LEWES – On March 1, the Point at Cape Henlopen State Park was closed for migratory and beach nesting shorebirds. The closed sections, including a stretch of ocean beach and dunes, and a half mile along the bay shoreline, were marked with PVC poles and twine with flagging for visibility.

The closure benefits threatened and endangered beachnesters and migratory shorebirds, including red knot, piping plovers, oystercatchers, least terns and other wildlife.

This week, the closure will be extended approximately 100 yards south toward the Point parking area crossing. In addition, another adjustment to the southern boundary may occur as early as May 14.

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

DNREC’s Divisions of Parks and 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.

Vol. 47, No. 80

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Reminder for the week: Safe, ethical hunting practices encouraged for Delaware turkey season opening April 8

DOVER – To achieve public compliance through education and enforcement actions that help conserve Delaware’s fish and wildlife resources and ensure safe boating and public safety, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between March 27-April 2 made 1,007 contacts with anglers, hunters, boaters and the general public, including 26 vessel boardings for boating safety, hunting and fishing regulation compliance checks, issuing 15 citations. Officers responded to 26 complaints regarding possible violations of laws and regulations or requests to assist the public. An increased Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police presence continued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area and associated recreational trail.

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Actions

Citations issued by category, with the number of charges in parentheses, included:

Fisheries Conservation: Recreational: Unlicensed fishing (5), possession of shad in a closed area (1), and possession of blueback herring in a closed area (1).

Boating and Boating Safety: Operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets (2), and operating a personal watercraft (PWC) without lifejackets (2).

Other: Operating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area (2)*, damaging state property on a wildlife area (1), and trespassing after hours on a state wildlife area (1).

*Includes citation(s) issued at the C&D Canal Conservation Area.

Are you AWARE?

Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police remind the public that Delaware’s 2017 spring wild turkey hunting season begins Saturday, April 8 and runs through Saturday, May 6. With the excitement of spring turkey season, hunters are reminded to always place safety and ethical hunting practices first and foremost.

Unlike some other types of hunting, turkey hunting is an interactive sport that often involves calling to the birds and moving around in the woods to increase the opportunity of harvesting a gobbler. Hunters are reminded that it is unlawful to drive wild turkeys, to shoot a wild turkey on the roost or, for safety purposes, to wear red, white or blue while hunting.

While in pursuit of wild turkeys, hunters are also reminded that it is unlawful to hunt turkeys while using bait as an attractant. Some common bait that is illegally used includes wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and various birdseed blends. Hunters are responsible for ensuring that no bait is present in an area where they are hunting turkeys.

Delaware offers hunting opportunities for wild turkeys on several state wildlife areas and state forests by permit only. To hunt wild turkeys on public land in Delaware, hunters must enter a pre-season lottery from which public lands permits are drawn. Delaware’s wild turkey season is broken down into four week-long segments. Turkey hunters are drawn via the lottery and issued a permit that enables them to hunt a specified public land area during a specified one-week segment.

Hunters selected for a public land permit must carry their permit, as well as their turkey education card and hunting license at all times while hunting. Always remember that a public permit only allows turkey hunting in a specific designated wildlife area or state forest and only during the one designated week of turkey season.

For hunters who harvest a spring gobbler, the Division of Fish & Wildlife requires that the turkey be checked at an authorized check station by 2:30 p.m. on the same day the turkey was harvested. Information obtained through the check stations is used by the Division of Fish & Wildlife to help manage Delaware’s wild turkey population.

2017 turkey check station hours may vary, so hunters are advised to call the station where they are likely to check a bird to confirm the hours of operation. Hunters who want to have their bird scored and entered into the National Wild Turkey Federation records also are reminded to have their bird’s live weight recorded on a certified scale. If the check station does not have a certified scale, hunters will be directed to another station to have the turkey re-weighed.

For turkey hunters who need to purchase a Delaware hunting license, 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 hunting licenses, call 302-739-9918.

For more information on hunting in Delaware, visit the 2016-2017 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk and from license agents throughout the state. For more information about public lands that allow turkey hunting, look at the Wildlife Area Hunting Maps or State Forest Maps.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife recognizes and thanks the majority of anglers, hunters and boaters who comply with and support Delaware’s fishing, hunting and boating laws and regulations. Citizens are encouraged to report fish, wildlife and boating violations to the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police by calling 302-739-4580. Wildlife violations may also be reported anonymously to Operation Game Theft by calling 800-292-3030 or online at de.gov/ogt.

Media Contact: Sgt. John McDerby, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386

Lottery applications now available for May 2 drawing

DOVER – The Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife will conduct a public lottery for the initial offering of acreage available for shellfish aquaculture leases in Delaware’s Inland Bays at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at DNREC’s Lewes Facility, 901 Pilottown Road, Lewes, DE 19958.

Applications to participate in the lottery are available online at Aquaculture Lottery Application, or by contacting DNREC’s Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914. To participate in the May 2 lottery, applicants must submit their completed applications to the Division of Fish & Wildlife by 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 26.

Applicants will be contacted by the Fisheries Section in the order their applications were drawn in the lottery and need not be present to claim their position. In the order of their awarded position, lottery participants will be able to select one to five acres in the Indian River and Rehoboth Bays (combined) and/or one to five acres in the Little Assawoman Bay.

Applications to lease acreage will be accepted after all lottery participants have selected their acreage through the lottery process.

Acreage selected through the lottery may not be transferred to another entity prior to the issuance of a fully-executed lease. Following the award of lease sites through the lottery, remaining acreage will be available for potential leases on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If a lottery participant fails to submit a completed and accepted lease application for their selected acreage within one year from the date of the initial lottery, those acres will be made available for leasing on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information about the lottery and the shellfish aquaculture program, visit Delaware shellfish aquaculture, or call the Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

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

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

Vol. 47, No. 73

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Youth/disabled hunt day set for April 1; regular season to open April 8

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife announced today turkey hunting opportunities for the upcoming season, starting with a special one-day hunt Saturday, April 1 for youth ages 10 through 15 and for hunters who are disabled and use a wheelchair. The regular turkey hunting season opens Saturday, April 8, and runs through Saturday, May 6, with no Sunday hunting. Hunting hours for both the youth/disabled hunt day and the regular hunting season are a half-hour before sunrise until 1 p.m.

Hunters are reminded that only bearded birds may be taken, and that all harvested birds must be checked at an authorized turkey check station by 2:30 p.m. on the day of the harvest. Bag limit is one bearded bird per turkey hunter per year.

On the special hunt day April 1, youth hunters must be accompanied by a licensed, non-hunting adult who is 21 years of age or older who has completed a Delaware approved turkey hunter safety class. Hunters 10 through 12 years of age must have a License Exempt Number (LEN). Hunters 13 years of age or older must have a junior or adult hunting license or a LEN, and must have successfully completed a mandatory turkey education class before they can legally hunt wild turkeys in Delaware. Turkey hunters must carry their Hunter Education/Turkey Education card while hunting.

Except during the special one-day hunt for youth and hunters with disabilities, hunting on public lands, including state forest lands, is by lottery permits only, which were issued this past January for the 2017 hunting season. Hunters must carry their public lands permit while hunting and may only hunt the designated area and season segment/dates specified in the permit. The application form for the 2018 Public Land Turkey Hunt can be found in the upcoming 2017/2018 Hunting and Trapping Guide.

Division of Fish & Wildlife Hunter Education Coordinator Mark Ostroski offered some tips for a safe and successful hunt. “A successful turkey hunt depends on many factors, including skill, careful preparation and attention to safety details,” Ostroski said. “Hunters should be sure to pattern their gun, because knowing where and how your gun shoots can be the difference in bagging that big gobbler.”

Ostroski noted that hunters also should remember these important safety practices:

• Take time to identify your target and what lies
• It is illegal and unsafe to wear clothing that includes the colors red, blue, black or white while turkey hunting;
• Never stalk a wild turkey; and
• Do not imitate the male gobbling call while trying to attract another gobbler.

The wild turkey continues as one of Delaware’s top wildlife restoration successes after being on the verge of extinction in the state by the early 20th century. In the early 1980s, the Division of Fish & Wildlife partnered with the Delaware chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation and Delaware Wild Lands to reestablish a wild turkey population in the state. By 1991, the population had grown large enough to permit opening a wild turkey hunting season, and the turkey population continues to thrive.

Last year, 706 birds were harvested, the highest record to date. “Over the past four seasons, hunters have harvested more than 600 turkeys each season, which can be attributed to the growing popularity of spring turkey hunting and a healthy turkey population,” said Gamebird Biologist Justyn Foth, Division of Fish & Wildlife.

For a list of authorized turkey check stations for 2017, click Delaware Turkey Hunting information.
NOTE: The list of check stations is subject to change without notice. Check station hours may vary, so hunters are advised to call the station where they are likely to check a bird to confirm the hours of operation.

Hunters who want to have their bird scored and entered into the National Wild Turkey Federation records are reminded to have their bird’s live weight recorded on a certified scale. If the check station does not have a certified scale, hunters will be directed to another station to have the turkey re-weighed.

Hunting 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 hunting licenses, call 302-739-9918.

For more information on hunting in Delaware and information about turkey season segments, click on 2016-2017 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide. The guide also is available in printed form at DNREC’s Dover licensing desk, and from license agents throughout the state. For more information about public lands that allow turkey hunting, click Wildlife Area Hunting Maps or State Forest Maps.

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

Vol. 47, No. 72

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DOVER – The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) is seeking volunteers to assist with the annual bay-wide horseshoe crab spawning survey in May and June on Kent County’s Ted Harvey Wildlife Area and Kitts Hummock and North Bowers beaches.

For those who are interested in assisting with this year’s survey, DNERR staff will host volunteer training sessions at the St. Jones Reserve, 818 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover, DE 19901. Volunteers can choose from one of the three trainings scheduled for:

• Saturday, April 1 from 9 to 11 a.m.
• Saturday, April 1 from 2 to 4 p.m.
• Thursday, April 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.

New participants are required to attend one of the trainings, while past participants in the annual survey must attend a training once every three years.

Volunteers are asked to register online before the day of the training by visiting https://2017dnerrhscsurveytraining.eventbrite.com. For more information on horseshoe crab monitoring, visit http://de.gov/dnerrhscsurvey, or contact Drexel Siok or Maggie Pletta at 302-739-6377 or email them at DNERRhsc@gmail.com.

Horseshoe crab spawning surveys have been conducted since 1990 in Delaware Bay. Despite the horseshoe crab’s importance to the ecology of the bay, little is known about its population status. Now, every spring on several peak spawning days, volunteers donate their time to count crabs on beaches in Delaware and New Jersey. Data collected during these surveys is key for scientists to monitor changes in the number of spawning crabs in the bay. Delaware’s well-trained and enthusiastic volunteers have made this program one of the most successful volunteer-based wildlife surveys in the country.

At the training offered by DNREC, volunteers will learn how to conduct a survey, properly record data and distinguish between male and female horseshoe crabs. The training will also highlight past results of horseshoe crab survey data and how it is being used.

In addition, volunteers will be instructed on how to request their preferred dates for survey nights. Participants who are interested in other Delaware Bay beaches not coordinated by DNERR are welcome to attend the training and will be referred to the appropriate beach survey leader for further information. Volunteers must be older than 13 to participate in the training and survey, and all volunteers between the ages of 13 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Information on registering to participate in the survey will be sent to volunteers who have completed the training and to those who participated in the training and survey over the past three years. To participate in the survey, preregistration will be required.

For information on horseshoe crab monitoring, volunteer information and more, please visit http://de.gov/dnerr or on Facebook – Delaware NERR.

The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve is a partnership between the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. DNERR is administered through the Delaware Coastal Programs Section of DNREC’s Office of the Secretary.

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. For more information, click Delaware Bayshore.

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

Vol. 47, No. 67

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