Slaughter Beach selected for DCP’s first annual Resilient Community Partnership
NEWS FROM THE DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Contact: Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902
Slaughter Beach selected for
DNREC Resilient Community Partnership
DOVER (March 14, 2016) – DNREC’s Delaware Coastal Programs (DCP) announced today that the Town of Slaughter Beach has been selected for DCP’s first annual Resilient Community Partnership. This partnership leverages up to $75,000 in federal funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help Delaware communities improve their planning and preparation capabilities for responding to coastal hazards.
“Delaware towns are extremely vulnerable to coastal storms and climate change,” said Sarah Cooksey, DCP administrator. “Advance planning can help communities minimize their risks and rebound more quickly from hazardous events. We applaud Slaughter Beach for wanting to take the necessary steps to become more resilient.”
Slaughter Beach has compelling reasons to enhance its resiliency to hazardous events. This small town in Sussex County lies immediately north of Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge and east of Slaughter Creek. Its northern and western boundaries front Cedar Creek and the Delaware Bay. The town routinely experiences flooding from storms and extreme tides, and the two access roads in and out of town often flood for up to three days at a time, posing risks for evacuation. During Snowstorm Jonas in January 2016, the town experienced near record flooding as well as substantial dune loss and property damage. Residents have expressed concerns that their town is flooding more often, particularly from the marsh side, according to DCP’s Cooksey.
The Mayor or Slaughter Beach Harry Ward said. “We’re thrilled to have been selected as the first community to participate in the resiliency project and look forward to working with Delaware Coastal Programs. We’re a small town with limited means and being selected to participate in this program gives us the opportunity to identify the resources needed to ensure the safety of our citizens. Slaughter Beach is a beautiful and unspoiled bay beach and is home to over 400 species of wildlife. We have an obligation to protect our environment and community for future generations, and the only way to guarantee that our children and grandchildren can experience the beauty and serenity that we now enjoy is to become a resilient community.”
Through this partnership, DNREC, DCP and Slaughter Beach will carry out a comprehensive vulnerability assessment of risks from coastal storms, sea level rise and extreme tides. Other potential risks, including wildfires and temperature changes due to climate change will be examined. This assessment will produce data and visualization tools that characterize the Town’s risk so that the Partnership can identify adaptation and mitigation measures that will enhance the Town’s resiliency to hazardous events. Other goals are to promote best practices and their transferability so that other Bayshore towns may benefit from this important work.
The selection of Slaughter Beach follows a competitive process that was announced in November 2015. DCP will provide direct staffing, technical support, public outreach and training to assist the Town with its vulnerability assessment. In addition, DCP will collaborate with other DNREC and state partners, including DelDOT and the State Office of Planning Coordination, to obtain valuable insights and assistance. Stakeholder participation will also be a major part of the process, with an initial public workshop to be scheduled in Slaughter Beach later this spring.
Delaware Coastal Programs improves local capacity to conserve and wisely manage coastal resources and supports the integration of coastal management principles through local planning and implementation activities. For more information about the Resilient Community Partnership, contact Danielle Swallow, DCP at 302-739-9283.
Note from the Town regarding the Grant
First and foremost, DCP will look at the town’s vulnerability to flooding. They will also identify possible abatement strategies to mitigate risks caused by flooding. One of the lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy is that fires are caused by extreme floods, and we know from the Slaughter Beach Memorial Fire Company and from FEMA, that propane tanks are especially dangerous because they float in flood waters. That hazard can be mitigated by strapping down the tanks. FEMA estimates the cost of securing a tank is approximately $500 per residence. DCP has already agreed to assist us in locating grant funds to secure the tanks and mitigate the risk of fire. However, they will need access to your yard to identify which property contains unsecured propane tanks. So, if you see a Council member or one of our volunteers walking on your property with DCP staff, please welcome them. DCP hopes to begin their walk-through before the end of March.
Why securing propane tanks are important: Video link
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center to celebrate 35th anniversary May 20-21
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center to celebrate 35th anniversary May 20-21
Delaware Nature Society is celebrating the 35th Anniversary of Abbott’s Mill Nature Center, a hidden gem of southern Delaware four miles outside Milford. Abbott’s Mill encompasses 483 acres of upland forests, restored native meadows, pristine ponds and streams, Atlantic white cedar swamps and bogs, salt marsh and wetland preserves and Delaware’s only preserved, working grist mill.
Abbott’s Mill will be kicking off its 35th anniversary year with Patagonia’s The New Localism Documentary Film Festival and an inaugural Run the Mill 5K.
What is now known as Abbott’s Mill Nature Center first began in 1795, when a stone grist mill powered by a breastshot water wheel was built. In the early 1900s, the mill added roller mills, allowing for full production of corn, wheat, barley and oats. During this addition, the mill’s power source was changed from water wheel to water turbine.
In 1919, Ainsworth Abbott purchased the property. He operated the mill singlehandedly until 1963, when he sold the facility to Howard and Frances Killen. The Killens, wishing to preserve its historic and cultural importance, decided to sell the mill property to the Delaware Board of Game and Fish Commissioners (now the Division of Fish and Wildlife).
A multiyear renovation project started in 1976, with the goal to restore the mill to a preserved, working order. Part of the project included building a small classroom facility, which is the current visitor center. In 1980, Delaware Nature Society leased the property as its third statewide facility. In 1981, Abbott’s Mill Nature Center was officially commissioned.
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center has grown from its humble 27 acre beginnings to include 483 acres of conserved lands all over Sussex County, including Blair’s Pond Nature Preserve, Isaacs and Isaacs-Greene Preserves, and Marvel Saltmarsh Preserve. Environmental education and public visitation programs at the site have reached over 35,000 people since their beginning, advancing the mission to connect people to the natural world.
In celebration of Abbott’s Mill Nature Center’s 35th Anniversary year, Delaware Nature Society has planned several fun, family-friendly events.
Patagonia’s The New Localism Documentary Film Festival begins at Abbott’s Mill at 7 p.m., Friday, May 20. The evening will feature environmentally themed short films inspiring people to think globally and act locally via surfing, trail running, climbing and more. This film festival is made possible with generous support from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
Tickets are $25. The night will include film, craft ale and food from the Taco Reho truck.
The inaugural Run the Mill 5K is set for Saturday, May 21. The race starts at Blair’s Pond Nature Preserve and ends at Abbott’s Mill Nature Center. After the run, visitors can enjoy a complimentary Dogfish Head beer, some post-race food, live music and see the mill in operation. Preregistration is required; the entry fee is $20.
Abbott’s Mill Nature Center’s 35th Anniversary celebrations will conclude in the fall, with Meal at the Mill Friday, Oct. 14. Meal at the Mill is a farm-to-table menu paired with Dogfish Head beer. The Autumn at Abbott’s Festival will be Saturday, Oct. 15.
For more information, go to www.DelNature.org/Abbotts35.
Volunteers needed for DuPont Nature Center – Spring Cleanup Day
DuPont Nature Center – Spring Cleanup Day
Saturday, April 2
2 Shifts: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Project: The DuPont Nature Center in Milford has been closed for the winter and will be re-opening to the public on April 16, 2016. Fish & Wildlife is looking for assistance with re-opening projects as well as some minor construction and grounds maintenance projects to cleanup/repair damages from winter storm Jonas. Spring Cleanup Day projects include: exhibit and tank set-up, deck maintenance, clearing sand/debris from sidewalks, replacing sandbags, planting beach grass, and cleaning the center and the surrounding grounds.
*There are two volunteer shifts. Lunch will be provided for volunteers attending both shifts.
Age Requirement: Volunteers under the age of 18 must provide a parental consent form<http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Volunteers/Documents/FW%20Parental%20Consent.pdf>. Volunteers under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Contact: To volunteer, contact Lynne Pusey at lynne.pusey@delaware.gov<mailto:lynne.pusey@delaware.gov> or 302-735-3600.
Horseshoe Crab Survey Needs Volunteers
Want to help with this years Horseshoe Crab spawning survey, Delaware Nature Society will be holding a training program at Slaughter Beach on April 23rd from 4 to 5 at Marvel. For more information here is the flyer with dates and times of the survey: Training flyer
