware’s Climate Action Plan have two opportunities to learn more at upcoming presentations from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The presentations will be available in both English and Spanish.

Gov. John Carney released Delaware’s Climate Action Plan Nov. 4.

The Plan, which builds off decades of work, was created to:

• Help Delaware meet its current commitment of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26% from 2005 levels by 2025;
• Integrate actions for both minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and maximizing resilience to climate change impacts;
• Set Delaware on a course for continuing climate action in the decades ahead.

“Delaware’s Climate Action Plan identifies practical strategies we can take to maximize our state’s resilience to climate change impacts and minimize planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “It builds off past and present work. The strategies are ambitious, but attainable, and can be implemented over time, as resources, data and partnerships develop.”

The presentation will begin with opening remarks from Secretary Garvin, followed by a review of the climate impacts in Delaware and how the public and state agencies contributed to creating the Climate Action Plan.

The presentation will then highlight actions and strategies for minimizing greenhouse gas emissions and maximizing our resilience to climate change impacts identified in the Plan, as well as look at next steps and guiding principles for implementation.

Time permitting, presenters will be able to answer questions that participants may have.

The presentation will be offered twice. The first presentation will take place Monday, Dec. 6, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. A link to registration for the Dec. 6 presentation is available from de.gov/dnrecmeetings.

The second presentation will take place Thursday, Dec. 9, from 7 to 8 p.m. Registration for the Dec. 9 presentation is available from de.gov/dnrecmeetings.

Attendees who wish to use the Spanish translator or closed-captioning will need to download the most-up-to date version of Zoom prior to the presentation.

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 Climate, Coastal and Energy uses science, education, policy development and incentives to address Delaware’s climate, energy and coastal challenges. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov or Jim Lee, JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov.

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A North Carolina living shorelines application (app) is the topic of a free webinar at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speakers are Jenny Davis, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Lora Eddy, of The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Davis and Eddy will discuss how TNC partnered with NOAA’s Beaufort, N.C. Lab to create a living shorelines app. Their presentation will showcase research on North Carolina shorelines in the southern Pamlico, Core and Bogue Sounds and the New River Estuary, as well as discuss the app’s goal of helping people identify where more natural techniques can stabilize their shorelines. This digital tool identifies where shoreline wave energy conditions are suitable to ensure successful living shoreline projects. Webinar presenters will help the audience learn more about the North Carolina living shorelines app, including the purpose, development, and practical uses of the tool.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program and the DNREC Coastal Training program.

For more information, visit Delaware Living Shorelines. Registration for the webinar and more information about it are also available on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/dnrecmeetings.

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 Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. 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

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Dr. C. Rhett Jackson

Increasing coastal resilience to sea level rise through natural infrastructure and dredge material is the topic of a free webinar at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Dr. C. Rhett Jackson of the University of Georgia, graduate coordinator for the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and a member of Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems and Network for Engineering with Nature.

Dr. Jackson, a John Porter Stevens Distinguished Professor of Water Resources, will discuss how barrier islands and coastal communities of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, must adapt to survive due to sea level rise driven by global warming. His presentation will describe how these areas face increasing flood-related problems, issues with stormwater and sewer drainage systems, heavier damage during tropical storms, and significant loss of land area. In taking action on these issues, solutions have been developed including a mix of natural infrastructure projects, traditional infrastructure retrofits, and policy refinements. Jackson’s presentation will also touch on how beneficial use of dredge materials can help reduce overall costs of sea-level rise adaptation.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series presented by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a working group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline tactics within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program and the Delaware Coastal Training Program.

For more information, visit Delaware Living Shorelines. Registration for the webinar and more information about it are also available on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/DNRECmeetings.

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 Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. 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