DOVER – DNREC has been awarded a $345,000 US Environmental Protection Agency Wetland Program Development Grant that will go to the Division of Watershed Stewardship Watershed Assessment and Management Section’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program to fund enhanced wetland conservation in Delaware through science, statewide mapping, and education and outreach.

EPA announced the grant today in Philadelphia in a statement from Region III Administrator Shawn M. Garvin: “Wetlands play a significant role in protecting our nation’s water supply. By taking action to protect and restore these valuable resources, DNREC is protecting sources of our drinking water, preventing flooding, and making us more resilient to climate change.”

DNREC Secretary David Small said the grant would benefit Delaware in confronting challenges to conserve, sustain, and restore the state’s wetlands, which cover as much as one-fourth of its topography even after 200 years of wetlands losses that have continued into the 21st century. “Delaware’s wetlands are among our most important ecological resources but continue to face threats – pollution, sea level rise and changing climates and landscapes,” Sec. Small said. “We value our partnership with EPA that will support our efforts to protect and restore wetlands and ensure their valuable services.”

The grant will focus on intensifying conservation and outreach efforts made to wetland landowners, especially in the case of Delaware’s ecologically unique wetlands – and the importance of conserving these vital resources through voluntary landowner incentives along with new and imaginative outreach efforts aimed at public awareness of how precious and essential wetland resources are to a safe, healthy and robust environment and economy, and especially so for Delaware’s water supply.

Grant funds are to be used for a new statewide wetland mapping effort and for an updated wetland status and changes report covering the past 10 years, which will improve DNREC’s ability to provide more accurate data for environmental decision-making. (The most recent mapping effort – completed in 2007 – documented 320,000 acres of wetlands in Delaware.)

Grant funding also will augment DNREC’s efforts to monitor and assess wetland conditions in the northern Chesapeake Bay Watershed while reporting on wetland conditions in the Appoquinimink River watershed in New Castle County, along with continuous monitoring of ecological success from past wetland restoration projects.

Funding from the EPA grant will also augment costs of the Division of Watershed Stewardship’s hosting the 2018 Delaware Wetland Conference, which brings together scientists, landowners, businesses and academia in the Mid-Atlantic Region for a gathering under DNREC’s aegis that has grown significantly since it was first held in 2001. More outreach will come from a Wetland Celebration event in Delaware to be held during American Wetlands Month each May.

EPA awards the Wetlands Program Development Grants in conjunction with the federal Clean Water Act, which itself recognizes the dangers of upstream pollution sources. EPA notes that as water flows downstream, it can carry pollutants with it, and that wetlands are instrumental in eliminating or treating pollution, and can have a huge impact on receiving waters located downstream. For more information: http://water.epa.gov/grants_funding/wetlands/grantguidelines/index.cfm

Vol. 46, No. 421

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Projects at Mispillion Harbor, Ted Harvey Conservation Area are reducing flooding, restoring habitat, improving resiliency and protecting public safety and property

DELAWARE BAYSHORE (Sept. 12, 2016) – Restoration work has begun at Mispillion Harbor Reserve and the Ted Harvey Conservation Area on two key DNREC projects that will repair and restore beaches, critical wetlands and other natural defenses. Both Division of Fish and Wildlife projects protect and restore wildlife habitat, improve coastal resiliency and preparedness to storms, and protect public safety and property by reducing flooding to communities, while enhancing ecotourism and recreational activities along the Delaware Bayshore.

Mispillion Harbor Reserve Located near the Town of Slaughter Beach in central Kent County, Mispillion Harbor Reserve’s beach, wetlands and adjacent resources have been degraded by Hurricane Sandy and subsequent coastal storms, resulting in the significant loss of habitat for spawning horseshoe crabs and shorebirds.

The Harbor is a major stopover in the Atlantic Flyway for waterfowl and shorebirds, including the federally threatened Red Knot. The birds descend on the Harbor to feed on horseshoe crab eggs before continuing their annual migrations to their Artic breeding ground. Birders and biologists from around the world come to Mispillion Harbor to witness the annual spring spectacle. In 1986, Delaware Bay joined the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network as a Site of Hemispheric Importance due to the sheer number of shorebirds that use the Bay as a migratory stopover.

Lindstrom Excavating has begun restoration of the beach and the stone dike. Restoration of the beach includes adding 46,000 cubic yards of sand to the Harbor. The stone dike is being restored with groins which include 12,000 tons of new stone that add height and stability. The stone raises the dike to a level that will better withstand waves and wind from coastal storms, thereby reducing flooding to adjacent wetlands, improving the resiliency of the Harbor to future storms and protecting the navigational channel through Mispillion Inlet, ensuring continued commercial and recreational access to the Delaware Bay.

The project is expected to be completed in April 2017 – in time for the annual shorebird migration.

Ted Harvey Conservation Area Ted Harvey Conservation Area, along the St. Jones River near the Town of Kitts Hummock, is a large coastal impoundment that provides critical habitat for migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and other wildlife. The impoundment has suffered several dike breaches and subsidence over the years, and malfunctioning water control structures have resulted in flooding of more than 400 acres of habitat.

The project is restoring more than 5,000 feet of dike and replacing two malfunctioning water control structures. About 40,000 cubic yards of soil is being added to increase the average height of the existing dike by 4 feet, improving coastal resiliency and preparedness to storms. The new water control structures will allow the Division of Fish & Wildlife to effectively manage impoundment water levels for wildlife, thereby improving biodiversity and enhancing recreational activities, including waterfowl hunting.

Project contractor Zack Excavating is scheduled to start restoration this month and complete the project by October 2017. As a result, the Ted Harvey South Impoundment and south boat launch parking lot will be closed to the public beginning Sept. 26 and will reopen once the project is completed in 2017.  Therefore, the impoundment will be closed for the 2016/17 waterfowl season. Additionally, potential closings may take place for the road leading to the restoration site. Drivers should be aware of heavy truck traffic in the area and follow signs, if the road is closed.

The projects are made possible by two federal grants totaling $6.5 million awarded to DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife from the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) through Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency appropriations. Administered by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), the grants have leveraged additional funding from state watershed stewardship funds, a Wildlife Sport Fish and Restoration federal grant, and Ducks Unlimited (DU). The projects are the result of close cooperation and partnerships among DNREC, the U.S. DOI, the NFWF, DU and Delaware’s Congressional Delegation of Senator Tom Carper, Senator Chris Coons, and Congressman John Carney.

For more information contact Jeremey Ashe, Habitat Restoration project manager, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Jeremey.Ashe@delaware.gov or 302-735-3601 or visit the Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife Facebook page at www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife

This project is part of DNREC’s Bayshore Initiative, a landscape approach to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat, increase volunteer participation in habitat stewardship projects, enhance low-impact outdoor recreation and ecotourism opportunities, and promote associated environmentally compatible economic development. In 2011, the Delaware National Bayshore plan received national recognition as one of two Delaware projects included in a 50-state report from the U.S. Department of the Interior outlining some of the country’s most promising ways to reconnect Americans to the natural world.

Contact: Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs, Melanie.Rapp@delaware.gov, 302-739-9902
Vol. 46, No. 333

LAUREL – Through a unique public-private partnership between the State of Delaware, the Chesapeake Conservancy and the U.S. Navy, DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recently purchased 48 acres of pristine woodlands along a tributary of the Nanticoke River in Sussex County. As part of the state-owned Nanticoke Wildlife Area, the property adjoining Cod Creek features increasingly rare stands of Atlantic white cedar trees and an abundance of native wildlife, including some species of conservation concern.

This morning, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, Governor Jack Markell and DNREC Secretary David Small joined the partners at Phillips Landing, the Nanticoke Wildlife Area’s public-access boat ramp, to celebrate the addition, which will be managed to protect wildlife habitat while allowing future conservation-compatible public access. The new property also expands a corridor of protected land beneath airspace used for naval flight research.

The Cod Creek property was purchased for $206,529, with $58,000 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program, $68,529 in state funds from Delaware’s Open Space Program and $80,000 in private funds from the Chesapeake Conservancy, which contributed private funds for land conservation from Mt. Cuba Center.

The property is the fifth conservation acquisition in recent years to which the Chesapeake Conservancy has contributed private funds that helped leverage state money to preserve land and create public access along the Nanticoke River and the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. A key addition to this acquisition was the additional federal dollars procured through the REPI program.

“I am very grateful for the REPI program leadership and the U.S. Navy for working with the conservation community around the country and especially in Delaware,” said Sen. Coons. “It’s important to work together and to pool resources in order to conserve land that has strategic and biologic significance. This property in western Sussex being preserved will help conserve Delaware’s precious green space on the Captain John Smith Trail, and especially the mission of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.”

“Today we celebrate the addition of this key property to the beautiful Nanticoke Wildlife Area, as well as the innovative partnership behind its recent acquisition,” said Governor Markell. “This public-private partnership between the State, the Navy and our private conservation partners is the first of its kind in Delaware and provides a successful model that can be applied to future land protection projects along the Nanticoke River.”

“The Navy is excited to partner with Delaware to preserve land that not only benefits natural resources, but also sustains and supports military readiness while ensuring compatible land use,” said Capt. Scott Starkey, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station, Patuxent River. “This parcel expands on the Navy’s current partnerships in the Nanticoke region and efforts to protect a corridor of land beneath the Navy’s Atlantic Test Range and special-use airspace used by our service men and women for essential flight research, development, test, evaluation and training.”

“The Nanticoke watershed is an ecological treasure with a rich cultural and natural heritage,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “This innovative partnership brings federal, state and private organizations and funds together to protect a key piece of the landscape for habitat, water quality, outdoor recreation and this nation’s defense mission and we look forward to building on this success.”

“This is a true win for our service members, communities, and the environment,” said REPI Program Director Kristin Thomasgard-Spence. “What excites me the most about this announcement is how this partnership is protecting the critical test missions at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, while expanding important conservation corridors, and creating new opportunities for communities to enjoy the unique natural and cultural resources in this region. This effort exemplifies what the REPI program seeks to accomplish across the country – protection of critical DoD missions through efficient public and private sector collaboration.”

The State of Delaware, the Chesapeake Conservancy and the U.S. Navy have for several years been involved in a Chesapeake Bay landscape-scale preservation initiative called the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership. Through this partnership, the three groups were able to develop a framework to leverage state, federal and private dollars against one another in order to achieve land conservation goals established in the 2014 Chesapeake Watershed Agreement.

“This partnership shows that protecting the environment and defending the country go hand-in-hand,” Chesapeake Conservancy President and CEO Joel Dunn said. “Conserving this important land near the Nanticoke River maintains the military’s critical need to practice and test aircraft and protects rare plants along the nationally-recognized Captain John Smith Chesapeake Trail. It’s a win-win situation for the Chesapeake Bay and for the nation.”

“Preservation of open space and healthy watersheds are critically important to maintaining robust, diverse communities of plants and animals. Mt. Cuba Center is pleased to support this collaborative conservation effort, because resilient ecosystems support a healthy community of humans as well,” said Mt. Cuba Center Executive Director Jeff Downing.
Located 5.5 miles west of the town of Laurel, the Cod Creek property is part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and features several key habitats: Atlantic white cedar swamp, wild rice tidal marsh and pond-lily tidal marsh. Several Delaware Species of Greatest Conservation Need are found in the area, including bald eagles, yellow-throated warblers, pied-billed grebes and two dragonflies, the harlequin darner and the royal river cruiser, along with a rare wetland plant, Long’s bittercress.

The property is part of a larger landscape-scale conservation plan developed under the Nanticoke Initiative, spearheaded by the Chesapeake Conservancy in partnership with Delaware and Maryland’s departments of natural resources, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nanticoke River Watershed Conservancy, Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Fund. The Initiative contributes to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, seeking to connect previously protected properties in an effort to create an 8,500-acre corridor of protected lands along the Nanticoke River. In addition to conserving wildlife habitat and allowing species room to adapt to climate change, the plan will ultimately enhance low-impact outdoor recreation and eco-tourism opportunities for Delawareans and visitors in the area.

The Chesapeake Watershed Agreement brought six states and the District of Columbia together to achieve an environmentally and economically sustainable Chesapeake Bay Watershed, with clean water, abundant life, conserved lands, water access, a vibrant cultural heritage and a diversity of engaged citizens and stakeholders. For more information on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, visit www.chesapeakebay.net/chesapeakebaywatershedagreement. For more information on the Chesapeake Conservation Partnership, visit www.chesapeakeconservation.org.

The Chesapeake Conservancy’s mission is to strengthen the connection between people and the watershed, conserve the landscapes and special places that sustain the Chesapeake’s unique natural and cultural resources, and restore landscapes, rivers, and habitats in the Chesapeake Bay region. For more information, please visit www.ChesapeakeConservancy.org.

The Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program serves as a tool for the Department of Defense to sustain our Nation’s military mission through cooperative land-use planning and integrated land protection with a variety of partners around installations and ranges. For more information, please visit www.repi.mil.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902; Megan McSwain, Chesapeake Conservancy, 443-554-0634; Lt. Cmdr. James Brindle, U.S. Department of Defense Public Affairs, 703-697-5331.

Vol. 46, No. 296

HARRINGTON – Today at the Delaware State Fair, Governor Jack Markell and DNREC Secretary David Small honored wetland professional and geologist Bartholomew Wilson and teachers Robin Moxley and Patricia Bear as Delaware’s 2016 Wetland Warriors for their efforts to conserve and restore wetlands and to educate young Delawareans about the importance of these vital areas.

“Wetlands are one of Delaware’s most important natural resources, buffering our land and communities against coastal storms, absorbing and filtering water on its way to the Delaware River, Bay and ocean or the Chesapeake Bay, and providing precious habitat for our wildlife,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “Today, we are recognizing and thanking three Delaware Wetland Warriors who have dedicated their careers to wetlands protection, conservation and education.”

Bart Wilson, this year’s Wetland Warrior in the professional category, has spent his career working with state and federal agencies and non-governmental and private sector organizations to promote wetland restoration and water quality improvements across Delaware. He has worked on numerous committees and task forces, water quality best management practices (BMPs), living shoreline projects, and performed outreach and education to the general public.

Currently, Wilson works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, managing the largest combined shoreline and marsh restoration project ever undertaken in the State of Delaware at Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Milton. This $38 million project, which focuses on building storm and sea level rise resiliency back into the natural landscape and creating habitat for birds, is repairing breached marshes and reconstructing damaged shorelines to 4,000 acres of tidal marsh.

“As a resource, there is nothing else like wetlands. Wetlands are a dynamic intersection of land and sea that can be very robust yet fragile, and a vital and unique resource where life begins for so many species and where many components of our environment are recycled,” Wilson said. “My fascination with wetlands started with researching the evolution of wetlands after the last ice age. It always amazes me that during those extreme changes in sea level, tidal wetlands found a way to persist and continue to evolve, even as they do today on a different scale.”

Sharing this year’s Wetland Warrior Award in the education and outreach category are two veteran teachers from the Appoquinimink School District. Both recently retired – Robin Moxley with 30 years and Patti Bear with 31. For 21 years, Mss. Moxley and Bear team-taught fifth grade science, with a special passion for wetlands that they shared with several generations of students, leaving a legacy of young Delawareans well-prepared to appreciate and care for our wetlands for years to come.

“Patti and I always tried to involve our students with hands-on outdoor activities to enhance learning in the classroom,” Moxley said. “We drew on local resources – we took our students to [DNREC’s] Aquatic Resources Education Center, worked with their wetlands kits, did beach cleanups and other activities to let them see and touch wetlands and make them real.”

The Wetland Warrior Award, now in its ninth year, is presented annually to a citizen, organization or business that has demonstrated exemplary efforts to benefit Delaware wetlands in the areas of outreach and education, monitoring and assessment, or restoration and protection.

“Delaware’s wetlands are a valuable natural resource that helps defend our coastlines and purify our drinking waters,” said Brittany Haywood, DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program. “A lot of great work is being done to protect wetlands throughout the state by everyday citizens, scientists and students. This award aims to acknowledge and thank them for all of their hard work.”

Next year’s call for nominations will be posted in the spring on the Delaware Wetlands website. For details about past Delaware Wetland Warriors, please click Wetland Warrior.

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

Vol. 46, No. 282

SLAUGHTER BEACH – The DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, a DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife facility, will hold two Family Fish-n-Fun Days, as well as two other family-friendly special programs later this month in and near Slaughter Beach. The center is located at 2992 Lighthouse Road, east of Milford, DE 19963.

• Family Fish-n-Fun Days – 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, July 23 and Saturday, Aug. 6, all ages, outdoor program, Slaughter Beach Pavilion, 359 Bay Avenue, Milford, DE 19963
  Meeting at the Slaughter Beach Pavilion located behind the Slaughter Beach fire hall, participants will learn about the saltwater ecosystem, how to identify fish, fish anatomy, ethical fishing skills, knot-tying, casting, baiting hooks and surf fishing through hands-on activities with nature center staff and volunteers. Fishing gear and other materials will be provided. Participants should pack lunch, snacks and beverages (no glass containers), sunscreen and insect repellant, and wear outdoor clothing, including beach-appropriate shoes and a hat.
• Dip Netting Adventures and Nature Walk – 1:30-3 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, ages 5 and older, indoor/outdoor program, DuPont Nature Center
  Participants will explore the center’s live animals and exhibits before heading outside to learn more about the importance of the salt marsh ecosystem. Working in teams at the Cedar Creek bridge and boat ramp, participants will use a dip net and a bucket to catch and identify live aquatic species that live in the Delaware estuary. During the walk to the boat ramp, participants will use binoculars to spot and identify wildlife, as well as pick up trash along the road to help keep wildlife from being harmed by it. Sunscreen, bug spray, walking shoes and hats are suggested.
• Fishy Fashions – 1-3 p.m. Friday, July 29, all ages, indoor program, DuPont Nature Center
  Participants will view the center’s live fish and learn about the parts of a fish – scales, fins, tail, eyes, etc. – and then learn how to use Gyotaku fish printing to create a “fish print” on a bandana. Participants are also encouraged to bring a t-shirt for fish printing.

Admission to the programs is free, but space is limited, so please preregister by calling the center at 302-422-1329 or emailing lynne.pusey@delaware.gov.

A Delaware recreational fishing license is required for Fish-n-Fun participants age 16 and older; a fishing license is not required for those younger than 16 and for Delaware residents age 65 and older. Delaware fishing licenses are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent or to purchase a license online, visit Delaware Licenses. For additional information on Delaware fishing licenses, call 302-739-9918, or click on 2016 Delaware Fishing Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk and from license agents throughout the state.

Both resident and non-resident anglers age 16 and older are required to obtain a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (F.I.N.) number. The free number is included as part of a Delaware fishing license purchase. License-exempt anglers, including Delaware residents 65 and older, may visit www.delaware-fin.com or call 800-432-9228 toll-free to obtain their free F.I.N. number.

Perched on the edge of Mispillion Harbor at the intersection of the mouths of the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek, the Division of Fish & Wildlife’s DuPont Nature Center regularly offers a variety of interactive exhibits, school tours and educational programs. Spring and summer hours from May 1 through Aug. 31 are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. September hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. The center will close for the season at the end of the day Friday, Sept. 30, reopening in April 2017. Admission is free and open to the public.

For more information about the DuPont Nature Center and its programs, please call 302-422-1329, or visit DuPont Nature Center.

The DuPont Nature Center is a focal point of the Delaware Bayshore, and is part of DNREC’s Delaware Bayshore Initiative, a landscape approach to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat, increase volunteer participation in habitat stewardship projects, enhance low-impact outdoor recreation and ecotourism opportunities, and promote associated environmentally compatible economic development. For more information, click Delaware Bayshore.

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

Vol. 46, No. 254