Delaware - DNREC Showcases Coastal and Natural Resources at Coast Day Oct. 5 in Lewes

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NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL



Sept. 26, 2008

Vol. 38, No. 438



For more information contact Melanie Rapp, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902 or visit DNREC’s web site, www.dnrec.delaware.gov

DNREC Showcases Coastal and Natural Resources at Coast Day Oct. 5 in Lewes

LEWES, Del. – Discover Delaware’s coastal and natural resources at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s education tent at Coast Day, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5 on the campus of the University of Delaware’s College of Marine and Earth Sciences, 700 Pilottown Road in Lewes. Coast Day – celebrating its 32nd year – is an annual end-of-summer event that attracts an estimated 10,000 people from Delaware and throughout the region.

“Coast Day celebrates Delaware’s vital coastal resources and brings together partners committed to preserving our natural heritage,” said DNREC Secretary John A. Hughes. “Each year we are pleased to work with the University of Delaware and demonstrate our strong partnership in providing coastal education to all who attend this great event.”

The DNREC tent, located on the campus between the Smith and Cannon buildings, includes more than 40 displays and exhibits by the Divisions of Soil and Water Conservation, Air and Waste Management, Fish and Wildlife, Water Resources, Parks and Recreation and the Office of the Secretary. The exhibits feature the agency’s diverse programs designed to conserve and protect Delaware’s environment and encourage public participation through hands-on activities and educational games that appeal to both adults and children.

Delaware’s coastal programs are prominently featured with displays and information. A new documentary film on beach nourishment projects at several beaches – Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany and South Bethany – will be shown throughout the day. The projects were important for continued recreational use of the beaches and to help protect public and private property from coastal storm damage. In addition, displays on shoreline restoration, floodplains, shorebird monitoring, the Delaware Clean Marina program and boating safety are showcased. The “Thank You Delaware Bay” exhibit highlights the beauty and amenities of the Delaware Bay and encourages actions that will help protect its resources.

Other exhibits focus on Delaware’s biodiversity and natural resources, including private lands and wetlands restoration, greenways and trails, Outdoor Delaware magazine, and the Cape Henlopen State Park Nature Center.

Several exhibits cover pollution prevention programs and information – energy answers, open burning, climate change, the regional greenhouse gas initiative, air quality monitoring, managing septic systems and wells, protecting groundwater and non-point source pollution.

The Delaware Energy Office will display an electric car, and the Fishery research vessel, “First State,” will be docked on site for tours. New this year, the Division of Fish and Wildlife Operation Game Theft trailer will exhibit seized illegal hunting equipment, taxidermy mounts, wildlife enforcement case photos and a new video on the program that also promotes citizen reporting of violations to the state’s wildlife laws.

DNREC has exhibited at Coast Day since its inception in 1976. For more information, visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov.