Reward Offered In Oil Spill Investigation

A member of a contracted oil spill response organization cleans oily debris from Slaughter Beach in Delaware as part of the Broadkill 2020 oil spill response. The Coast Guard and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are working together to identify areas where tar balls and oily debris are making landfall to facilitate an effective clean up.(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Isaac Cross.)

A reward could be available for information that leads to the identity of the person or organization responsible for the oil spill that’s blotted beaches along Delaware Bay and ocean beaches as far south as Ocean City. The Delaware Audubon Society has put up the offer of a $2,000 reward. Tar balls and oil patties…

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Week Into Oil Spill, Some Beaches Still Closed

The beaches at Lewes and Dewey Beach remained closed to the public Friday due to an oil spill that has left tar balls and droplets of oil on the sand. Bethany Beach has reopened its beaches, but visitors are asked to use caution and to avoid touching any oil blobs they may encounter.Efforts to clean…

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Look Out: Watch For Deer This Time Of Year

It’s that time of year… More and more deer are crossing our roadways, it’s getting dark earlier, and motorists need to be extra alert. The Office of Highway Safety, Triple-A Mid-Atlantic and DNREC say the deer mating season lasts from October until December, and will start to peak around November 10th. “Bucks are very single-minded…

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Update: Oil Spill Cleanup Enters 2nd Week

A member of a contracted oil spill response organization cleans oily debris from Slaughter Beach in Delaware as part of the Broadkill 2020 oil spill response, Oct. 25, 2020. The Coast Guard and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are working together to identify areas where tar balls and oily debris are making landfall to facilitate an effective clean up.(U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Isaac Cross.)

The cleanup of oil patties from Delaware beaches enters its second week. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources says about 55 tons, or four construction dumpsters’ worth of oil blobs, polluted sand and other debris had been removed as of Sunday afternoon. DNREC and the US Coast Guard are managing the unified command. “The job…

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Lewes Beach Closed Due To Oil Spill Clean-Up

Petty Officer 3rd Class Danielle Nelson, a marine science technician at Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Lewes in Lewes, Del., tracks cleanup efforts of oil patties that washed ashore on Broadkill Beach, Delaware, Oct. 20, 2020. The Coast Guard, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are responding to, and overseeing the cleanup. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Fegley/Released)

The City of Lewes is closing its beaches 1 and 2 to the public due to this week’s oil spill. Signs are being posted at beach cross-overs and on the dune fence to inform visitors of the closures Thursday and Friday. The beaches will remain closed until DNREC and the Coast Guard advise Lewes officials…

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Oil Spill May Have Affected 24 Seagulls

Crewmembers from Lewis Environmental, a remediation contractor, conducts cleanup operations of oil patties that washed ashore at various locations on the Delaware Bay coastline between Fowler Beach and Cape Henlopen, Delaware, Oct. 21, 2020. A unified command consisting of the United States Coast Guard and Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has been established as cleanup efforts continue. (Courtesy photo/Released)

A unified command has been established as efforts continue to clean up oil patties from a spill on Delaware Bay. The Department of Natural Resources says gobs of oil have been found on various locations between Fowler Beach and Cape Henlopen. In addition to cleaning up and removing the oil patties, assessment of the spill’s…

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Del. Bay Oil Spill Continues To Spread

Petty Officer 3rd Class Danielle Nelson, a marine science technician at Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Lewes in Lewes, Del., tracks cleanup efforts of oil patties that washed ashore on Broadkill Beach, Delaware, Oct. 20, 2020. The Coast Guard, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control are responding to, and overseeing the cleanup. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Fegley/Released)

An oil spill first detected at Broadkill Beach has spread to several other coastal locations – Lewes, Roosevelt Inlet and Beach Plum Island near Cape Henlopen. Tides carried some of the oil out into the Delaware bay, and “oil patties” have also turned up, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources. DNREC is working…

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DNREC Investigates Oil Spill At Broadkill Beach

About five barrels of oil, or close to 215 gallons, have washed ashore at Broadkill Beach. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources says its Emergency Response Team responded to examine the impact of the spill and to develop a clean-up plan. The spill covered about 3/4 of a mile along upper Delaware Bay. A Delaware…

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2020 A Good Year For Piping Plover Population

Piping plover chick, 18 days old. Photo by Evangelin Von Boeckman.

It was a productive summer at the Delaware beaches for nesting shorebirds. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources Thursday reported that 21 nesting pairs of piping plovers were monitored, and they produced about 51 fledglings. The small beach nesting birds are on Delaware’s state endangered list. The rate of fledglings, at 2.4 per pair of…

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Squirrel! Delmarva Fox Squirrel Populations To Be ‘Translocated’

A Delmarva Fox Squirrel (image courtesy of DNREC)

Delmarva fox squirrels are going to find a new home in Delaware. The Department of Natural Resources says some of the once-endangered squirrels, found abundantly on the Maryland Eastern Shore but still relatively rare in southern Delaware, will be ‘trans-located’ from their Maryland population center to suitable habitats in The First State. Squirrels captured in…

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West Nile Found In Del. Sentinel Chickens, 1st Time In 2020

West Nile Virus has been detected in Delaware for the first time this year in Department of Natural Resources’ sentinel chickens. The birds, placed in northern New Castle County, are sampled regularly. No human cases of West Nile have been reported in Delaware so far this year. DNREC says the possibility of contracting mosquito-borne diseases…

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Blades Groundwater Site Added to Superfund Priority List

A groundwater site in Blades has been added to the U.S. E.P.A. Superfund National Priorities List. The federal commitment clears the way for remedial action funded under the Superfund program. EPA will conduct a remedial investigation and feasibility study to determine the nature and extent of contamination, determine risks to human health and the environment,…

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Two Charged In Stolen Vessel Case

Two Pennsylvania men face charges in connection with the theft of a Maritime Skiff from Tuckahoe Acres, which ran aground on a sandbar in Indian River Bay. Delaware Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police say the suspects were found in the stranded vessel early last Saturday morning. Other boaters reported the incident. 24-year-old Matthew Tortu…

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UPDATED: DNREC LIFTS Recreational Swimming Advisory for Beach at Rehoboth Avenue

UPDATED 8/21/20 3:20pm – DNREC lifted a recreational swimming advisory for Rehoboth Beach at Rehoboth Avenue Friday afternoon after water quality tests taken Thursday showed bacteria levels had returned below the advisory level.  ======================================================== DNREC has issued a recreational swimming advisory for Rehoboth Beach at Rehoboth Avenue based on elevated levels of bacteria found today…

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DNREC to Host Climate Change Public Workshops

OLD DO NO USE

Identifying specific strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the impacts of climate change Delaware is already experiencing will be the topics of a series of virtual public workshops planned for September and October. Delaware is developing a Climate Action Plan aimed at minimizing greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change while maximizing the state’s resilience…

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Lewes Teen Catches State-Record Tilefish

Photo by: Hook'em & Cook'em — with Peggy Grajcar.

A new Delaware record tilefish has been snagged by a Lewes teenager. 13-year-old Dylan Baker was on a private boat when hooked a golden tilefish that weighed 52 pounds, 12.8 ounces. It measured 45-and-a-half inches long, with a girth of 34 inches. According to DNREC, the monster fish was weighed at Hook ‘Em & Cook…

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Killens Pond Water Park Cleared To Reopen

Killens Pond Water Park

After being closed during the hottest week of the year, Killens Pond State Park’s water park will reopen to the public Friday. The water park was closed last week when it was discovered that a staff member tested positive for coronavirus. According to the Department of Natural Resources, contact tracing was completed through the Division…

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3 Arrested In Deer Cruelty Case

Reports of animal cruelty in the Gumboro area have led to three arrests. Delaware Fish and Wildlife Natural Resources Police say an investigation determined that the trio recorded themselves intentionally striking a deer with a motor vehicle in the Hudson Road area, and continuing to “perform cruel acts on the deer,” which later died. 20-year-old…

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DNREC Tightens Parking At State Park Beaches

soft-wave-of-ocean-on-sandy-beach

The Department of Natural Resources plans to cut back capacity at Delaware Seashore, Cape Henlopen and Fenwick Island State Parks starting Friday. Lots will be limited to about 60 percent of parking capacity. Vehicles that arrive after capacity is reached will be turned away. DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin said state park beaches reached capacity last…

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Surf-fishing permits are hot sellers in Delaware

About 15,500 of this year’ available surf fishing permits have already been issued, according to the Department of Natural Resources. Annual permits are capped at 17,000 to avoid overcrowding at park beaches and to manage limited resources. Starting today, Parks and Recreation is suspending online sales and reducing the number of locations where surf fishing…

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