National Hunting and Fishing Day Sunday, Sept. 15

DNREC’s celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Day
Sunday, Sept. 15 to feature family-friendly outdoor fun

DOVER (Sept. 11, 2013) – From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Sunday, Sept. 15, visitors to the Aquatic Resource Education Center (AREC) near Smyrna will be able to sample a wide range of outdoor activities from paddling a canoe to taking aim in archery, and from casting a line to taking a marsh walk as the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife hosts its celebration of National Hunting and Fishing Day. Admission is free and open to all, with picnicking encouraged. AREC is located on Route 9 east of Smyrna along the Delaware Bayshore.

“National Hunting and Fishing Day provides a perfect opportunity to introduce people to hunting, fishing and other great outdoors activities,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Saveikis. “We hope that lots of folks who are interested in these activities will come out and enjoy all the fun experiences we’ve planned at our Aquatic Resource Education Center, as well as the adjoining Delaware Bayshore marsh.”

The family-friendly event will feature a host of hands-on and interactive activities, including archery, deer aging and measuring, retriever demonstrations, a saltwater touch tank, canoeing, hayrides, duck decoy carving demonstrations, tours of the Mallard Lodge, Eco-Explorers marsh walks, a fyke net demonstration with fisheries biologists, fishing activities and more

Other exhibitors include Operation Game Theft, Delaware Waterfowl and Trout Stamps, Mosquito Control, DuPont Nature Center, Delaware Bat Program, equipment including air boats and the brush-clearing Positrack, a display of Delaware Licenses Through the Ages, the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Delaware Chapter, Delaware Ducks Unlimited, the Delaware Adopt-A-Wetland program, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Creek Marina, Carlisle’s Marine, Shorts Marine, Yes U Can Corporation, Chesapeake Bay Nutria Eradication Program, Delaware Trappers Association, MERR Institute, Delaware Bass Nation, and boating safety with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

A brief opening ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m., featuring a reading of a proclamation from Governor Jack Markell, declaring Delaware’s observance of National Hunting and Fishing Day, and the signing of an agreement between the National Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports and the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, which is joining the council. The National Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports was formed by leaders in the Conservation community to identify ways to recruit, retain and re-engage participation in hunting, trapping and shooting sports. Delaware joins 32 other states in the council, including nearby Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Admission is free and open to the public, with visitors encouraged to pack picnic lunches and enjoy eating outdoors on AREC’s grounds. AREC is located at 4876 Hay Point Landing Road, Smyrna, DE 19977. For more information, including directions to AREC, please visit http://de.gov/nhfd

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s Aquatic Resource Education Center, located at 4876 Hay Point Landing Road, Smyrna, is a unique research and education facility dedicated to Delaware’s wetlands, waterways and aquatic wildlife. With its 940-foot saltmarsh boardwalk, eco-stations, nature trails, outdoor classroom and hands-on approach, AREC hosts school field trips from all over the state and thousands of visitors each year. For more information on AREC’s programs, please call 302-735-8689 or visit Aquatic Resource Education Center.

This event is co-sponsored by DNREC’s Delaware Bayshore Initiative, a landscape approach to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat, increase volunteer participation in habitat stewardship projects, enhance low-impact outdoor recreation and ecotourism opportunities, and promote associated environmentally compatible economic development. For more information, click Delaware Bayshore.