DuPont Nature Center to host Earth Day program on amphibians and reptiles

SLAUGHTER BEACH (April 11, 2011) The DuPont Nature Center at Mispillion Harbor Reserve, a DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife facility, will host “Living with Cold Blood,” a special program about amphibians and reptiles, from 10 a.m. to noon on Earth Day, Saturday, April 23. The program is offered free of charge, with no preregistration required.

The Delaware Bay region’s freshwater and terrestrial habitats are home to a diverse population of salamanders and frogs. Species as common as the familiar American bullfrog and Eastern red-backed salamander live side by side with rare and spectacular amphibians like the Eastern tiger salamander, barking tree frog and carpenter frog.  

The program will be presented by Mick McLaughlin, an educator and center volunteer who works as senior biologist with Landmark JCM. He will share fascinating facts about these amphibians and reptiles, including how they survive the winter. He will also be bringing a variety of live animals, from tree frogs to a de-venomed copperhead snake to allow participants a close-up look at some of these unique creatures.

Perched on the edge of Mispillion Harbor at the intersection of the mouths of the Mispillion River and Cedar Creek, the center offers a variety of interactive exhibits, school tours and educational programs. In the spring, its location offers wildlife watchers a front-row seat for the spring spectacle of spawning horseshoe crabs and migrating shorebirds including the red knot that depend on horseshoe crab eggs to help fuel their 9,000-mile journey.

The center is located at 2992 Lighthouse Road, east of Milford. Spring hours through April 30 are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free and open to the public.

For more information about the DuPont Nature Center and its programs, please call 302-422-1329, or visit www.dupontnaturecenter.org.

Vol. 41, No. 144