DNREC showcases coastal and natural resources on Oct. 5 at Coast Day in Lewes

DNREC showcases coastal and natural resources on Oct. 5 at Coast Day in Lewes 

LEWES (Oct. 3, 2014) – Delaware’s coastal and natural resources will be showcased from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5  at DNREC’s Coast Day education tent between the Smith and Cannon buildings on the campus of the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment in Lewes. Coast Day – celebrating its 38^th year – is the university’s annual end-of-summer event that attracts thousands of people from Delaware and throughout the region.

“Coast Day celebrates Delaware’s coastal resources and brings together partners who are committed to preserving our beaches, waterways, tidal marshes, farmland, upland forests, bay and ocean for future generations,” said DNREC Secretary David Small. “This event also provides a wonderful opportunity to take a closer look into the science and technology that is being used and developed to help make important decisions about our natural resources in Delaware and across the globe.” 

DNREC’s tent features the agency’s diverse programs designed to conserve and protect Delaware’s natural resources and encourages public participation through hands-on activities and educational games that appeal to both adults and children. DNREC has exhibited at Coast Day since the event’s inception in 1976. 

This year, more than 30 DNREC exhibits will highlight Delaware’s coastal and natural resources, including:

• DNREC’s Coastal Management Programs and the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve booth will showcase the benefits provided by Delaware’s wetlands, and invite visitors to color a scene illustrating “Thank You Delaware Bay” and help paint a portion of a paint-by-numbers mural showing a vital natural resource found in the Delaware Bay and River. Visitors also will be invited to learn about ocean resource planning through the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on Oceans (MARCO) online resource center.
• The Delaware Bayshore program will host a mini-movie theater with popcorn and video of Delaware’s central coastline, and invite children to dig for treasures in a sandy beach display.
• Tropo, the Division of Air Quality’s big blue mascot, will welcome visitors to play a spin-the-wheel game and check out the air quality monitoring truck.
• A host of interactive displays will combine fun with learning about “Livable Lawns,” recycling and composting, Delaware Mosquito Control, the Delaware Bat Program, TrashStoppers, the Delaware Shorebird Project, energy-saving light bulbs and home energy auditing, statewide floodplains, septic systems, water testing and conservation, Outdoor Delaware magazine and more.

For more information on the event, visit www.decoastday.org.