The wildlife viewing deck at the Port Penn Tract of the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Augustine Beach Wildlife Area. /DNREC photo

DNREC Expanding Elevated Vistas to Provide Opportunities to View Wildlife in Coastal Wetlands and Adjoining Uplands

Wildlife viewing is quickly becoming a favorite outdoor activity, attracting both Delaware residents and visitors who want to enjoy the splendor of the First State’s outdoor natural spaces. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control provides numerous outdoor recreation opportunities on public lands, including elevated wildlife-viewing structures on several state wildlife areas managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Since 2013, the Division of Fish and Wildlife has focused on expanding outdoor recreation opportunities in state wildlife areas. With planning and public input, new wildlife-viewing structures have been constructed in the Augustine Wildlife Area near Port Penn and the Little Creek Wildlife Area east of Dover, with additional wildlife-viewing structures planned for the Ted Harvey Conservation Area near Bowers Beach and the Milford Neck Wildlife Area east of Milford.

The new structures expand upon existing wildlife viewing opportunities, including the Division of Fish and Wildlife-managed Aquatic Resources Education Center’s saltmarsh boardwalk trail located in the Woodland Beach Wildlife Area, the deck at the Division of Fish and Wildlife-managed DuPont Nature Center overlooking the Mispillion Harbor, and the Assawoman Wildlife Area’s observation tower that stands 40 feet above the wetlands.

Almost all these facilities are accessible to individuals with mobility challenges, including accessible parking, hard-packed trail surfaces and portable restrooms. Interpretive signs at a number of viewing locations help educate visitors about the wildlife they might encounter or about observed wildlife habitats. A new DNREC webpage includes more information about the elevated viewing structures, photographs of them, wildlife most likely to be seen, links to maps of a specific wildlife area where a viewing structure is located, and information about the Conservation Access Pass (CAP).

Registered motor vehicles used to access designated wildlife areas owned or managed by the Division of Fish and Wildlife are required to have and display a CAP, except at the Aquatic Resources Education Center and DuPont Nature Center. To obtain a CAP, visitors will need the registration card for the vehicle to which the pass will be assigned – with the exception of the Resident Senior Lifetime Conservation Access Pass available to Delaware residents aged 65 or older. More information about the CAP – which may be purchased online at de.gov/digitaldnrec, at the license desk in DNREC’s Dover office at 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, or from hunting license agents statewide – can be found at de.gov/cap.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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A photo titled “Winter Hike at Dusk Near the Marsh” by James Blackstock submitted for last year’s AREC Photo Contest.

Photographers and nature lovers are invited to submit photographs for the second annual Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) nature photography contest, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today. The contest is intended to increase public awareness and promote the natural wonders of the AREC and surrounding Tony Florio Woodland Beach Wildlife Area. Children and adults are encouraged to visit the wildlife area and take and submit photographs of birds, nature to include aquatic life, other wildlife and scenic landscapes, and people enjoying the outdoors.

The photography contest is open from Friday, April 22 through Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. Photographs entered in the contest must have been taken at the Woodland Beach Wildlife Area from Jan. 1, 2022 through Sept. 29, 2022. Prizes will be awarded in three categories: birds, nature and people enjoying the outdoors, and in three age groups for each category: under age 13, teens age 13 through 18 and adults aged 19 and older.

Judging will be based on how well the photographs represent the following criteria: things you can see and do at the Woodland Beach Wildlife Area, originality/creativity and universal appeal. The judging panel will include DNREC educators at the Aquatic Resources Education Center. Winners will be notified by email.

Managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, the AREC and Tony Florio Woodland Beach Wildlife Area are located along Delaware’s Bayshore Byway on Route 9 near Smyrna. The wildlife area connects to the Delaware Bay through a network of brackish tidal marshes and streams where visitors can observe a variety of wildlife, including a wide array of birds. Trails and blinds are available for viewing birds and other wildlife, and a raised boardwalk and observation tower offer vistas of the marsh and tidal streams.

Contest rules and more information, including entry submission, can be found at AREC photo contest. Information about the AREC is available at de.gov/arec.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. 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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The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control invites the public to celebrate Earth Day 2022 by visiting a tidal salt marsh, one of the most amazing ecosystems on earth. DNREC’s Aquatic Resources Education Center will host a special “Marsh Madness” program of one-hour tours highlighting the tidal salt marsh at the Tony Florio Woodland Beach Wildlife Area near Smyrna, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, April 23.

Educators from the Aquatic Resources Education Center managed by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife will provide tours, giving participants an up-close view of the salt marsh and some of the aquatic life found there. The salt marsh connects to the Delaware Bay through a network of tidal streams where visitors can watch fiddler crabs on the banks during low tide and sometimes see muskrats. This one-hour program is being offered at no charge to participants of all ages.

Pre-registration is required. For more information, or to register, email pearlie.franklin@delaware.gov.

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 Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 68,000 acres of public land. 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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