Fly Fishing Lessons

Anglers aged 16 and older can learn about, and gain skills in, the increasingly popular sport of fly-fishing by attending free fly-fishing lessons for adults at the DNREC Aquatic Resources Education Center in Smyrna. The 2024 fly-fishing class is set for Sept. 21 and 28, 2024, from 9

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Aquatic Resources Education Center

The Aquatic Resources Education Center, operated by the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, focuses on wetlands, fishing and other aquatic education themes.

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Youth Fishing Programs

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife offers free fishing lessons, aquatic adventures and explorations of the Delaware Bay for children and young teens. Once they are hooked on fishing, they can try one of Delaware’s kid-friendly fishing ponds for a great day at the water’s edge. Kids

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For Kids and Families

DNREC’s National Estuarine Research Reserve offers a variety of fun and educational activities for children and adults on Reserve property and along the Delaware Bayshore. All activities are free. Most require pre-registration. Delaware National Estuarine

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Educational Programs for Grades K Through 12

The DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife operates two educational centers that provide free programs and resources to schools and other educational groups. The Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC) and DuPont Nature Center (DNC) offer a variety of programming focused on aquatic species and other environmental education topics, from microorganisms found in

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Be the First to Know

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is a large agency with multiple divisions overseeing permits and regulations, natural resources assessment and protection, and outdoor recreation opportunities. There’s a lot going on and many opportunities for public participation. Part of the DNREC mission is to engage all stakeholders to

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Library: Education and Outreach Materials

A collection of wetlands education and outreach materials from the DNREC Watershed Assessment Section. Wetland Publications Library

Wetland Health Reports

Management Plans and Monitoring Protocols

Long-Term Wetlands Monitoring

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Eco-Explorers Virtual Field Trip Registration

This form is for teachers and homeschool groups to register for an Eco-Explorers virtual field trip with the Aquatic Resources Education Center. There is no charge for the field trip but please register if you plan to use the virtual field trip material. This will help us provide additional programs in the future.

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Virtual Eco-Explorers Field Trip Program

The Aquatic Resources Education Center offers a virtual version of the Eco-Explorers field trip program. The resources of the virtual field trip are useful for students or school groups unable to attend traditional, in-person field trips and as supplementary and review material for in-person field trip participants.

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Outdoor Delaware: Fun and Education

Get smarter about our environment and enjoy the journey. Learn what makes our natural world tick and how we can help conserve and protect it.

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The Delaware Bayshore Initiative

Extending from Pea Patch Island in New Castle County to the City of Lewes in Sussex County, the Delaware Bay shoreline is widely recognized as an area of global ecological significance. Its expansive coastal marshes, shoreline, agricultural lands and forests provide diverse habitat to many species, including migratory shorebirds.

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Horseshoe Crab Education Resources for Teachers

Each spring during May and June, the ancient, amazing and globally significant ritual of horseshoe crab spawning and mass shorebird migration brings visitors from around the world to our Delaware Bayshore backyards. The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers a variety of resources to support teachers who are educating about this phenomenon.

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Eco-Explorers Field Trips

Eco-Explorers is a free field trip program designed for fifth grade students in Delaware. Participants visit the Aquatic Resources Education Center (AREC), where they experience and explore connections between plants and animals within a tidal salt marsh ecosystem. Mary Rivera Aquatic

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Resilient Community Partnership: Atlantic Coast Communities and Lewes

DNREC’s Delaware Coastal Programs (DCP) office has partnered with a group of seven unique coastal municipalities on a comprehensive assessment of impervious surface coverage. The project will produce community-specific strategies for reducing existing and future impervious surface coverage and increasing stormwater infiltration. Local Leadership [column

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Delaware Trout Stamp Contest Rules

The next Delaware Trout Stamp Art Contest will take place during the week of Aug. 18, 2025 when judges will be scheduled to review the artwork. Contest Rules Summary Here are the basics. Please see the 2025 Stamp Art Contest Artist Agreement and Contest Entry Form for a full

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Delaware’s Trout Stamp Program

The DNREC Freshwater Trout Program is supported by funds derived from the state’s trout stamp program. Anglers fishing for trout have been required to purchase a Delaware Trout Stamp since 1955. Today, fees paid by anglers for trout stamps provide DNREC with an average of $50,000 annually to purchase trout from commercial hatcheries. Stamp revenues

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Winning Waterfowl Stamp Contest Entries

The winning entries for the 2025/2026 edition of the Delaware State Waterfowl Stamp Contest were chosen by a panel of five judges who evaluated and scored the contest entries in person.  A painting of a Canada Goose in an agricultural setting, by Richard Clifton of Milford, Delaware, will grace the 2025/2026 Delaware Waterfowl Stamp.

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Delaware Waterfowl Stamp Contest Rules

The Delaware Waterfowl Stamp Art Contest will take place during the week of August 18, 2025, when judges will be scheduled to review the artwork. Contest Rules Summary Here are the basics. Please see the 2025 Stamp Art Contest Artist Agreement and Contest Entry Form for a full set

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Winning Trout Stamp Contest Entries

The winning entries for the 2025 edition of the Delaware Trout Stamp Contest were chosen by a panel of five judges who evaluated and scored the contest entries in person. The 2025 Delaware Trout Stamp will feature a painting of a brook trout by Dennis Arp of Edison, Nebraska. Mr. Arp received $250 for Best

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Delaware’s Waterfowl Stamp Program

DNREC’s Delaware Waterfowl Stamp Program helps raise funds for waterfowl conservation. Hunters and stamp collectors buy stamps and prints. The money raised is used to restore and improve wetland habitat vital for migratory waterfowl. DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife began the program in 1980, in partnership with Delaware Ducks Unlimited. The program has generated

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DuPont Nature Center Events

The DuPont Nature Center offers educational programs and events from April through September. They include field excursions, lectures and hands-on activities. The DuPont Nature Center is located at the end of Lighthouse Road, at the mouth of the Mispillion River, on the Delaware Bay. For more information, call 302-422-1329. [eme_calendar full=true

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Education and Outreach

The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers a variety of educational and outreach programs, including programs designed specifically for school groups in grades K through 12. Education Facilities DuPont Nature Center at the Mispillion Harbor Reserve Aquatic Resource Education Center

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Blackbird Creek Fall Festival

The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) offers a day of free family fun at the Blackbird Creek Fall Festival every October. [modal text=”Where Is It?” title=”Find the

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School Programs

Are you looking for a great field trip opportunity or possibly a visit from a naturalist into your classroom? Have you thought about the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve? The Reserve provides wonderful field trip and classroom outreach opportunities for you and your students! [panel type=”success” heading=”Information

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Resources for Teachers

The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve offers a variety of Teacher Professional Development opportunities every year. These training sessions give teachers from around the Delaware Bay an opportunity to grow and expand their skills. Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve 302-739-6377

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Get Involved

You can get involved in your community and your estuary when you volunteer with DNREC’s Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR). The Reserve offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for adults and high school students throughout each year at each of its two locations. The Delaware National Estuarine

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Education and Outreach

DNREC Coastal Programs offers a variety of volunteer, educational, and recreational opportunities at the two research reserve sites that make up the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR). [column md=”8″ xclass=”col-xs-12

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Community Septic System Outreach

The Community Outreach Initiative identifies low- and moderate-income homeowners in the Chesapeake and Inland Bay Watersheds that may need financial assistance to replace failed and/or failing septic systems. Bruce Wright First State Community Action Agency Stanford L. Bratton Bldg. 308 N. Railroad

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