Delaware Agriculture Week, held at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, is hosted by the Delaware Department of Agriculture, University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and Delaware State University Cooperative Extension. During the week industry experts led sessions exploring the latest and most valuable innovations in agronomy, fruits and vegetables, woodland management, animal science and more. The Division of Watershed Stewardship led sessions on the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and Delaware Community Conservation Program. The Nonpoint Source Program also staffed an exhibit with information on conservation programs and actions that help improve water quality.

The Division of Watershed Stewardship staffed an exhibit at the Delmarva Soil Summit in Salisbury, Maryland. The Summit is the leading regional conference offering soil health information for farmers at every scale bringing in hundreds of attendees including farmers, experts and professionals from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. The exhibit focused on conservation programs and practices that homeowners can use to help improve local water quality.

Volunteers are the backbone of Delaware’s shoreline stabilization. Every spring since 1990, except when pandemic conditions prevented it, dedicated volunteers have stabilized Delaware’s sand dunes by planting more than five million stems of Cape American beach grass along ocean and bay beaches. Nonpoint Source Program staffed the annual event, hosted by the Division of Watershed Stewardship, this spring at Delaware Seashore State Park where 58 volunteers planted beach grass.

The Division of Watershed Stewardship, in partnership with the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, hosted a cleanup at Concord Pond in Seaford. Volunteers removed trash and invasive species around the pond in celebration of Earth Month.

The Division of Watershed Stewardship staffed an exhibit at the Trap Pond Nature Festival in Laurel. The exhibit consisted of information from various conservation programs on actions that help improve local water quality. The annual event is hosted by the Friends of Trap Pond.

The Division of Watershed Stewardship staffed an exhibit at a native plant sale and pollinator workshop at the Laurel Public Library, hosted by the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance. The exhibit consisted of information on actions that help improve local water quality.

The Conservation Programs Section staffed an exhibit at the Water Family Fest and Native Plant Sale at the James Farm Ecological Preserve, in Ocean View. The event, hosted by DNREC and Center for Inland Bays, highlights the work of each organization to improve Delaware’s wetlands, water and recreational shorelines. The exhibit included information on actions that help improve local water quality, with resources available to the public.

In conjunction with DNREC and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency, Governor John Carney proclaimed May 20 to 24, 2024 as Delaware Flood Awareness Week. The goal was to better inform residents about flood risk, likelihood of flooding from extreme weather events brought on by climate change, preparation and effects on water quality. The DNREC Nonpoint Source Program contributed to the promotion of the awareness week which included a social media campaign, flood awareness quiz, trainings, an article in Outdoor Delaware Online Magazine and a DART bus wrap.

The Conservation Programs Section staffed an exhibit at the third annual World Environment Day celebration event at the Veterans Memorial Park in New Castle. Hosted by the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the event aimed to share information with attendees about environmental issues from government regulators, environmental experts and company representatives on such topics as recycling, air quality, food waste, plastic bag bans, renewable energy, greener products, plastic pollution, stainability, watersheds, endangered species, energy conservation, marine life and habitat, oil spill cleanup, Delaware River ecology and climate impacts. The DNREC exhibit consisted of information on activities that help improve local water quality.

DNREC’s Nonpoint Source Program and the Center for Inland Bays partnered to plant hundreds of flower plugs creating vegetated filter strips which improve water quality and increase habitat for pollinators. The planting took place at the Stockley Center in Georgetown.

The Division of Watershed Stewardship hosted an exhibit at the Delaware State Fair as part of the collection of exhibits in the DNREC Building at the Fair. The exhibit consisted of information from the Conservation Programs Section, the Shoreline and Waterway Management Section and he Watershed Assessment and Management Section and included displays on freshwater mussels and recycled glass sand.