Volunteer now for the 2009
Delaware Coastal Cleanup
This year's cleanup is set for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 19 at more than 40 sites along Delaware’s coastline and tributaries. Cleanup volunteers of all ages from all three counties span civic organizations, youth groups, businesses, families and individuals. DNREC invites you to join them. Sign up today and reserve your free Coastal Cleanup t-shirt.
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DNREC denies application from US Army Corps of Engineers for deepening main channel of Delaware River and Bay
Ecological win-win:
Slough's Gut Marsh at James Farm Preserve benefits from an ecological enhancement by DNREC and other agencies with restitution via Natural Resource Damage Assessment process
An ecologically-enhanced Slough’s Gut Marsh, located on the east side of the James Farm Ecological Preserve near Ocean View, recently was unveiled – a project that ultimately transformed 24 acres of eroded and degraded marsh into a healthy and productive ecosystem. The marsh is located on land owned by Sussex County and managed by the Delaware Center for the Inland Bays. “Slough’s Gut is an excellent example of what can be accomplished when we work cooperatively to ensure the health and sustainability of our coastal ecosystems,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara.
Delaware to receive $19.2M in
wastewater project funding
William Early, acting administrator of the EPA's Mid-Atlantic Region, presented a commemorative check as he joined state officials on Rehoboth Bay in announcing that Delaware will receive $19.2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) funds for wastewater projects. Left to right: U.S. Representative Michael N. Castle, Lt. Governor Matthew Denn, Governor Jack Markell, Mr. Early, DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara, U.S. Senator Thomas R. Carper, State Representative Gerald Hocker, and U.S. Senator Edward E. Kaufman. More...
DNREC photo.
DNREC Division Fish & Wildlife's new Lewes public boat ramp opens
DNREC Division of Fish & Wildlife's new Lewes Boat Ramp and field facility for the Division of Soil & Water Conservation opened with perfect timing for summer boating traffic. Secretary Collin O’Mara and DNREC division directors joined legislators, City of Lewes officials, and U.S. Coast Guard representatives to cut the ribbon on the public boat ramp and also to tour the Division of Soil and Water Conservation’s new field office adjacent to the ramp. "Today we complete the transformation of a contaminated and abandoned industrial site into a recreational treasure that will allow current and future generations to enjoy the beautiful waters of Lewes. Further, this new facility is a model of sustainable practices that we must work to integrate into future building design," Sec. O’Mara said.
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It's more subway cars aweigh as Redbird Reef beefs up Delaware's fisheries habitat
Another "train" of old New York City subway cars recently became part of Delaware’s Redbird Reef, expanding the state's largest artificial reef, and enhancing fishing diving opportunities for the thousands of recreational anglers and divers who visit the site each year. The 60-foot-long, 18-ton subway cars arrived via barge from New Jersey and were set overboard by an excavator with forklift tongs. Redbird Reef now spans more than 1.3 square nautical miles of ocean bottom. Since it was created, reef materials deployed at the site include almost 900 subway cars, 11 large vessels - such as barges and tugboats - and armored military vehicles. The reef now supports more than 13,000 angler visits per year, up from fewer than 300 in when the reef originated in 1997.
The Environment and Land Use: A new DNREC Planning Section web site links land-use decision making to environmental sustainability
2007 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data now available; shows significant decrease in Delaware emissions from previous year
