The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, together with The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, will host a large public forum on May 6, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., where a panel of scientists and policy experts will discuss the impacts of “Global Warming in the Delaware Valley.” This free, town hall-style meeting is one of many installments in the Academy’s “Town Square” series, which is taking place at the museum’s headquarters near Logan Square on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

“As scientists, it is critically important to share the latest facts and to hear what people are most concerned about. That is the goal of this forum,” said Dr. Danielle Kreeger, science director at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “We also want to think strategically about needs and actions in the future. For example, what do we do when changes in climate begin to interact with changes in our backyard, like land use and water management? These are just a few of the things we’ll discuss.”

Prior to the evening’s discussion, scientists will be joined by policy makers and resource managers, among others, for a day-long technical workshop on climate change in the Delaware Estuary. The goal of this earlier gathering is to compare data on climate change in a way that allows professionals to move forward in a concerted, regional approach to natural resource restoration and protection. The results of the workshop will be presented during the evening’s Town Square meeting in an effort to gather public input.

“This is a much needed information exchange and discussion for scientists, resource managers and the public on a very important topic,” said Dr. David Velinsky, an environmental biogeochemist and vice president of the Patrick Center for Environmental Research at the Academy. “The outcomes of this forum will be used to advise environmental leaders regarding the ways they can adapt to the local aspects of climate change we expect to see in the next 10 to 30 years.”

The evening’s keynote speaker will be Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, president of the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. Panelists will include Carol Collier of the Delaware River Basin Commission, Barry Seymour of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and Jennifer Adkins of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, the latter of which will serve as moderator.

“Town Square” is made possible thanks to the financial assistance of the Claneil Foundation and the Environmental Associates of The Academy of Natural Sciences. For more information, please visit www.DelawareEstuary.org or www.ANSP.org/townsquare.

WILMINGTON, Del. — This week, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary unveiled ecoDelaware.com, a new website promoting ecotourism events and destinations throughout the State of Delaware. This launch comes 10 days prior to the 2008 Governor’s Tourism Summit, an event where ecotourism is featured prominently on the agenda.

The mission of ecoDelaware.com is to increase awareness, appreciation and, ultimately, environmental stewardship for Delaware’s creeks, rivers, and estuaries. This website not only equips users to experience these destinations, but it also features outdoor events and preplanned “ecotours,” the latter of which helps to cut down on exhaustive research that can often hinder an excursion.

“Nature enthusiasts consider Delaware’s estuaries to be a premier destination on the East Coast,” said Jennifer Adkins, executive director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “The migrating shorebirds, spawning horseshoe crabs, and many other species that call our waters home are a huge draw, both locally and nationally, and this provides us with opportunities for conservation, education, and more.”

Another ecotourism website is currently under development in Southern New Jersey, and related sites promoting Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Delmarva Peninsula are already available to the public. Therefore, ecoDelaware.com will help to fill a critical niche in the Delaware Estuary region while, at the same time, giving a boost to both environmental education and the state’s slowing economy. Ecotourism, after all, contributes $730 billion to the United States economy every year; this, according to a 2007 study by the Outdoor Industry Association of Boulder, Colorado.

EcoDelaware.com has been made possible thanks to a $10,000 grant provided by the Delaware Economic Development Office in June of 2007. Additional support for the project comes from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. And many of the website’s photographs have been donated by outdoor enthusiasts throughout the First State.

For more information and to submit a destination, event or photograph, please contact Shaun Bailey of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary at (800) 445-4935, extension 113, or SBailey@DelawareEstuary.org.

The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary is now accepting entries on behalf of the Philadelphia Water Department for the 2008 “Clean Water Begins and Ends With You” Drawing Contest, an annual art competition for kindergarten through 12th-grade students throughout the City of Philadelphia.

For the past nine years, the nonprofit National Estuary Program has partnered with the Philadelphia Water Department to hold this popular contest, the purpose of which is to educate thousands of children every year about stormwater runoff pollution, the leading cause of water contamination throughout the Delaware Estuary.

First-place drawings from four age categories will be featured on car-card advertisements celebrating the 38th anniversary of Earth Day. These, along with 12 other award-winning entries, will be published in a calendar available for free to the public. Other prizes to be awarded at a ceremony in April include framed certificates, a variety of art supplies, and gift cards ranging from $25 to $100.

“Each year we honor the winners and their teachers at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center,” said Ed Grusheski, general manager of public affairs at the PWD. “It’s a great setting in which to reward these youngsters for their artistic achievements in an effort to educate the public about protecting the region’s valuable water resources.”

The first school to submit 100 qualified entries or more by the February 22 deadline will receive a $500 gift card for school supplies. And each teacher of a winning student will receive a $25 gift card toward the purchase of art supplies.

Stormwater runoff occurs whenever water from rain or melted snow flows over watertight surfaces such as driveways, sidewalks, and streets. Rather than naturally soaking into the ground, this stormwater picks up debris, chemicals, and other pollutants on its way into storm drains. It is then frequently discharged directly into the water bodies we use for swimming, fishing, drinking water and more.

To learn more about this form of non-point source pollution and the “Clean Water Begins and Ends With You” Drawing Contest, please call Dee Ross at (800) 445-4935, extension 106. Entry forms and additional details can be found at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

Ecotourists of all ages will flock to the Delaware Riverfront this weekend to enjoy outdoor events highlighting the region’s best natural asset, the tidal Delaware River. These events include Southeastern Pennsylvania Coast Day and the “Cradle of Birding” Wildlife and Conservation Festival in Philadelphia, A Celebration of Jersey Fresh in Camden, and the Delaware Coastal Cleanup along 97 miles of coastline in Del.

Others still will immerse themselves in the Delaware County Riverfront Ramble in Pa. and Wilmington Riverfest in Northern Del. All told, more than 31,000 people will likely visit riverside events September 15 and 16, many of which will walk away with a better appreciation of their surrounding natural environment.

“Riverfront festivals can be a great way for people to reconnect with their local waterways and build upon their sense of stewardship,” said Lisa Wool, program director for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “Studies have shown that people who actively use rivers for recreation are far less likely to knowingly pollute them.”

Riverfront events frequently address pollution problems by recruiting environmental organizations from throughout the region to host booths offering free games, prizes and food that make for a fun afternoon with a green theme. This is the case at Southeastern Pennsylvania Coast Day, for example, where some 20 or more organizations and six sponsors are pooling their resources to create one festival at Penn’s Landing on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visitors will have an opportunity to take a boat ride on the Delaware River, participate in games like a “Wonders of Water” treasure hunt, and sample freshly roasted Delaware Bay oysters, all of which are free to enjoy. And once festival goers have fully experienced Southeastern Pa.’s coast on the Delaware River, a free shuttle will be waiting to transport them to the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center on the banks of the Schuylkill River.

Those who are interested in these and other nature-related events and destinations can find more information by logging on to one of several ecotourism websites catering to the Delaware Estuary region. These include the Boundless Philadelphia section of www.GoPhila.com, the Greater Philadelphia Environmental Network’s website located at www.GPEN.org, and www.SchuylkillRiver.org, the online home of the Schuylkill River National and State Heritage Area.

Additional ecotourism websites are currently being developed by the Bayshore Discovery Project of Port Norris, N.J., the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary of Wilmington, Del., and the South Jersey Tourism Corporation of Camden.

A group of 16 teachers sharpened their science skills last week when they toured various sites throughout Bucks County during the 11th annual Delaware Estuary Watershed Workshop for Teachers. Since 1997, this weeklong training session organized by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary has helped more than 150 educators in the region gain professional instruction in environmental science they can later use in the classroom, and beyond.

This year’s group, including 13 teachers from Southeast Pa., paid $50 each for training and teaching materials valued at over $2,000 thanks to support from the Bucks County Conservation District and the Pennsylvania Bureau of State Parks.

Demonstration sites ranged as far north as Doylestown, Pa., to as far south as Lewes, Del., providing participants with a better perspective of the Delaware Estuary in which they work and reside. These excursions offered a variety of laboratory experiments, field experiences, and lectures on topics such as identifying and sampling fish populations, water chemistry, wildlife conservation, and much more.

“Workshops of this nature are a terrific way to boost ecological literacy among today’s youth,” said the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary’s Science Director, Dr. Danielle Kreeger, who also treated teachers to an August 9 presentation on wetlands at the site of Public Service Enterprise Group’s Estuary Enhancement Program in Alloway, N.J. “Unlike reading, writing, and arithmetic, there aren’t as many tools readily available for teachers to instruct students on environmental science, but this and other programs help to fill those gaps.”

In addition to the training they received, each teacher who successfully completed the workshop took home $250 worth of educational materials and equipment. They also earned clock hours, continuing professional education hours, or professional development hours, all of which will help them renew their teaching certificates in their respective state or commonwealth.

For more information on the Delaware Estuary Watershed Workshop for Teachers, please call Lisa Wool, program director at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, at (800) 445-4935, extension 105, or visit www.DelawareEstuary.org.

NEW ORLEANS — James A. Lauser, executive chef of the Wilmington/Christiana Hilton Hotel in Newark, Del., competed in the Great American Seafood Cook-Off in New Orleans on August 4 using Delaware Bay oyster recipes that scored highly amongst many of the nation’s premier seafood chefs. In the end, however, Tim Thomas of Ga. was crowned the “2007 King of American Seafood.”

Lauser earned Governor Ruth Ann Minner’s endorsement to represent his home state when he won the Delaware Bay Oyster Appetizer Competition, a contest organized by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary on behalf of the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Task Force at the University of Delaware’s 2006 Coast Day celebration in Lewes. The task force sponsored Lauser’s entry to raise national awareness about Delaware Bay oysters, its restoration project, and the efforts underway to revitalize one of America’s first commercial shellfish industries in Del. and N.J.

“I’ve cooked with all sorts of ingredients from around the world, and those from Delaware Bay will always have a special place in my kitchen,” said Lauser, who also competed in 2005. “It was an honor for me to represent the State of Delaware, as well as valuable marine resources like the Delaware Bay oyster.”

Drawing upon his 18 years of culinary experience in the Delmarva region, Lauser prepared a three-part combination platter featuring baked oyster casino with silver queen corn, bacon, onions and bell peppers; smoked oysters topped with a sun artichoke and fennel cream sauce; and poached oysters with a Delaware freestone peach and cranberry conserve, the latter of which is actually a dessert.

For more details on the Great American Seafood Cook-Off, including Lauser’s detailed oyster recipes, please log on to www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com. To find fresh oysters you can use to prepare these and other recipes, please consult your local seafood vendor or explore www.JerseySeafood.NJ.gov. And to learn more about the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Project and its nine member-organizations, please visit www.DelawareEstuary.org.

The Great American Seafood Cook-Off was founded in 2004 by the Louisiana Seafood and Marketing Board. This year’s competition was both the first to be open to the public and the first to span two days of cooking.

The Philadelphia Water Department, together with the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, is asking homeowners and neighborhood leaders to improve water quality in the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers by installing storm drain emblems proclaiming “Yo! No Dumping! Drains to River.” Volunteer training and materials will be provided at no cost.

Storm drain marking has been a family-oriented Earth Day activity since 2000 in the City of Philadelphia. Emblems installed by volunteers have served to warn citizens that dumping hazardous materials into storm drains contributes to stormwater runoff pollution, a leading threat to water quality in the Delaware Estuary.

“When storm drains are clearly marked, citizens are less likely to dump materials like litter, motor oil and paint,” said Lisa Wool, program director for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “These and other contaminants can be discharged as untreated runoff into the waters we use for swimming, fishing, drinking water and more.”

Volunteers hitting the streets will also be equipped with educational tip cards. When distributed to residents by a friendly or familiar face, these tip cards go a long way toward protecting the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, both of which are vital sources of drinking water for millions of people.

In addition to protecting the environment, storm drain marking can serve as a cultural or sight-seeing experience. Many drains yet to be marked exist in Chinatown, East Falls, Fishtown and still other boroughs boasting unique customs and historical points of interest.

For more information on the Storm Drain Marking Program and to schedule an appointment to pick up supplies, please call Dee Ross at (800) 445-4935, extension 106. Additional information and registration forms can also be found online at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

On January 22-24, several hundred scientists, resource managers and environmentalists from throughout the tri-state region will descend upon Cape May, N.J., to convene at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary’s second-ever Delaware Estuary Science Conference. For three days, these experts will deliberate regarding the current issues and future needs of the Delaware Estuary, one of the most industrialized ecosystems in the world.

In addition, the Delaware Estuary Environmental Summit, a new event occurring simultaneously with the science conference, will bring together environmental organizations and other interested parties to showcase and discuss their past activities that have resulted in environmental improvements. Participants at the summit will also have an opportunity to network with environmental scientists while discussing their respective roles in conservation.

Those in attendance will look to build on the momentum of the last conference by listening to speakers, taking part in roundtable discussions, and engaging in regular and special topic sessions. Those interested in attending can still register by downloading and submitting registration forms available at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

The theme of this year’s conference will be “Linking Science, Management and Policy to Set Achievable Environmental Goals in the Delaware Estuary.”

“In 2005 we brought together representatives from agencies, nonprofits, and academia, groups which rarely interact directly with one another, and this resulted in fertile discussions about science and management needs for the region,” said Dr. Danielle Kreeger, science director at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. “This time, we’ll focus our attention on how to address those needs and chart meaningful environmental targets.”

The precedent for such communication will be set forth by Keynote Speaker, Dr. Scott Nixon, professor of oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. Among other topics, Nixon plans to discuss the national importance of the Delaware Estuary.

The desired outcomes of the conference and summit are to exchange information, address scientific needs, respond to emerging issues, identify and set environmental goals, and link science and management to policy. More than anything, however, organizers wish to build on the energy generated within the scientific and management community in 2005 and foster creative collaborations among diverse stakeholders.

Currently the cost is $200 for professionals or $110 per day, and students pay just $95. This includes admission to both the science conference and environmental summit, five meals, including three lunches and two dinners, and refreshments during frequent breaks. Room reservations and directions to this year’s venue, the Grand Hotel, can be secured by calling (800) 257-8550 toll free.

The Delaware Estuary Science Conference is a biennial event, meaning the next opportunity for attendance will not take place until early 2009. For more information, please contact Natalie Ignacio at (800) 445-4935, extension 104. In the meantime, event programs are available for download at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

For more than 50 years, the nation’s scientists have been working on a standardized language to describe native plant communities, or groups of plant life found in similar environments. The Delaware Estuary now has such a guide thanks to the work of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, NatureServe and the Natural Heritage Programs in the States of Del., N.J., and Pa.

BIVALVE, N.J. — On behalf of the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Group, Dr. Eric Powell of Rutgers University’s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory has released the monitoring results of the 2005 Oyster Shell-Planting Revitalization Project in the Delaware Bay.

The report reveals that, while overall oyster abundance has declined to its lowest levels throughout the bay since the onset of Dermo disease (circa 1989), as well as to one of the lowest levels in the 1953 to 2005 record, abundance has increased in the areas where shell planting took place. Oyster larvae require a clean, hard surface to which they can attach for future growth, but the sources of these shells have diminished over time.

The 2005 shell-planting program was designed specifically to address the issue of low recruitment by restoring six critical beds in the Delaware Bay. As a result, 280,000 bushels (approximately 150 acres or 10,500 tons) of shell were planted in July to begin the restoration of natural beds in New Jersey and Delaware, where the abundance of oysters had declined.

The revitalization project was funded in 2005 with a total of $750,000 from Congress, the Cumberland Empowerment Zone Corporation, the States of Delaware and New Jersey, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, and the oyster industries of both states. The oyster beds were then monitored to determine the success of the planting effort.

“Oyster recruitment doubled in the target areas of the bay, which is a big success. The 2005 program could lead, in three years, to a 50-percent increase in the number of oysters that could be harvested,” said Powell.

“These findings hold great promise as to the potential outcome of this important work being done in the bay,” said Kathy Klein, executive director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, a member-organization of the restoration group. “It also demonstrates just how critical working together in a bay-wide partnership is to restoring one of the Delaware Estuary’s signature species, from both an ecological and economic standpoint.”

With the additional $2 million Congressional funding allocation that was granted for 2006, the oyster shell-planting and transplant program will be able to continue and expand at a much greater scale. This bi-state program is a collaborative effort at the local, state and federal levels that will benefit the environment, as well as the oyster industry.

The 2005 funding request for the Oyster Shell-Planting Revitalization Project appropriation was initiated in the House of Representatives by Congressman Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Congressman Frank LoBiondo (D-N.J.), and it was supported in the Senate by Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.), then-Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Senator Tom Carper (D-Del).

Copies of the “2005 Shell-Planting Program in Delaware Bay” report can be found online at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

Background Summary

For centuries, oysters have provided a sustainable food supply and contributed to the local economies of Delaware and New Jersey communities. One to two million bushels were harvested every year during the 1930s, when they initially began to decline. The introduction of the oyster disease MSX in the 1950s, followed in the 1990s by a second disease, Dermo, has resulted in a significant decline in the oyster population. Consequently, the industry has been imperiled.

The oyster population rebounded somewhat by 2000 due to the combined efforts of both states and the oyster industry, producing some 100,000 bushels per year. However, today the oyster population is feeling the effects of five years of below-average biological recruitment (i.e., the number of young oysters entering the population each year) for unknown reasons.

The 2005 Oyster Shell-Planting Revitalization Project involved the planting of clean surf clam shells on oyster beds to provide the uncontaminated surface oyster larvae need for attachment after floating in the water. Once larvae are recruited or attached, the shells can remain in those beds until either the oysters reach maturity or some can be transplanted to other beds in disease-free areas to revitalize them. Over time, the shell planting and transplant program could increase production to approximately 200,000 to 400,000 bushels per year, with a possible economic impact of up to $60 million between the two states.

For a short history of oysters in the Delaware Bay, information on the life cycle of oysters, other oyster facts and a description of the revitalization project, please consult the spring 2005 issue of Estuary News, a quarterly newsletter available at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

For more information on the oyster revitalization project, please contact Eric Powell of Rutgers’ Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory at (856) 785-0074, extension 4300.

BIVALVE, N.J. — On behalf of the Delaware Bay Oyster Restoration Group, Dr. Eric Powell of Rutgers University’s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory has released the monitoring results of the 2005 Oyster Shell-Planting Revitalization Project in the Delaware Bay.

The report reveals that, while overall oyster abundance has declined to its lowest levels throughout the bay since the onset of Dermo disease (circa 1989), as well as to one of the lowest levels in the 1953 to 2005 record, abundance has increased in the areas where shell planting took place. Oyster larvae require a clean, hard surface to which they can attach for future growth, but the sources of these shells have diminished over time.

The 2005 shell-planting program was designed specifically to address the issue of low recruitment by restoring six critical beds in the Delaware Bay. As a result, 280,000 bushels (approximately 150 acres or 10,500 tons) of shell were planted in July to begin the restoration of natural beds in New Jersey and Delaware, where the abundance of oysters had declined.

The revitalization project was funded in 2005 with a total of $750,000 from Congress, the Cumberland Empowerment Zone Corporation, the States of Delaware and New Jersey, the Delaware River and Bay Authority, and the oyster industries of both states. The oyster beds were then monitored to determine the success of the planting effort.

“Oyster recruitment doubled in the target areas of the bay, which is a big success. The 2005 program could lead, in three years, to a 50-percent increase in the number of oysters that could be harvested,” said Powell.

“These findings hold great promise as to the potential outcome of this important work being done in the bay,” said Kathy Klein, executive director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, a member-organization of the restoration group. “It also demonstrates just how critical working together in a bay-wide partnership is to restoring one of the Delaware Estuary’s signature species, from both an ecological and economic standpoint.”

With the additional $2 million Congressional funding allocation that was granted for 2006, the oyster shell-planting and transplant program will be able to continue and expand at a much greater scale. This bi-state program is a collaborative effort at the local, state and federal levels that will benefit the environment, as well as the oyster industry.

The 2005 funding request for the Oyster Shell-Planting Revitalization Project appropriation was initiated in the House of Representatives by Congressman Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Congressman Frank LoBiondo (D-N.J.), and it was supported in the Senate by Senator Joe Biden (D-Del.), then-Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Senator Tom Carper (D-Del).

Copies of the “2005 Shell-Planting Program in Delaware Bay” report can be found online at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

Background Summary

For centuries, oysters have provided a sustainable food supply and contributed to the local economies of Delaware and New Jersey communities. One to two million bushels were harvested every year during the 1930s, when they initially began to decline. The introduction of the oyster disease MSX in the 1950s, followed in the 1990s by a second disease, Dermo, has resulted in a significant decline in the oyster population. Consequently, the industry has been imperiled.

The oyster population rebounded somewhat by 2000 due to the combined efforts of both states and the oyster industry, producing some 100,000 bushels per year. However, today the oyster population is feeling the effects of five years of below-average biological recruitment (i.e., the number of young oysters entering the population each year) for unknown reasons.

The 2005 Oyster Shell-Planting Revitalization Project involved the planting of clean surf clam shells on oyster beds to provide the uncontaminated surface oyster larvae need for attachment after floating in the water. Once larvae are recruited or attached, the shells can remain in those beds until either the oysters reach maturity or some can be transplanted to other beds in disease-free areas to revitalize them. Over time, the shell planting and transplant program could increase production to approximately 200,000 to 400,000 bushels per year, with a possible economic impact of up to $60 million between the two states.

For a short history of oysters in the Delaware Bay, information on the life cycle of oysters, other oyster facts and a description of the revitalization project, please consult the spring 2005 issue of Estuary News, a quarterly newsletter available at www.DelawareEstuary.org.

For more information on the oyster revitalization project, please contact Eric Powell of Rutgers’ Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory at (856) 785-0074, extension 4300.

The state of environmental science and management in the Delaware Estuary has been assessed in a “white paper” just released by the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (Partnership), one of 28 National Estuary Programs. This authoritative report highlights the most pressing scientific needs in the estuary and provides a blueprint to direct actions while meeting those needs.

Authored by eleven noted scientists and resource managers from throughout the region, the “White Paper on the Status and Needs of Science in the Delaware Estuary” is the first ever comprehensive attempt to discuss the signature traits and environmental issues that distinguish this system from other nationally important estuaries. It draws on the key points made by more than 130 presenters and 250 attendees from 10 states, all of which participated in the two-part Delaware Estuary Science Conference that took place in January and May of 2005.

Oysters to Benefit from $2M Appropriation

An oyster revitalization project in the Delaware Bay will receive $2 million from Congress through the FY2006 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The money will be used for the continuation of a large-scale oyster shell planting and transplant program to rejuvenate the dwindling oyster populations of the Delaware River Estuary.

This bi-state program, in Delaware and New Jersey waters, is a collaborative effort on the local, state, and federal levels that will benefit the environment, as well as the oyster industry.