To kick off Earth Week and National Volunteer Week, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) hosted its 2022 DNREC Volunteer Awards ceremony Monday in Brandywine Park, Wilmington, alongside a Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative (TEDI) planting by Jobs for Delaware Graduates (JDG) youth volunteers.

West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in Delaware the first time for 2022 in a sentinel chicken, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and the Department of Agriculture (DDA) Forest Service are to celebrate World Wetlands Day today, Thursday, Feb. 2, by signing a cooperative agreement to manage and protect unique wetland communities that occur on state-owned forest, park and wildlife lands.

West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in Delaware the first time for 2023 in a sentinel chicken, DNREC announced today.

Delaware state agencies today officially moved to connect the Donovan Smith community in Lewes to municipal water and sewer, which is the pilot project of the Clean Water Initiative for Underserved Communities established by Gov. John Carney.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), along with state and federal partners, will hold a virtual meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13 regarding ethylene oxide (EtO) – with the meeting’s focus on public health and safety concerns over Croda, Inc.’s EtO production in the New Castle area.

With spring heading into summer – prime time for ticks as well as for people getting outdoors – the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has partnered with the Division of Public Health within the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) to educate the public about ticks.

State government agencies, county and municipal governments, and conservation districts can now submit proposals to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Division of Public Health to receive matching grants for wastewater, surface water and drinking water project planning.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has issued warnings of poor air quality in Delaware.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will close a section of the Tri-Valley Trail at White Clay Creek State Park for drainage repairs starting Monday, July 12. The section of affected spans from Smith Mill Road to Paper Mill Road/Corner Ketch Road. Repairs are expected to last up to one week. The […]

Governor John Carney has proclaimed May 9 through 13 Delaware Flood Awareness Week to inform residents about flood risk, likelihood of flooding from extreme weather events brought on by climate change, the importance of having a flood insurance policy, and flood remediation for property damage or loss.

In conjunction with DNREC and DEMA within the Department of Safety and Homeland Security, Governor John Carney has proclaimed May 15 to 19 as Delaware Flood Awareness Week.

The 7th Street Boating and Fishing Area on the Christina River has officially reopened to Wilmington's Eastside community, with DNREC, in partnership with the city, celebrating the $2.9 million project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in John Barbiarz Park, where the popular facility is located.

DNREC's proposed user fees for Deauville Beach have been approved by the Parks and Recreation Council and DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. A daily entrance fee or a Deauville annual pass will be required for use of the beach from Memorial Day weekend though Nov. 30 in 2024. Deauville Beach annual passes will be available for sale starting Wednesday, May 15.

In celebration of National Ocean Month coming up in June, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), in partnership with libraries in each county, is conducting a haiku poetry contest.

Offshore wind developer US Wind, Inc. has submitted multiple permit applications to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control for its wind energy project offshore of Maryland. To inform the public and engage Delawareans in the regulatory process, DNREC will host a public information session on Wednesday, June 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Beacon Middle School, 19483 John J. Williams Highway, Lewes, Del.

DNREC will present a free lecture Thursday, June 13 to introduce property owners to living shorelines in Delaware, a type of green infrastructure using natural materials. The hour-long lecture hosted by the South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach is presented by the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship in conjunction with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

Winners of DNREC's haiku poetry contest announced

The annual sign-up period for the Kent Conservation District’s popular Cover Crop Cost-Share Program – funded in part by DNREC – has opened and runs through Aug. 30. The program helps Kent County farmers offset seed, labor, and equipment costs when planting fall cover crops that help protect local water quality, build healthy soils, and capture carbon from the atmosphere.

DNREC will begin the annual treatment of downstate public ponds – Wagamons Pond in Milton and Concord Pond near Seaford – for the foreign invasive aquatic weed hydrilla on Thursday, June 13, weather permitting. Hydrilla is a non-native plant that likely entered the state through the aquarium trade. Uncontrolled hydrilla can choke ponds and other waterways, crowding out beneficial plant species and preventing fishing and boating access.

DNREC announced today that Delaware’s recreational striped bass summer slot size limit regulation has been revised and will be in effect for the July 1 start of the slot season. The revision changes the state's slot size limit from 20- to 25-inches to 20- to 24-inches.

DNREC encourages families with children 4 to 7 to enjoy exciting “Small Fry Adventures,” a free program about tidal salt marsh and the critters that live there, being held this summer at the Aquatic Resources Education Center near Smyrna.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control reminds those who plan to drive-on surf fish at one of the seven Delaware State Parks multi-use beaches that reservations are required during summer weekends and holidays. Drive-on surf fishing reservations for Thursday, July 4, open Thursday, June 27, at 11 a.m. Drive-on reservations for each weekend open weekly beginning Tuesdays for the upcoming Saturday and Wednesdays for the upcoming Sunday, and are available until sold out for that weekend.

With new Delaware hunting licenses going on sale this week, DNREC announced the 2024/25 Delaware Hunting and Trapping Guide is now available in hard copy from license agents throughout the state, at DNREC's recreational licensing office in the Richardson & Robbins Building at 89 Kings Highway in Dover and in a readily referenced online edition.

DNREC will hold a joint virtual public hearing Tuesday, July 9 at 6 p.m. on multiple permit applications and authorization requests made to DNREC by wind energy developer US Wind, Inc. involving Delaware aspects of the company’s proposed Maryland offshore wind project.

Delaware county and municipal governments, conservation districts, and estuary programs can now submit proposals to DNREC through Aug. 21 to receive matching grants for surface water project planning.

DNREC invites families of all ages to participate in “Life in the Bay,” the popular youth education program geared toward children aged 6 and older, but with equal appeal to adults who want to learn about fish and other aquatic creatures that live in the Delaware Bay.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control unveiled its new Action Trackchair an all-terrain wheelchair donated from the Ford Bronco Wild Fund June 12 at the Deerfield Clubhouse at White Clay Creek State Park. The event highlighted accessibility improvements statewide and featured the first publicly accessible all-terrain wheelchair available for public use in the state of Delaware. Delaware was the recipient of a nationally competitive grant for one of seven AXIS model Trackchairs provided through the Bronco Wild Fund Access Grants and the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD).

Underscoring the importance of safety for water enthusiasts in Delaware, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife and Smyrna’s Citizens’ Hose Company teamed up to highlight recently installed buoyant life rings at the Woodland Beach fishing pier and boat ramp.

DNREC continued to diversify marine habitat for angling and diving experiences on Delaware’s renowned artificial reef system today by sinking two vintage vessels – a retired City of Baltimore fireboat and a World War II-era tugboat – onto Reef Site 11, the Redbird Reef, that also contains 750 retired NYC "Redbird" subway cars.

Two Delaware students were recognized today with Young Environmentalists of the Year Awards, presented by Governor John Carney and DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin at the Delaware State Fair, along with three winners of the annual Youth Fishing Tournament.

West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in Delaware for the first time for 2024 in sentinel chickens that help the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control monitor the state for mosquito-borne illnesses, DNREC announced today. The initial WNV occurrence was found in eight sentinel chickens sampled July 22 by the DNREC Mosquito Control Section which returned positive test results from the Delaware Division of Public Health Laboratory two days later.

A DNREC grand opening today of a new boat ramp facility at Records Pond near Laurel in Sussex County. Construction began earlier this year on the new facility – which includes a new boat ramp with courtesy dock, expansion of existing parking lots to accommodate boat trailers, and new decking for an existing fishing pier on Records Pond.

Public information meetings are planned this month on the update to the State Energy Plan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control have signed an agreement to protect and restore beaches along the Delaware Bay.

In early June, DNREC kicked off a summer internship program to offer accomplished college students and recent graduates an opportunity to work alongside experts in public service and science.

DNREC announced today the 2025 Community Environmental Project Fund (CEPF) grants will have a focus on equity. This change comes after the CEPF grant process was revamped to better address community needs and strengthen partnerships.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will reopen a stretch of oceanside beach at The Point at Cape Henlopen State Park Sunday, Sept. 1. The Point’s bayside beach will remain closed until Oct. 1 for use by shorebirds migrating south for the winter. The DNREC Divisions of Parks and Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, and Watershed Stewardship have worked together since 1990 to implement a management plan to increase beach-nester and migratory shorebird populations. Thus far in 2024, 24 species of shorebirds, 10 species of terns including the federally threatened roseate tern, and seven species of gull are among the species observed at The Point.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced that A-Del Construction of Newark has been awarded the contract for the replacement of the Bancroft Bridge in Alapocas Run State Park. Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin Oct. 1 and be completed in April 2025. Replacement of the existing Bancroft Bridge has been one of the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation’s highest priorities since its emergency closure September 2021 when it was damaged beyond repair due to Hurricane Ida floodwaters.

DNREC will hold a community information session on Tuesday, Sept. 24 to discuss the upcoming dredging and beach and dune replenishment project on the north side of the Indian River inlet. The session will run from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Bethany Beach Town Hall at 214 Garfield Parkway, and the public can stop by at any time to join the conversation about the north side of the inlet.

DNREC encourages nonprofit groups, conservation districts, community organizations and homeowners’ associations to submit project proposals to be considered for matching grant funds from DNREC’s Community Water Quality Improvement Grants program. Funding for grant award projects in this cycle is expected to range from $25,000 to $75,000

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control released findings from DNREC’s comprehensive study on PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in surface waters across Delaware.

Fifteen programs spanning seven divisions within the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are scheduled to participate in the University of Delaware’s annual Coast Day on Sunday, Oct. 6.

Some 1,000 pounds of 12- to 13-inch rainbow trout were stocked in White Clay Creek by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife from near the Pennsylvania state line downstream to Newark, offering fall and winter fishing opportunities for Delaware anglers.

DNREC announced that the Michael N. Castle Trail along the C&D Canal has been reopened at the South Lums Parking Area following repairs to a section of the trail damaged in March by storms.

DNREC, in conjunction with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, will host a free webinar Thursday, Nov. 14 about nature-based stormwater management and living shoreline projects.

Citizen coders and civic technologists from across Delaware are set to take on the state’s second annual Open Data Challenge, harnessing the power of public datasets to come up with new solutions to big statewide problems.

DOVER – The Delaware Supreme Court, by decision dated Dec. 7, 2017 in the matter of Bridgeville Rifle & Pistol Club, LTD, overturned a Superior Court ruling and ended a ban on visitors’ possessing firearms in Delaware’s state parks and state forests. Pursuant to the ruling, visitors may now possess firearms unless they are prohibited by law due to a past conviction for a violent crime, active Protection from Abuse Order, or mental health commitment. Following the Court’s decision to invalidate the existing regulations limiting firearms in state parks and forests, and some Division of Fish & Wildlife properties, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Delaware Department of Agriculture (DDA) anticipate issuing interim firearm regulations. The interim regulations would respect the State Constitutional provisions on firearms cited by the Court, by implementing the State’s interest in ensuring the safety of the public in a less restrictive manner.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Department of Agriculture have proposed new regulations expanding the scope of legal possession of firearms within Delaware’s state parks, state wildlife areas and state forests.

DNREC and Department of Agriculture will conduct a joint public hearing Monday, March 12 on proposed regulations for possessing firearms in Delaware’s state parks and wildlife areas and state forests.