From Wilmington to Fenwick, Volunteers Clean Up Trash Along Delaware’s Coast

For more than 30 years, Delaware’s Coastal Cleanup has removed literal tons of garbage from our state’s coastal areas. In the 2024 event, held after the prior year saw a cancellation due to bad weather, more than 1,000 people gave their time to help pick up litter (including a couch and a mannequin head) at almost 50 sites up and down eastern Delaware.

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DNREC Calendar: Education and Outreach

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) hosts education and outreach meetings to help inform the public about issues and opportunities, to provide hunter safety and boating safety training and to introduce related information. This calendar includes DNREC volunteer opportunities. This calendar is presented as a list of upcoming events (below) and

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Monthly Calendar: Education and Outreach

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) hosts education and outreach meetings to help inform the public about issues and opportunities, to provide hunter safety and boating safety training and to introduce related information. This calendar includes DNREC volunteer opportunities. This calendar is presented as a month-to-month calendar grid (below) and as

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Young Environmentalist of the Year

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control honors young Delawareans each year who have put their passions into projects that benefit our environment. Young Environmentalist of the Year Award winners are honored in a special ceremony at the Delaware State Fair. The 2024 Young Environmentalists of the Year

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Wild Turkey Surveys

Since 2010, the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife has used an annual, volunteer-based survey to record observations of wild turkeys across the state during the months of July and August. The survey generates an index of annual turkey productivity and recruitment (the ratio of young birds to adult females). The survey

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Volunteer With the Piping Plover Program

To ensure continued breeding success, the DNREC Piping Plover Program depends on volunteers to help inform the public about the breeding progress of the plovers and the importance of staying out of closed areas.

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Volunteer With the Delaware Kestrel Partnership

The kestrel monitoring program relies on community scientist volunteers who dedicate time from March through July each year to help monitor kestrel boxes across the state. This page provides information on the volunteer program and a form to register to join the effort. [panel type=”success” heading=”Contact

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Shorebird Volunteer Form

This page is a volunteer registration form for those interested in volunteering to help with the spring field season of the Delaware Shorebird Project. Participants must be at least 18 years of age to volunteer with the Shorebird Project. Commitment Volunteers should plan on committing to

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Get Involved

The success of the Christina-Brandywine River Remediation Restoration Resilience (CBR4) project depends on support and input from many different people and organizations, including residents of and visitors to the Riverfront, Wilmington, and New Castle County. CBR4 Project Menu

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“Not My Trash – But I Picked It Up.”
Coastal Cleanup 2020

For 32 years, volunteers cleared tons of trash from Delaware beaches in single-day events. In 2020, to make the Coastal Cleanup accessible and safe for everyone, the effort transitioned to a month-long campaign.

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Piping Plovers

Dwindling populations have landed the Piping Plovers on the federal Endangered Species List. DNREC’s Beach-Nesting Bird Program monitors these beach-nesting birds, provides habitat protection and educates the beach-going public. Piping plovers are small sand-colored shorebirds that nest and feed on the beach. They begin arriving and nesting on

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Osprey Monitoring and Management

Delaware’s osprey population is one of the state’s greatest conservation success stories. From the days of DDT and the collapse of many raptor populations, including bald eagles and peregrine falcons, osprey in Delaware have rebounded and the population continues to grow state-wide.

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The Delaware Shorebird Project

Shorebirds are an important part of the ecology of Delaware’s shorelines. But they are under threat; populations are declining. DNREC’s Delaware Shorebird Project works to mitigate that threat, through research and monitoring, habitat protection, and management planning. The Shorebird Project team has conducted research and monitoring since 1997. They have

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Operation Terrapin Rescue at Port Mahon

Operation Terrapin Rescue is a volunteer program to help Diamondback terrapins move safely between the Delaware Bay and their nesting sites near Port Mahon. It also collects accurate and valuable data on the terrapins’ movements. Nate Nazdrowicz Species Conservation and Research

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Do Something Wild

Volunteer with the Division of Fish and Wildlife! The Division offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups, part of a larger, Department-wide network of volunteer opportunities. Aquatic Resources Education Center

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Hunter Education Volunteer Instructor Program

The Delaware Hunter Education Program needs you to help prepare the next generation and other newcomers to hunting or trapping for a safe and enjoyable hunting future. Join

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Delaware Coastal Cleanup

Trash on our beaches and in our waterways isn’t just unsightly – it’s also potentially dangerous to marine life and in some cases harmful to water quality. The annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup offers volunteers an opportunity to help make a difference for Delaware’s shoreline and waterways while joining an international effort to clean up the

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Volunteer with DNREC

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control offers a variety of volunteer opportunities for both individuals and groups. DNREC Volunteer Calendar [modal text=”Volunteer Opportunities by Division”

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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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Topic: Wetlands

A wetland is simply an area of land that is wet during the growing season. All true wetlands have three characteristics: typical wetland plants, wetland soils, and evidence that water is or can be at or near the surface. Our wetlands provide valuable service to Delaware. Wetlands purify our water. They provide habitat for rare and commercially important plants, fish and animals. And they protect us from flooding.

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Topic: Wildlife and Fish

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife manages nearly 50,000 acres of land that provides habitat for a multitude of wild plants, animals, fish, insects and rare species of all kinds. And it spearheads several important wildlife and habitat conservation and education initiatives, including the Wildlife Species Conservation and Research Program and the Delaware Shorebird Project.

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Topic: Outdoors and Recreation

Delaware is rich in natural beauty. Its landscape ranges from the rolling hills of New Castle County, through the coastal marshes and river systems of Kent County, to the woodlands and beaches of Sussex County.

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