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  Category: Education and Outreach

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The Amazing Oyster

Written on: May 13th, 2020 in Education and OutreachLiving ShorelinesWetland Restoration

At first glance, an oyster appears to be little more than, well, a bit of goo inside a rock. But actually, the humble oyster is an environmental warrior with an impressive bag of tricks up its sleeve, and it serves as a keystone species upon which depends the health of a marine ecosystem and the surrounding marsh.


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Rising to Meet the Challenge; Delaware’s Communities Start a Path Forward to Improving Resiliency

Written on: March 13th, 2020 in Education and OutreachWetland Restoration

By Kelly Valencik, DNREC’s Delaware Coastal Programs Communities Seeing Shifts in Mother Nature Many communities throughout our state have already seen changes as a result of climate change- from shifting rainfall and storm patterns, to increased drought, to flooding from sea level rise. These consequences of the warming earth and ocean temperatures as a result […]


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Piedmont vs. Coastal Plain Wetlands: A Tale of Two Regions

Written on: September 16th, 2019 in Education and Outreach

If you spend a lot of time traveling around Delaware, you’ll notice that northern Delaware is very different from the rest of the state. That’s because Delaware is made up of two distinct geologic regions. The northernmost part of Delaware is within the Piedmont region, while the rest of Delaware lies within the Coastal Plain region.


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Wetlands are Magicians of Water Quality Improvement

Written on: May 15th, 2019 in Education and Outreach

By Alison Rogerson, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program In our Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program we speak so often about the ecosystem services that wetlands provide or the beneficial functions wetlands perform daily.  We rattle them off in varying order “provide vital habitat for plants and wildlife, improve water quality, protect our coasts, act […]


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Realtors and Wetlands: What You Need to Know to Help Clients Purchase and Build Wisely

Written on: February 27th, 2019 in Education and Outreach

By Brittany Haywood, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program Wetlands are a part of our everyday lives.  They are in the landscape silently helping to control flood waters, clean our drinking waters and protect us from damaging storms. Knowing what wetlands are, where they are, how they work, and what can and can’t be done […]


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Wetland Plant Adaptations

Written on: September 12th, 2018 in Education and Outreach

By Erin Dorest, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program Wetland plants live a tough life. They are often under water for significant periods of time, meaning that they are frequently deprived of oxygen. Wetland plants also need to remain stable in the soil if they deal with fast moving water that ebbs and flows. Those […]


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Beneficial Reuse of Dredge Material on a Tidal Marsh

Written on: May 24th, 2017 in Education and OutreachWetland Restoration

By Brittany Haywood, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program What is one way to give a marsh a lift with the challenge of rising seas? Spray the muddy material that has been dredged up from the bottom of a creek in a thin layer on top of the marsh. But how much mud is too […]


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Saltmarsh Scientists

Written on: December 9th, 2016 in Education and Outreach

By Mary Rivera and Debra Forest, DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife Aquatic Resources Education Center The quiet of a peaceful morning in the Woodland Beach saltmarsh is interrupted by a flock of 60 lively fifth grade students. Squeals of delight emanate from several of the children at the fish station where they get a […]


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Coastal Storms, Wetlands and You

Written on: March 14th, 2016 in Education and Outreach

By Brittany Haywood, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program Winter storms and nor-easters brought excess rainfall, rough seas, and unseasonably high tides to Delaware this winter, highlighting the value of nature’s first line of defense against coastal storms; wetlands. Up and down Delaware’s coast, roadways were made impassable due to rising seas, buildings were battered by […]


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One of Delaware’s Unique Wetland Communities

Written on: December 19th, 2015 in Education and Outreach

By Brittany Haywood, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program Coastal Plain Seasonal Ponds, also called Delmarva Bays, are small, shallow, seasonally-wet areas. They are fed by groundwater, rain or snow and usually fill up in winter and spring and dry out in summer and fall. Often surrounded by woodlands, the inner (wetter) zones feature a […]


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