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Senses in the Salt Marsh

Written on: September 8th, 2021 in Education and OutreachWetland Animals

By Kayla Clauson, DNREC’s Watershed Assessment and Management Section If you’re anything like me and always looking for an adventure, maybe you should check out a tidal salt marsh! I’ll admit – I am slightly biased towards salt marshes due to my professional background, but I’ve exposed many individuals to the wonders of a salt […]


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Status and Trends: Stormwater Ponds

Written on: May 27th, 2021 in Wetland Assessments

By Alison Rogerson, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program In March we shared some results about the status of wetland acreage in Delaware between 2007 and 2017. This time we’re taking a closer look at the increasing number of stormwater ponds popping up across the state. Is this a good trend or something to be […]


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WATAR You Up To?

Written on: May 17th, 2021 in Wetland Restoration

By Maggie Pletta, DNREC’s Coastal, Climate and Energy Delaware is known for many things… like being first, Joe Biden, and horseshoe crabs. However, there are a few less flattering things that Delaware is known for, and one is a history of polluted waterways. A large number of Delaware’s waterbodies have a fish consumption advisory, with […]


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American Wetlands Month: 5 Reasons to Love Wetlands

Written on: May 17th, 2021 in Education and Outreach

By Olivia McDonald, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program Happy American Wetlands Month! During the month of May we celebrate the incredible importance of wetlands to the environment and humans alike. Wetlands are ranked as one of Earth’s most productive ecosystems, supporting an incredible amount of biodiversity, and are considered a nature-based solution to climate […]


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Chesapeake Adventures: Exploring Wetland Condition in the Chester-Choptank Watershed

Written on: May 17th, 2021 in Wetland Assessments

By Erin Dorset, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring amd Assessment Program Here at the Wetland Monitoring & Assessment Program (WMAP), most fieldwork is done in the Delaware Bay and Inland Bays drainage basins, where waters move east to the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. But, in 2018, WMAP had the opportunity to perform wetland assessments in […]


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Living Shoreline Permitting Do’s and Don’ts

Written on: March 22nd, 2021 in Living Shorelines

By Kenny Smith, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program When discussing living shorelines, you might not think the hardest and most unclear part would be getting your permits to accomplish this work. The permit process is sometimes difficult to navigate and can be confusing to someone not immersed in the environmental field. We decided to […]


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Updating the Delaware Wetland Program Plan for 2021-2025

Written on: March 22nd, 2021 in Wetland Assessments

By Alison Rogerson, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program What is a state wetland program plan? Delaware creates five-year wetland program plans to serve as a guide that identifies and prioritizes areas where information or action is needed to advance wetland management statewide. It is created using the goals of many different wetland players across […]


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Sea-level Rise, Marsh Migration, and Coastal Resilience

Written on: March 22nd, 2021 in Wetland Restoration

By Ezra Kottler, The George Washington University All over the world, sea-level rise is driving changes in natural habitats. Greenhouse gas emissions have brought about the warming of oceans and melting of glaciers such that global mean sea level is increasing over time and the rate at which it increases is getting steeper and steeper […]


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Wetland Acreage Status in Delaware

Written on: March 22nd, 2021 in Wetland Assessments

By Erin Dorset, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program Back in December, WMAP introduced you to DNREC’s new 2017 wetlands maps. Since then, WMAP has been hard at work finalizing a report detailing the status and trends of wetlands throughout the State of Delaware. Soon, the entire report will be available, but in the meantime, […]


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Salt Marshes: Working Hard Without Pay

Written on: December 9th, 2020 in Wetland Assessments

Guest Student Writer: Sandra Demberger, M.S., recent graduate, Villanova University Boaters, kayakers, and bird watchers are drawn to salt marshes for their quiet beauty. Wildlife, ranging from great blue herons to tiny fiddler crabs, and marsh grasses rustling in the soothing breeze, all draw recreators to these coastal systems. But did you know, these seemingly […]


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